Training at Saluzzo Opera Academy

Summer Training programs for artists and professionals with language study have become a cornerstone of growth for young artists aspiring to a future in the opera industry. SOA’s professional development program provides continuity in training for each artist, individually, while staging operas with orchestra.

SOA Singers, Musicians & Apprentices prepare two fully-staged operas and a public concert series in the context of the Opera Fest Italia summer opera festival. The festival presents traditional operas, challenging the relationship between performer and audience.

Our focus of development is discovering you as a singing actor, giving you comfort and space to grow on stage, while fast-tracking your Italian language skills. We do this in an incredible, unique, intimate and collaborative environment.

SOA Locations

All rehearsals, classes, workshops and lessons are located at the Scuola APM or “Fondazione Scuola di Alto Perfezionamento Musicale” in the heart of Saluzzo’s medieval historic center. The Scuola APM is a stunning, modern music conservatory, located inside the former ancient Monastery of the Annunziata, founded in 1445. Careful renovations have helped to create a welcoming and stimulating environment, steeped in history, aimed at the highest level of musical training. The Scuola APM is also blessed to have air conditioning, which can prove very important in Italian summers.

The APM School is home to the Institute for Musical Heritage of Piedmont, one of the most important musicological research institutes in Europe. This is the place where you will live, work and sing.

Nearby, you can enjoy local cafes and stroll along winding streets between rehearsals to chat in Italian and soak in the local culture. Further afield day trips include local wineries, Teatro alla Scala in nearby Milan, or to the beach, along the Côte d’Azur with gems like Nice, Monaco, or even further down the coast to Cinque Terre.

Accommodation

SOA artists live in single and shared apartments near or even in the Scuola APM. Members reside in shared accommodation on the top floor of the school. Orchestra, staff and apprentices are welcomed to independently secure housing nearby, or apply to join SOA’s single or shared accommodation. We want to foster a welcoming and intensive musical experience where we build lifelong connections. Our accommodation options help enhance this ideal.

Saluzzo Opera Academy & Berlin Opera Academy

After years of growth and success with Berlin Opera Academy, helping launch musical careers in Germany and develop talent, we wanted to extend our efforts to Italy. Using the principles and foundations that helped BOA alumni, we felt we could offer something truly unique and inspirational in Saluzzo: an intensive getaway to focus exclusively on Italian repertoire, in a charming, quaint Italian village. We wanted to facilitate this, while still working with staff who perform in the best houses of the world. We wanted to create a complimentary program, to allow our developing musicians the chance to enhance their mastery of the core languages of opera.