CLA Italy 2024 Perspectives: Sofia Durante

CLA made me feel like I truly belonged somewhere, and for the first time, I felt I could sing without fear.

Waking up to the beautiful Italian sunrise, singing the music that I love most, and seeing my favorite people in the whole world every day -I was home.

This year was my third summer at a CLA program, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled to join CLA Italy for the second year in a row. You could go back to CLA every year for the rest of your life and learn something new, and getting to learn the art of bel canto in the country where it was created was the icing on the cake. 

The town we were hosted in, Novefeltria, is truly one of my favorite places in the world. It is a tiny gem of a town that is filled with the kindest people and the most delicious food you could imagine. My day would always start bright and early with an iced coffee and a chocolate cornetto at the local cafe, Latte e Vino. By the end of the first few days they knew my order by heart! I would then head to morning chant with Glenn Morton, John Viscardi, and the other artists, where we would practice Tibetan chanting and deep breathing to warm up our bodies and voices for the day. Resonating on a low Ab at 8am was like a warm hug to start the day.

After chanting we would have a group rehearsal for our upcoming performance of La contesa canora, a choral piece written by composer and CLA Faculty Member, Raphael Fusco. It was such a joy to perform an amazing piece in Italian by a living composer. Especially when the music was SO BEAUTIFUL!

Next in the day were individual and ensemble coaching sessions, which is where I made some of my favorite memories this summer. Having coachings with Ubaldo Fabbri in Italian was not only a chance to learn bel canto from a master, but also a chance to practice speaking Italian with a native who spoke so eloquently about the music we were working on. 

I switched fachs from soprano to mezzo-soprano earlier this year, and I was so nervous to sing this new repertoire in front of people. However, the faculty not only supported me wholeheartedly in this change, but also helped me embrace my true voice so I could feel confident when performing.

Forming lifelong friendships with artists over a delicious meal at the end of a long rehearsal day felt like a reward for all we had accomplished that day (the truffle pasta at the restaurant Madama do’re was exceptionally delicious). Meeting people from around the world with different musical backgrounds is something not everyone gets to experience. Seeing the world through someone else’s eyes is a gift, not just in this profession, but in life. The faculty understood that too and translated it into our coachings. CLA’s motto is, “We meet you where you are,” and I think that is the most beautiful sentiment. No matter where you are or have been in your musical journey, the coaches work with you where you are now and help you improve from there, without expecting perfection right out of the gate. The freedom to sing without fear, to try new things, and to make mistakes is something that not all Emerging Artist programs can offer. And I believe this nurturing and culturally rich environment is essential for a singer’s development.

There’s a quote that says, “There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met. Part heaven, part space, or have I found my place? You can’t just visit, but I plan to stay. I’m going to go back there someday.” This is how I feel about Classic Lyric Arts. I’ve only known this larger CLA family for two or three years, but I feel like we have known each other forever. CLA made me feel like I truly belonged somewhere, and for the first time, I felt I could sing without fear. Coraggio (courage) is something that Glenn Morton always says, and I carry that with me everywhere I go. 

I am grateful for all the gifts CLA has given me over the past three years. I met my best friend through CLA, I became the Programs and Marketing Assistant for the company, and through Glenn’s guidance and teaching, I found my voice. No matter where I go or where I end up in my life, I know I will always have a home, not just in Novafeltria, but with CLA. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

CLA Berkshires 2024 Perspectives: Benjamin Truncale

Space to grow as a singer, as a musician, as an artist, and as a person. These were my first impressions of CLA Berkshires

Mountains. Trees. Fresh air. And wide open space—space not only in the literal sense, but in the metaphorical sense: space to grow as a singer, as a musician, as an artist, and as a person. These were my first impressions of CLA Berkshires, the first moments of a truly remarkable two weeks spent in the mountains of Massachusetts getting to know my colleagues, Mozart, and myself just a little bit better.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I was a little bit nervous before I arrived for CLA Berkshires, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect. What will it be like? I asked myself. Will I make friends? I don’t know anyone. And, of course, there was that oh-so- common worry—What if I mess up? What if I’m not good enough?

My fears were quickly assuaged. I felt extremely welcomed by everyone from the very beginning of my time at CLA. My colleagues and the faculty were so kind and supportive. CLA fosters an environment where, despite a high artistic standard, singers (and pianists) feel comfortable experimenting with their craft and making mistakes, knowing that it’s all part of the process.

One of my very favorite aspects of CLA was the fact that singers were encouraged to sit in on their colleagues’ coachings. When I had free time, I would often stop by Kellogg Music Center, a beautiful old converted church at the center of campus, to sit in on Glenn Morton’s amazing coachings. I seldom was the only person in the audience. Glenn would always involve those of us gathered to listen in, posing questions and fostering an environment where everyone could learn and benefit from whatever anyone was working through. So many of us are dealing with the same issues, whether it be breath, resonance, vowels, or something else; watching a colleague experiment and problem-solve from the outside is sometimes just as helpful as doing it yourself.

