Academy Of Vocal Arts

TO DISCOVER & PREPARE PROMISING YOUNG SINGERS FOR SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL CAREERS AS OPERA SOLOISTS

ADMISSION INTO AVA'S FOUR-YEAR PROGRAM IS DETERMINED BY HIGHLY COMPETITIVE ANNUAL AUDITIONS. THOSE WHO ARE ACCEPTED RECEIVE TUITION-FREE INTENSIVE TRAINING.(CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O.)FOR ITS 87TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON IN 2021-22, THE AVA OPERA THEATRE RETURNED TO LIVE, IN-PERSON PERFORMANCES. THIS INCLUDED 3 OPERA PRODUCTIONS; A CELEBRATION OF OPERA! FEATURING ACTS FROM VERDI'S RIGOLETTO, AND ENSEMBLES FROM PUCCINI'S MADAMA BUTTERFLY, FRANZ LEHR'S THE MERRY WIDOW, BEETHOVEN'S FIDELIO, AND ROSSINI'S IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA (THE BARBER OF SEVILLE). THE AVA OPERA ORCHESTRA WAS CONDUCTED BY MAESTRO CHRISTOFER MACATSORIS, AVA FACULTY MEMBERS AUDREY SAINT-GIL, DAVID ANTONY LOFTON, RICHARD A. RAUB, AND GUEST CONDUCTOR ROBERT KAHN. AVA ALUMNUS RICHARD TROXELL ('92) WAS THE CONCERT'S STAGE DIRECTOR. OTHER OPERA PRODUCTIONS INCLUDED PUCCINI'S LA BOHEME, WHICH WAS ALSO STAGED AND PERFORMED WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA, AND TCHAIKOVSKY'S EUGENE ONEGIN, PERFORMED WITH PIANO. OUR FOURTH PRODUCTION OF THOMAS'S MIGNON WAS CANCELED DUE TO COVID. CONCERTS THIS SEASON ALSO INCLUDED: A NEW ARTISTS RECITAL FEATURING THREE FIRST-YEAR RESIDENT ARTISTS; THE GIARGIARI BEL CANTO COMPETITION; SEVERAL RECITALS INCLUDING A PROGRAM OF BERLIOZ'S VOCAL WORKS AND JUBILATE! A CONCERT OF SACRED MASTERPIECES, WITH ACCOMPANIMENT BY MEMBERS OF THE AVA OPERA ORCHESTRA.THIS SEASON, FOLLOWING A SEASON OF VIRTUAL PERFORMANCES, WE WERE HAPPY TO DRAW OVER 6,500 PATRONS TO OUR LIVE PERFORMANCES IN DIFFERENT VENUES THROUGHOUT GREATER PHILADELPHIA.RECENT GRADUATES CONTINUE TO SING LEAD ROLES IN PRODUCTIONS PRODUCED BY MAJOR INTERNATIONAL OPERA COMPANIES. THIS SEASON WAS NO EXCEPTION. STARRING IN THE METROPOLITAN OPERA PRODUCTIONS, LATONIA MOORE ('04) APPEARED IN THE PREMIER OF TERRANCE BLANCHARD'S FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES AND IN PORGY AND BESS, WITH FELLOW AVA ALUMNA, ALFRED WALKER. STEPHEN COSTELLO ('07) SANG THE ROLE OF DUKE OF MANTUA IN THE METROPOLITAN OPERA'S PRODUCTION OF RIGOLETTO; AILYN PEREZ ('06), MICHAEL FABIANO ('09) AND ALFRED WALKER ('97) PERFORMED IN SAN FRANCISCO OPERA'S TOSCA; VANESSA VASQUEZ ('18) STARRED IN LE NOZZE DI FIGARO AT SANTA FE OPERA IN THE ROLE OF THE COUNTESS; STEPHEN COSTELLO ('07) AND ANDRE COURVILLE ('17) STARRED IN CINCINNATI OPERA'S PRODUCTION OF CARMEN, IN THE ROLES OF DON JOSE AND ZUNIGA, RESPECTIVELY; BURAK BILGILI ('04) AND CHRIS KENNEY ('16) PERFORMED TOGETHER IN CINCINNATI OPERA'S THE BARBER OF SEVILLE; ALEXANDRA NOWAKOWSKI ('18) RETURNED TO WOLF TRAP OPERA TO SING THE ROLE OF JOHANNA IN SWEENEY TODD; CORINNE WINTERS ('11) MADE HER MADAMA BUTTERFLY DEBUT WITH TEATRO DELL'OPERA DI ROMA; MATTHEW WHITE ('19) SANG IN CHAUSSON'S RARELY-PERFORMED LE ROI ARTHUS AT BARD SUMMERSCAPE; MUSA NGQUNGWANA ('14) PERFORMED AT THE SALZBURG FESTIVAL IN INTOLLERANZA; HANNAH LUDWIG ('18) STARS IN TEATRO NUOVO'S PRODUCTION OF THE BARBER OF SEVILLE; ALASDAIR KENT ('17) SANG THE ROLE OF LINDORO IN L'ITALIANA IN ALGERI WITH THE ISRAELI OPERA AND LEVENT BAKIRCI ('08) PERFORMED IN CONCERT WITH TEATRO LA FENICE AND TEATRO CARLO FELICE GENOVA. AVA'S ACCLAIMED OPERA OUTREACH PROGRAM RETURNED AFTER TWO AND A HALF YEARS WITHOUT AN IN-PERSON EVENT. WE WELCOMED OVER 450 EAGER STUDENTS TO THE STUDENT MATINEE PERFORMANCE OF PUCCINI'S LA BOHEME AT THE HAVERFORD SCHOOL'S CENTENNIAL HALL. SEVERAL SCHOOLS CAME FOR THE FIRST TIME AND JOINED PREVIOUSLY PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS AND HOME SCHOOL GROUPS WHO HAPPILY RETURNED AFTER THE HIATUS. WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VIRTUAL OPERA-TUNITY PROGRAM DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE REACHED MORE STUDENTS WHO WOULD OTHERWISE NOT EXPERIENCE THE WONDERS OF OPERA. THIS SEASON, A FOUR-EPISODE ONLINE SERIES WAS COMPLETED. EPISODES COVERED MOZART ("THE MAGIC OF MOZART"), PUCCINI ("THE POWER OF PUCCINI"), BEL CANTO COMPOSERS, DONIZETTI AND ROSSINI ("THE BEAUTY OF BEL CANTO"), AND VERDI ("VIVA VERDI!"). THESE SHORTER, 20-MINUTE EPISODES WERE MADE AVAILABLE TO PARTICIPATING MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS FOR IN-CLASS VIEWING, ALONG WITH A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE DISTRIBUTED ELECTRONICALLY IN ADVANCE OF THE EVENT, SO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS COULD PREPARE FOR WHAT THEY WOULD SEE AND HEAR TOGETHER.WE LOOK FORWARD TO OFFERING OUR TRADITIONAL FALL AND SPRING STUDENT MATINEE PERFORMANCES NEXT SEASON WHEN PARTICIPANTS OF THE OPERA OUTREACH PROGRAM WILL HEAR VERDI'S LA TRAVIATA AND MOZART'S DON GIOVANNI.