Cardiff International Academy of Voice

A welcome return to Barga this week for the world famous tenor Dennis O’Neill. He is joined once again by other teachers at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice as they run a series of masterclasses for budding professional singers with the potential to embark on a career in opera. The Cardiff international academy of voice masterclasses and concerts are now enjoying their 3rd year here in the Barga and with Dennis O’Neill and his team at the helm they can only go from strength to strength. This morning there was a presentation in Palazzo Pancrazi for the Academy by the il vice sindaco of Barga, Alberto Giovannetti

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A fully staged opera will be the pinnacle of a two-week Italian residency for students from the Cardiff International Academy of Voice.

From 14-28 June 2009 the students, who have refined their vocal technique over the last year at the prestigious Academy, will give a series of public performances in the Tuscan town of Barga.

An intensive programme of events has been co-ordinated, designed to showcase the students’ world-leading potential. The programme includes an operatic gala, a sacred music concert and the highlight of the residency, two performances of Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto, a light hearted operatic farce considered one of the finest operas of the 18^th century.

Directed by Robin Tebbutt and conducted by Phillip Thomas the opera will be presented on two nights during the visit and has been double-cast so that all students get the opportunity to perform. The students will be joined for their performances by an exciting young Italian orchestra Lo Spartito, based in the nearby town of Lucca.

Academy student Claire Egan, a soprano from New Zealand said: “This is such a wonderful opportunity – I’m so excited about going to Italy! We’ve been working so hard to learn the opera Il Matrimonio Segreto by Cimarosa. This will be my first visit to Italy and I can’t believe that I’ll be performing this opera in Italian in front of an Italian audience.”

Venerdì 19 giugno – Teatro dei Differenti – ore 21.00 – Concerto di Gala (arie d’opera: Rossini, Verdi, Donizetti).
Domenica 21 giugno – Chiesa della SS. Annunziata – ore 21.00 Concerto sacro vocale. (Haendel, Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Vivaldi, Mendelssohn, Rossini)
Giovedi 25 e sabato 27 giugno – Teatro dei Differenti – ore 21.00 Anteprima dell’opera comica “Il Matrimonio segreto” di Domenico Cimarosa, opera che ha inaugurato il Teatro dei Differenti nel 1795.

This lovely hospitable town changed my life. By the time I left Barga, I had fallen head over heels for the culture, language and, above all the music of Italy. Much more, I had discovered that my amateur voice had potential and was told that with a great deal of work I would have a chance. Dennis O’Neil: Barga – the town that changed my life- full article here

• Cardiff International Academy of Voice
• Cardiff International Academy of Voice Gala Concert