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Participants will experience an in-depth exploration of the multi-faceted craft of singing performance for opera and musical theatre.
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The musical focus of the course will be operatic repertory appropriate to the skill and experience of each participant, as well as repertory in the “lighter” styles of operetta and “legit” American musical theatre.
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This total immersion experience in the craft of stage performance will include daily work in the areas of voice, diction, repertoire coaching, stage movement and characterization, auditioning, and career building.
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Representative works under consideration for study include Barber’s A Hand of Bridge, Walton’s The Bear, Moore’s Gallantry: A Soap Opera, Vaughn Williams’ Riders to the Sea, and a revue of works by Rodgers, Weill, or Sondheim.
- The course will culminate in the performance of chamber opera(s) and scenes from the standard operatic repertory and from works for the American musical stage.
Undergraduate: MUSIC 423, 3 units
Graduate: MUSIC 623, 3 units
none
This course is intended to take you to a higher level of professionalism and intensity in your work than you might experience in a traditional college or university setting. As a guideline, we provide the following information to help you gauge your readiness for this experience:
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You have participated and performed with an opera workshop or opera theatre group in a college, university, or community setting, and/or a university, community, or regional theatrical group in which you sang and acted in a principal or supporting role.
- You are confident enough in yourself and your abilities to work both as a solo artist and as an ensemble member in an intensive and professionally focused way.
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Admission to the course is through audition screening of application materials. To expedite the application process, most audition screening will be done through audio and video recordings. To ensure timely and careful consideration of your application, please include the following materials:
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A statement summarizing what you hope to achieve through the experience of taking the course.
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A resume and a one-paragraph biography.
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A professional quality headshot (if available). If a headshot is not available, please provide a good quality photograph that can be scanned and included in course programs.
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Audio and/or DVD recordings of your past vocal and/or theatrical performances. This can include clips from shows, recitals, or demonstration recordings. The faculty’s main objective in evaluating these recordings is getting to know you from a variety of perspectives: your voice, your musicianship, and your stage personality. (Materials should be provided ONLY in CD or DVD format. Posting your video for us on YouTube is also an option, provided the quality is good and we can clearly see and hear you in the video.)
- Two letters of recommendation speaking to your experience and readiness to participate in a course of this type. Ideally, these will be from your voice teacher, a stage director with whom you have recently worked, or other musical professional familiar with your musical development and your individual talents and potential. The letters should include contact information for your references.
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A statement summarizing what you hope to achieve through the experience of taking the course.
- Send the materials listed in Step 1 with your completed Registration Form to the Summer Arts Registration Office by Friday, May 15, 2009. THE DEADLINE TO APPLY TO THIS COURSE HAS PASSED.
Professor Gerald Seminatore
gseminatore@fullerton.edu
657-278-3305
Jonathan Eaton
Jonathan Eaton has directed widely in opera houses throughout North America and Europe. Currently he serves as Artistic Director of the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, where he has led the company in presenting varied and unusual repertoire, most recently Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars conducted by Julius Rudel, the world premiere of Matthew Rosenblum’s multi-media opera RedDust, and Philip Glass’s Sound of a Voice, which will tour to the Royal Opera Covent Garden. In the United States, Mr. Eaton’s work has been seen at New York City Opera with Turandot, Carmen, and Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci, which were televised for nationwide broadcast on Great Performances: Live from Lincoln Center. He has also directed at Chicago Lyric, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Diego, Kentucky, Indianapolis, Memphis, Santa Fe, and Spoleto. A committed educator in the field of stagecraft for opera and musical theatre, Mr. Eaton held the position of Professor of Opera for several years at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where he prepared many aspiring singers and directors for the rigors and opportunities of the professional world.
