Musicum Laude, a bel canto masterclass for young opera singers is launched by Coopera and its partners. The course, which will be held in August 2021, will be taught by world-renowned master teachers who are still practicing artists in the opera world, such as Kossuth and Liszt Prize-winner Klára Kolonits, Kossuth and Liszt Prize-winner Andrea Rost, Széchenyi and Erkel Prize-winner Dr. András Batta, János Berkes, Liszt Prize-winner Levente Molnár, and Prof. Dr. Ionel Pantea.
In 2021, Coopera and its cooperating partners, the Carpathian Basin Talent Centre Ltd., the Art Fund for You Association, and the Partium Christian University, will launch the Musicum Laude music talent programme.
The programme—an institutionalised, new form of musical talent monitoring and support—was the brainchild of Levente Molnár, a world-famous Liszt Prize-winning baritone, who is also the artistic director of the project. ARTSTART4U Associations, led by the opera singer, have been organising similar classical music masterclasses in Hungary and Transylvania for more than five years. The experience gained from this work has confirmed the need for a talent school-workshop, which would provide a tailored, gap-filling, complementary approach to the traditional music education system, to ensure the human and artistic development of young talents, especially young opera singers.
„It has been my long-standing ambition to launch a comprehensive programme and we have now taken the first steps. I am very grateful to our supporters and partners. Thanks to Coopera and Dániel Vadász for taking the project under their wing. Music education is an individual need, there is no way to custom-make universal limits or structures for individuals. Each student, each talent discovered must find their own way, their own language, with which to express their individual artistic beliefs and concepts. We are trying to assist our applicants in doing so,” said Levente Molnár.
The programme starts with a free seven-day bel canto masterclass between 25 August and 1 September 2021. The venue will be the Partium Christian University of Oradea. Participants will be able to study in the institution’s rooms, which also serve the solo singer education programme launched in 2020.
Participants will take part in individual and group lessons, and will also have the opportunity to practise with a tutor and interpret librettos. Classical vocal training is complemented by lessons on the history of opera.
Applications are welcome by 31 May by clicking here.
This will be followed on 4 September by the Musicus Laude Singing Competition joined by a gala concert, the continuation of the masterclass, where the most talented singers will compete. By applying for the masterclass, participants automatically submit their application for the singing competition as well. The finalists, who will be given the opportunity to perform in front of an audience, accompanied by a large orchestra, will be decided by the master teachers during the course.
The contestants will be accompanied by the Oradea State Philharmonic Orchestra. The ensemble will be conducted by the young conductor of the Semperoper Dresden, György Budányi. The stage director and host of the evening will be Péter Novák. The singing competition prizes include opportunities for roles in future Coopera productions, performances and other opportunities to further the careers of young opera singers.
The teachers of the masterclass, who are also the jury members of the singing competition, are internationally renowned members of the opera scene in the Carpathian Basin:
- Kossuth and Liszt Prize-winner Kolonits Klára,
- Kossuth and Liszt Prize-winner Andrea Rost,
- Prof. Dr. Ionel Pantea, János Berkes, and
- Liszt Award-winner Levente Molnár.
The teachers of the faculty will be joined by Széchenyi and Erkel Prize-winner Dr András Batta.