The rest of the faculty was equally expert in their ability to impart musical—and theatrical—wisdom on us. Michael Sheetz, Maestro extraordinaire, knew exactly what he wanted from each scene and aria, and how to make us sound our best. At the same time, he was incredibly kind, patient, and understanding. He also was extremely knowledgeable about all things having to do with the music we were performing; we had some wonderful discussions about Mozart, his genius, and how to get the most out of the music.

Daniel Isengart was our dramatic coach and stage director; he understood how to distill intensity and specificity from our performances and bring these Mozart scenes to life. Our sessions with Daniel were endlessly fun and playful; he created an atmosphere of fearless experimentation, and he was determined in his mission to make our “voices dance and our bodies sing.”

We also had daily Italian classes with Ennio, which were instrumental in getting used to the language we were singing in for most of our scenes. Ennio taught us so much, and our time in class with him was a real highlight of my time at CLA. Ennio also was there during some coachings and staging rehearsals to make sure that our Italian was as perfect as it could be!

It would be remiss of me if I didn’t also mention the wonderful time I spent with John Viscardi, who provided some amazing insights into how to navigate this often-daunting career. All of us had private coachings with John, during which we could either work on technique or ask questions about life as an opera singer.

By the time our first concert came along, I felt completely musically and dramatically prepared and confident with my own unique interpretation; which I had cultivated with Michael, Glenn, Daniel, and my scene partners in glorious collaboration. What a thrill.

We participated in a total of five concerts in the Berkshires, each one better than the last. It was such a joy to explore the music of Mozart. His music is eternal, simple at first glance but then endlessly complex once you start to dissect it. It reveals itself to you as you perform it, over and over again, in different ways...and I suspect it will continue to do so for the rest of my life.

My time in the mountains, surrounded by nature, made me think of one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors, Walden by Henry David Thoreau. It’s a nonfiction work chronicling the two years, two months, and two days Thoreau spent living in a cabin in the woods near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. In one particular section, my favorite, he writes: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” In some similar way, CLA Berkshires felt to me like a retreat, an escape from the hustle and bustle of life, particularly life as a singer. Truly, CLA came to me at a very specific time in my life, a time when I found myself at a crossroads between the completion of my undergraduate degree and the start of my master’s degree. This career moves fast—changes and new phases often come sneakily and without warning, catching us off guard. CLA Berkshires, however, offered me a chance to pause in the midst of this great shift. It offered me a chance to reflect on the why of it all—not just the what. Why do we sing? We sing because it feeds our soul.

I drove away from campus after CLA feeling refreshed and inspired, ready to face the next phase of my artistic journey with courage and integrity. I felt similarly to Thoreau, and I’ll amend his statement slightly to fit my feelings about my own time spent in the Massachusetts woods: I went to the woods because I wished to sing deliberately, to front only the essential facts of art. I learned what it had to teach. And I lived, for to live is to make art, and to make art is to live.

CLA France 2024 Perspectives: Muse Ye

It is one thing to dutifully study the music of a country, but it is a different thing altogether to experience first-hand its language, art, and culture with the people that enliven this art form.

A morning coffee accompanied by a swish of a horse’s tail, gazing into the uninterrupted green pasture, c’est la vie of the unforgettable CLA France program.

There was an immediate sense of welcome as we were warmly met at the Bergerac train station by Glenn, Gaspard, and Raphaël, who enriched our lives over the next three weeks in ways we couldn’t have predicted. 

Our days consisted of French lessons with Raphaël, individual coachings with Glenn and Hélène, and ensemble coachings with Gaspard. As a pianist, I was lucky to have been in many of these sessions, soaking in all the coaches’ wisdom in French operatic repertoire from Gounod to Poulenc. 

With Raphaël we tried our hands at reading beloved French poetry, as well as lyrics from modern popular songs. This gave us a sense of the natural rhythms, vowel sounds, and the open, rounded schwa (which became somewhat of a motto for the participants). Individual coachings with Glenn and Hélène were filled with personal revelations on how the voice works, unexpected discoveries of musical style, and the utter joy of music making. Gaspard infused our duets, trios, and ensemble numbers with sheer energy, transforming them from notes and words on a page to vivid, dramatic scenes. 

In between the music making, we were treated to three-course meals from the Michelin Star chef, Vincent Lucas, as well as delectable local wines and cheeses. The French butter was also a massive hit, where we would demolish a whole block of butter every couple of days. We had languid conversations by the pool under the ever-changing orange of the evening and shared moments with fellow artists under the stars. There was a real sense of camaraderie, and perhaps a tiny glimpse into the spirit of the French composers who were inspired to create from this landscape.

The last seven days brought five performances, each in a different venue and in a different town: from the cozily packed Église Saint Éloi to the historic Église Saint Dominique, Monpazier. My favorite concert was, without a doubt, in the Église de St. Jacques in Bergerac where I played on a spectacular Fazioli. What a treat it was to be able to share this vibrant music on stage with my colleagues, for the community of these towns and villages!

I will always look back fondly at these three weeks of learning, inspiration, and joy. It is one thing to dutifully study the music of a country, but it is a different thing altogether to experience first-hand its language, art, and culture with the people that enliven this art form.