Check out the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh’s website at: www.operatheaterpittsburgh.org
Jonathan Eaton has directed widely in opera houses throughout North America and Europe. Currently he serves as Artistic Director of the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, where he has led the company in presenting varied and unusual repertoire, most recently Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars conducted by Julius Rudel, the world premiere of Matthew Rosenblum’s multi-media opera RedDust, and Philip Glass’s Sound of a Voice, which will tour to the Royal Opera Covent Garden. In the United States, Mr. Eaton’s work has been seen at New York City Opera with Turandot, Carmen, and Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci, which were televised for nationwide broadcast on Great Performances: Live from Lincoln Center. He has also directed at Chicago Lyric, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Diego, Kentucky, Indianapolis, Memphis, Santa Fe, and Spoleto. A committed educator in the field of stagecraft for opera and musical theatre, Mr. Eaton held the position of Professor of Opera for several years at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where he prepared many aspiring singers and directors for the rigors and opportunities of the professional world.
Check out the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh’s website at: www.operatheaterpittsburgh.org
Janice Hall
Soprano Janice Hall completed her master’s degree at the Boston Conservatory, and began her career with an appearance as Monica in The Medium with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Soon she was singing with companies such as the Washington Opera (Un Ballo in Maschera, La Sonnambula, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia), the New York City Opera (Falstaff, La Clemenza di Tito) the San Diego Opera (Don Giovanni, Carmen, Rigoletto), and the Houston Grand Opera (La Périchole). Ms. Hall spent numerous seasons performing with the Santa Fe Opera (in, among others, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Don Pasquale, Handel’s Ariodante, Cavalli’s La Calisto, and La Traviata), and also performed Lucia di Lammermoor, La Traviata, and La Bohème at the Central City Opera. Janice made her European debut at the Hamburg State Opera as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, a role she also sang in Cologne, Germany at the Vienna State Opera, and at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. Her performance in a Live from Lincoln Center production of La traviata with New York City Opera under the stage direction of Renata Scotto is a special highlight in her career, as this 1996 telecast won an Emmy Award.
Check out her website at: www.janice-hall.com
Soprano Janice Hall completed her master’s degree at the Boston Conservatory, and began her career with an appearance as Monica in The Medium with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Soon she was singing with companies such as the Washington Opera (Un Ballo in Maschera, La Sonnambula, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia), the New York City Opera (Falstaff, La Clemenza di Tito) the San Diego Opera (Don Giovanni, Carmen, Rigoletto), and the Houston Grand Opera (La Périchole). Ms. Hall spent numerous seasons performing with the Santa Fe Opera (in, among others, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Don Pasquale, Handel’s Ariodante, Cavalli’s La Calisto, and La Traviata), and also performed Lucia di Lammermoor, La Traviata, and La Bohème at the Central City Opera. Janice made her European debut at the Hamburg State Opera as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, a role she also sang in Cologne, Germany at the Vienna State Opera, and at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. Her performance in a Live from Lincoln Center production of La traviata with New York City Opera under the stage direction of Renata Scotto is a special highlight in her career, as this 1996 telecast won an Emmy Award.
Check out her website at: www.janice-hall.com
Susan Kane
Soprano Susan Kane has served as the Chair of the Vocal Arts Area at California State University, Los Angeles for the past seven years. In demand for vocal master classes, she has been an invited master teacher at the New Israeli Opera Young Artist Program in Tel Aviv and an invited lecturer for the Los Angeles Opera’s Education and Community Programs on the topic of “Training the Next Generation of Opera Singers.”
Professor Kane’s students are performing in Italy, England, and Israel as well as locally at Sacramento Opera, Celestial Opera, Intimate Opera, Bi-lingual Foundation for the Arts, and Los Angeles Opera Education and Community Programs. They have won many competitions both on regional and national levels. Her students have been winners in Long Beach Mozart Festival, Hollywood Reading Club, National Association of Teachers of Singing Collegiate Auditions and Young Artist Competitions as well as the Los Angeles Opera Buffs.
Soprano Susan Kane has served as the Chair of the Vocal Arts Area at California State University, Los Angeles for the past seven years. In demand for vocal master classes, she has been an invited master teacher at the New Israeli Opera Young Artist Program in Tel Aviv and an invited lecturer for the Los Angeles Opera’s Education and Community Programs on the topic of “Training the Next Generation of Opera Singers.”
