Starting from the already acquired linguistic skills, the Course’s aim is to give students a knowledge of the Language which allows them to access to the meanings inside Operas, helping them to identify their most important aspects.
Most of the words and grammar rules will be introduced using examples taken from well-known Arias. In this way the student will get familiar with both the Standard Italian Language and the Operatic Language acquiring a very important instrument for a good performance. Great importance will be given to excerpts from some very famous and well-known Arias and to exercises with phonetic and diction.
The study of the Italian Language is in compliance with the European Frame. At the end of the Course, the student will be able to understand frequently used expressions related to areas of immediate relevance and to communicate in routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.
You will learn Italian in an international environment with students who share the same interests. It is a good occasion to know singers from different countries and exchange experiences.
* The Course includes:
- Introductory Seminar on Voice and the Feldenkrais Method Singing from Head to Foot, held by Mary Lindsey, teaching at the Conservatorio di Musica "Giuseppe Verdi" in Milano.
- The Feldenkrais Method of Awareness through Movement is based on keen observation of the way we move and carry out activities in daily life and while undertaking.
- Specialized activity such as acting, singing, dancing. Finding an easy, functional.
- And efficient approach to an activity increases power, flexibility, expressiveness as well as the personal pleasure involved. Often it is sufficient to merely imagine doing a movement and already we notice how much excess and inefficient tension is expressed for example in taking a breath or in starting the first note or in preparing for a difficult passage: a high note, a long coloratura passage, or a wide skip in the melody.
- To be truly free in singing, energy has to be released and channeled in a dynamic balance which starts first in the mind and in the imagination and involves all the senses as well as instinct and emotion.
- During the seminar we will explore various ways of becoming more sensitive to individual habits that are negative for singing and find alternatives, through mental preparation, that create security and control in a positive way.
* "La traviata" at Teatro Alla Scala. One of the most popular Operas of all times, Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, will make its reappearance in a production by Liliana Cavani. After the enormous success of Tosca, you can see Lorin Maazel, conductor who has already celebrated 50 years of presence at La Scala. Particularly worth noting in the cast is the awaited debut at La Scala of Angela Gheorghiu in the role of Violetta; a debut anticipated by Italiano per l’Opera the singing recital of 2006. Ramón Vargas will be Alfredo and Roberto Frontali will be Giorgio Germont. Conductor: Lorin Maazel.
* Guided visits with the teachers to places of historical, artistic and musical interest.
* List of the visits:
- Teatro Alla Scala – Opera Museum
- Castello Sforzesco – Museum of the Musical Instruments
- San Babila, Vittorio Emanuele Gallery and Ricordi Stores
- San Marco and Brera Area (Young Mozart stayed inside S. Marco’s canonic during the 18th century. In 1874, Giuseppe Verdi directed his Messa da Requiem for Alessandro Manzoni)
- Sant’Ambrogio
- Santa Maria Delle Grazie – Il Cenacolo (Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci)
- Sant’Eustorgio
- Bergamo, Donizetti’s hometown
- Conservatorio "G. Verdi"
- Casa di Riposo "G. Verdi" and Verdi’s Grave
- Monumental Cemetery in Milan.
* Structure of the Course:
- Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12.30 pm.
- Classroom lessons and practice.
- Tuesday and Thursday from 2 pm to 4 pm.
- Activities as follows: Reading songs of the Italian Renaissance and Baroque repertoire.
- Reading and singing Italian songs (ballets, madrigals, frottole, chansons) for 3, 4 or 5 voices, written by composers of the late-Renaissance and early-Baroque periods like Gastoldi, Vecchi, Monteverdi, Marenzio. Students will explore the text and the music and develop their knowledge of the Italian musical repertoire. At the end of the Course the students will perform in a Concert Hall.
- Revision exercises.
- Playing with Italian language (learning through games). Simple games will be proposed to continue the learning process in a relaxed context. Focus is not on language skills but on the cooperative work; students will learn through play and practice, improving their ability in listening and speaking.
- Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2 pm to 5 pm
- Visiting Milan according to the List of Visits.
Faculty Information:
Our School is specialized in teaching Italian as a second language and offers a wide variety courses acknowledged by the Italian Ministry of Education; the school is also recommended by the worldwide located Italian Culture Institutes.
The effectiveness of learning is guaranteed by the applied teaching method which has been continuously improved, as testified by the excellent results and satisfaction reached by our language students. The school offers personalized study plans able to guarantee a fast and effective learning progress in a professional, yet relaxed ambient. All teachers are highly qualified and the small groups ensure a high level of communication and personalized instruction.
Other Activities:
In the spare time the school offers various activities, such as
guided visits to Milan and other Italian cities: visits to museums, churches and other places of historical, artistic and cultural interest; guided visits to places of naturalistic, touristic and cultural interest: sea or mountain villages, next to the lakes, on the Alps and to the typical northern Italy farms where many foods are made, like cheese and salami; participation to exhibitions and concerts, conferences and sports events; social evenings in famous typical restaurants and pubs in Milan or disco parties.
Facility Information:
We are in the center of Milan. The school in Via Stradivari is situated in a 19th century building and offers 2 offices, 1 secretary room, three balconies, and 3 spacious, bright and quiet classrooms. There are 6 computers and a library with various Italian books, and audio-visual materials. In the ground floor students can enjoy the garden during breaks.
The second seat is in Via Palestrina, just a few meters from Via Stradivari. There are 4 quiet classroom, 2 very spacious ones and 2 of average size, all with big windows making the rooms very bright. Students can also use a library and a room for study and recreation.
Notes:
Price Includes:
- Italian Language Course, reading and listening Italian songs from the XVI and XVII centuries for total number of 64,5 hours
- Seminar on Voice and the Feldenkrais Method Singing from Head to Foot for a total of 4 hours
- La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi at La Scala Opera House
- Guided Visits in Milan to places of special Historical, Artistic, and Cultural interest in world of Opera, for a total of 27 hours
- Textbooks and other materials which will be given by the teachers during the activities
- Single room in apartment with other students or mini apartment in a residence.
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