The Nashville Bel Canto Foundation Hosted A Program Launch Gala at BMI Celebrating Emerging Opera Talent
Opera enthusiasts, culture cultivators and audiophiles were treated to a lavish celebration at the launch of the Nashville Bel Canto Foundation on Friday, March 10 at BMI, hosted by founder and president Stefano Baldasseroni. The fundraising gala featured four of the top rising operatic talent from The Curtis Institute, The Julliard School, and Yale School of Music accompanied by Nicolò Sbuelz of The Metropolitan Opera.
“I believe that the exponential cultural growth Nashville is going through is the result of years of exposure to diverse forms of art and, in particular, diverse genres of music,” says Baldasseroni. “All this is transforming music city into a mecca for entertainment, and it is changing the general perception of what this vibrant city is about. A night out in Nashville can be anything between a fun musical, a tear jerker play, a moving opera, a great country concert, an exhibit at Cheekwood, and much more! My first taste of the United States was right here, in Nashville, in August 2000, when I was touring with the ex-Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. The music we were playing was very unusual, experimental and we had a great response from the audience during the two shows we played at the Exit/In. Nashville has always welcomed music, any kind of music, with open arms and I believe it is ripe for more classical music. My goal is to contribute to the wonderful job that the Nashville Opera, the symphony and the ballet are already doing and help classical music reach more and more people.”
This cultural soiree served as the Nashville Bel Canto Foundation’s first event and PLA Media was honored to be a part of this inaugural presentation. Luminaries in attendance included: Manuel and Ofelia Cuevas, retired opera veteran and podcaster Pamela Kuhn; Metro Council Member Jeff Syracuse and wife Gina; Metro Council Member Robert Swope and wife Regina; music executive Michael Martinovich; Women in Film & Television President Lynda Evjen; Tennessee State Museum veteran and art patron Nancy Russell; You Have the Power Executive Director Cathy Gurley; celebrity stylist Milton White; Lovely Franklin’s Buffie Baril, arts, marketing and tourism trailblazer Mary Skinner; the Nashville Opera’s Director John Hoomes and Vocalist Belinda Leslie; Andrew Potts; Michael Ryan King; Robert McCluskey; June Bogel; Dr. Esther Swink; Shelley Payne; Kamaal Malak; and many others.
The Nashville Bel Canto Foundation is an educational training program for young opera singers designed to prepare talented, young students for the professional business of opera. The Bel Canto program will provide a deep understanding of Italian singing, theatrical stage craft and the traditions of the operatic art form. The gala featured performances by:
- Emily Damasco – The Curtis Institute
- Shavon Lloyd – The Juilliard School
- Lucy Baker – The Curtis Institute
- Daniel Espinal – Yale School of Music
To learn more or donate to the Nashville Bel Canto Foundation, visit: nashvillebelcanto.com.
About the Nashville Bel Canto Foundation
The Nashville Bel Canto’s mission is to help young singers develop and refine their skills in Italian opera. Preparing a role for a fully staged opera can be compared to the training required to run a marathon. The fast-paced environment of an opera production can be very intimidating. The singer must know how to be expressive by using the nuances of the language, how to act in character and how to coordinate with an orchestra all while remaining consistent with their vocal technique. They also have to learn how to handle themselves while constantly receiving notes from the director, conductor, coaches and choreographer. All that pressure can be destabilizing and can ruin a promising career before it has the chance to step off the ground!
The Bel Canto program is designed to let young singers experience all the organized chaos of a production in a protected and safe environment. They can learn the unwritten rules that will aid them in becoming fully grown artists, helping them become more mature, experienced performers, thus greatly enhancing their potential to have a thriving career in opera.
About the Nashville Bel Canto Program
The foundation’s 30-day program is intended for talented young artists with a gift for expressivity and stage presence. It is designed to address both the physical and emotional aspects of this career, and is divided into two separate phases:
1. The Warmup – 10 days
The singers will work closely with coaches and lecturers. Student participants will be guided through the rules for Italian diction, development of acting skills and role preparation. During this phase, lecturers will give masterclasses on the art of Italian opera, stage psychology and practical career advice. The goal is to provide a group of performing artists with a professional level of knowledge, which will form the foundation of the following step.
2. Action! – 20 days
The singers will prepare to perform in a fully staged opera with orchestra. They will participate in staging and musical rehearsals led by a stage director and conductor, both of whom will be hired by the foundation for that specific production. At the end of this phase, the opera will be performed for the public in a venue in Nashville.
To learn more or donate to the Nashville Bel Canto Foundation, visit nashvillebelcanto.com.