Professor Kane’s students are performing in Italy, England, and Israel as well as locally at Sacramento Opera, Celestial Opera, Intimate Opera, Bi-lingual Foundation for the Arts, and Los Angeles Opera Education and Community Programs. They have won many competitions both on regional and national levels. Her students have been winners in Long Beach Mozart Festival, Hollywood Reading Club, National Association of Teachers of Singing Collegiate Auditions and Young Artist Competitions as well as the Los Angeles Opera Buffs.
Donna Loewy
Donna Loewy is much in demand as a collaborative pianist, master class teacher, and performer throughout the United States and beyond. A Professor of Vocal Accompanying at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Professor Loewy has prepared many students and professionals for opera productions, professional auditions, and competitions such as the National Federation of Music Clubs Artist Competition, NATS Artist Awards, D’Angelo Competition and the Montreal Concours Internationale de Musique. She is also an official accompanist for the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, and she has worked as an opera coach with the Israel Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, the Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca, Italy, the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy, and Cincinnati Opera.
Donna Loewy is much in demand as a collaborative pianist, master class teacher, and performer throughout the United States and beyond. A Professor of Vocal Accompanying at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Professor Loewy has prepared many students and professionals for opera productions, professional auditions, and competitions such as the National Federation of Music Clubs Artist Competition, NATS Artist Awards, D’Angelo Competition and the Montreal Concours Internationale de Musique. She is also an official accompanist for the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, and she has worked as an opera coach with the Israel Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, the Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca, Italy, the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy, and Cincinnati Opera.
Bejamin Makino
Pianist and conductor Benjamin Makino recently concluded a two-year appointment as a conductor and vocal coach in the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera. As part of his duties in Washington, Mr. Makino coached resident artists in a range of repertoire, prepared singers for productions in the company’s American Opera series, and conducted a number of performances for the company, including Hansel and Gretel and Così fan tutte. Other appearances with the Washington National Opera included concerts at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Opera House, the Music Center at Strathmore, and Young Artist performances at the Renwick Gallery, the Austrian Embassy and the Mexican Cultural Institute. In 2007 Mr. Makino was the only United States citizen selected to participate in the 50th Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors.
Pianist and conductor Benjamin Makino recently concluded a two-year appointment as a conductor and vocal coach in the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera. As part of his duties in Washington, Mr. Makino coached resident artists in a range of repertoire, prepared singers for productions in the company’s American Opera series, and conducted a number of performances for the company, including Hansel and Gretel and Così fan tutte. Other appearances with the Washington National Opera included concerts at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Opera House, the Music Center at Strathmore, and Young Artist performances at the Renwick Gallery, the Austrian Embassy and the Mexican Cultural Institute. In 2007 Mr. Makino was the only United States citizen selected to participate in the 50th Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors.
Bernard McDonald
Bernard McDonald has worked as vocal coach, assistant conductor and chorus director with major opera companies in America, Europe, and the Far East. His most recent engagements have included Cavalli’s Ormindo at the Pittsburgh Opera; Così fan tutte at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow, Le nozze di Figaro for Opera Theater of Pittsburgh; La Cenerentola for the Bay View Music Festival, and Bizet’s Le docteur Miracle and La Tragedie de Carmen for the De Nieuwe Opera Academie of Amsterdam and The Hague.
A native of Dumbarton, Scotland, Mr. McDonald studied piano at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and coaching and conducting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Professional training at the Merola Program of the San Francisco Opera led directly to an invitation to join the music staff of the New York City Opera, and he was subsequently appointed Head of Music and Chorus Master at the Florida Grand Opera in Miami. He served as Chorus Master at the Glyndebourne Festival until 2005, where he prepared more than 25 productions to great critical acclaim for a host of internationally renowned conductors, including Idomeneo with Sir Simon Rattle, Theodora with Harry Bicket, Die Zauberflöte with Sir Charles Mackerras, and Otello with Vladimir Jurowski.
Check out his website at: www.bernardmcdonald.com
Bernard McDonald has worked as vocal coach, assistant conductor and chorus director with major opera companies in America, Europe, and the Far East. His most recent engagements have included Cavalli’s Ormindo at the Pittsburgh Opera; Così fan tutte at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow, Le nozze di Figaro for Opera Theater of Pittsburgh; La Cenerentola for the Bay View Music Festival, and Bizet’s Le docteur Miracle and La Tragedie de Carmen for the De Nieuwe Opera Academie of Amsterdam and The Hague.
