Italian Opera Training
Nestled in the foothills of the Italian Alps between Milan and Nice, sits a beautiful 14th century monastery, home to Saluzzo Opera Academy’s professional development program. Expand your operatic training this summer: perform with orchestra and fully immerse yourself in Italian language and culture at the sister academy of Berlin Opera Academy.
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Alcina & Giulio Cesare
Festival Singers
Perform a role with orchestra in fully staged operas at Saluzzo Opera Academy. Immerse yourself in Italian culture while taking part in masterclasses and workshops with leading instructors. Hone key artistic skills like technique, acting and self-promotion.
Orchestra Musicians
Play in Saluzzo Opera Academy’s summer operas as part of a chamber orchestra led by world-class conductors. Get involved in masterclasses and workshops with leading musicians and develop your own skills as an orchestral musician.
Apprentice Program
Bring opera to life from behind the scenes. As part of the core team, we aim to give you focus and skills for future employment, while building your portfolio under the guidance of our directors and staff.
Mastery in opera
SOA trainging program for artists and professionals provides its musicians with tools for their craft that are essential for growth in today’s operatic landscape. Musical, linguistic and stagecraft training is developed for each artist as an individual.
A Typical Day
Read about a typical day for singers and orchestra musicians, filled with educational opportunities as well as opportunity for cultural immersion.
Intensive Language Course
Gain linguistic mastery with regular, intensive language classes and coachings while living in Italy.
Alcina
Alcina is one of Händel’s most beloved operas in the repertoire and appears consistently among the most frequently performed operas.
Giulio Cesare
Giulio Cesare is an opera seria in three acts composed by George Frederic Händel and is now one of the most often performed Baroque operas.
Summer Training in Italy
Berlin & Saluzzo Opera Academy
Partnered Academies
Alumni
Performances
Followers
SOA Team
Mark Sampson
Artistic Director & Founder
Voice teacher, Bass in German "A" houses, founder of several successful summer academies
Jessica Farrell
Executive & Creative Director and Co-Founder
Administrator of Summer Music Programs in US and Europe, Graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Peter Leonard
Conductor
Guest conducted the NY Philharmonic, Former artistic director and GMD of German opera houses
Pamela Recinella
Director
Director at Pfalztheater Kaserslautern, Theater Lübeck, Theater Erfurt, and Hongkong Opera
Noa Naamat
Director
Director at Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Royal Opera of Versailles, Berliner Festspiele, Royal Albert Hall
Carmen Santoro
Master Instructor
Professor and music director. One of the most important vocal coaches of her generation
Lorraine DiSimone
Instructor
Professor and voice teacher, with an extensive performance history including the NY Philharmonic
Nobuko Amemiya
Instructor
International Pianist and Vocal Coach at AIMS in Graz, Opera North, Aspen Music School, IIVA in Italy, and New England Conservatory
Dominic Barberi
Instructor
Bass soloist at Berlin Staatsoper, Oper Leipzig, National Theater Mannheim, Opéra de Lille, Opéra Montpellier, La Scala Milano and National de Paris
Will Kelley
Visiting Instructor
Conductor and pianist and Kapellmeister at German and Swiss "A" houses.
Overall I had a great experience and I would happily do it again. I learned a lot, but I also feel like I have a clear idea of what I need to work on when I get back home!
Thank you! I loved the whole experience. Suggested improvements were literally tiny things that I had to think really hard to even come up with, if the program stays exactly as is it is fabulous. Everyone working there is so lovely & helpful. I’ve come away absolutely inspired. Thank you!
I was, however, blown away by the outstanding level of teaching and will be most definitely recommending BOA [SOA’s sister academy] to other young singers.
It was an amazing real world experience. [The director] treated us probably the same way he treats the singers at the Theatre, asked us to put ourselves completely into new ideas and really made my brain and my instincts work a lot. I would love to work with him again. Definitely.
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For myself, the most interesting piece of knowledge that I have gained is that your own artistic individuality is key to your performance, allowing you to enjoy being the person you are on and offstage. Like a wonderful piece of art some people will love you and others, whose tastes differ may not. But I know that if I sing with all my heart, demonstrating who I am as a performer with my own bells and whistles, then I know that I can be honest with the story and let my body sing from my soul.