A native of Dumbarton, Scotland, Mr. McDonald studied piano at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and coaching and conducting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Professional training at the Merola Program of the San Francisco Opera led directly to an invitation to join the music staff of the New York City Opera, and he was subsequently appointed Head of Music and Chorus Master at the Florida Grand Opera in Miami. He served as Chorus Master at the Glyndebourne Festival until 2005, where he prepared more than 25 productions to great critical acclaim for a host of internationally renowned conductors, including Idomeneo with Sir Simon Rattle, Theodora with Harry Bicket, Die Zauberflöte with Sir Charles Mackerras, and Otello with Vladimir Jurowski.
Check out his website at: www.bernardmcdonald.com
Gerald Seminatore
Course Coordinator Gerald Seminatore (tenor) has appeared in some thirty different operatic and musical theatre roles with the Glimmerglass, Santa Fe, Chautauqua, West Bay, Oakland, and Dayton opera companies in the United States, and in productions in Dortmund, Frankfurt, Bremen and Kaiserslautern (Germany), and at England’s Aldeburgh Festival. He has also sung over one hundred professional concerts and recitals in both the United States and Europe. Ensemble affiliations have included the Handel & Haydn Society under Christopher Hogwood, the Boston Early Music Festival under Roger Norrington, and Emmanuel Music under the late Craig Smith. Dr. Seminatore did his undergraduate work in Music and Politics at Boston University, and his graduate work at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice with William McGraw, acting with Mark Mocahbee and Malcom Fraser, and stage movement with Barbara Conable.
A former Visiting Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio and a former teaching intern with the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Dr. Seminatore is now an Associate Professor of Music at California State University, Fullerton, where he teaches studio voice, vocal repertory classes, and performance techniques and acting for singers. He also directs the upper division and graduate performance workshop at Fullerton, and he coaches singers of both “classical” and “musical theatre” temperaments in the performance of vocal repertoire from Bach to Sondheim.
Check out his website at: www.geraldseminatore.com
Course Coordinator Gerald Seminatore (tenor) has appeared in some thirty different operatic and musical theatre roles with the Glimmerglass, Santa Fe, Chautauqua, West Bay, Oakland, and Dayton opera companies in the United States, and in productions in Dortmund, Frankfurt, Bremen and Kaiserslautern (Germany), and at England’s Aldeburgh Festival. He has also sung over one hundred professional concerts and recitals in both the United States and Europe. Ensemble affiliations have included the Handel & Haydn Society under Christopher Hogwood, the Boston Early Music Festival under Roger Norrington, and Emmanuel Music under the late Craig Smith. Dr. Seminatore did his undergraduate work in Music and Politics at Boston University, and his graduate work at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice with William McGraw, acting with Mark Mocahbee and Malcom Fraser, and stage movement with Barbara Conable.
A former Visiting Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio and a former teaching intern with the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Dr. Seminatore is now an Associate Professor of Music at California State University, Fullerton, where he teaches studio voice, vocal repertory classes, and performance techniques and acting for singers. He also directs the upper division and graduate performance workshop at Fullerton, and he coaches singers of both “classical” and “musical theatre” temperaments in the performance of vocal repertoire from Bach to Sondheim.
Check out his website at: www.geraldseminatore.com
Additional Program Faculty
In addition to the artist/teachers listed above, visiting artists and clinicians will round out the experience of course participants. Planned activities include sessions on “What Every Musician Needs to Know about the Body” (taught by Andover Educators), and additional master classes, talks and performances.
In addition to the artist/teachers listed above, visiting artists and clinicians will round out the experience of course participants. Planned activities include sessions on “What Every Musician Needs to Know about the Body” (taught by Andover Educators), and additional master classes, talks and performances.
BACK TO 2009 COURSES
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CSU Summer Arts is Hosted by College of Arts and Humanities, Fresno State.