Tchaikovsky’s Last Opera: Russian Opera Workshop 2015 presents IOLANTA

Erin Alford at a Master Class performance of Russian Opera Workshop 2015.
Erin Alford at a Master Class performance of Russian Opera Workshop 2015.

Now in its fifth season, Russian Opera Workshop presents FREE in-concert opera productions of seldom-produced works by leading Russian composers. The Workshop concludes its 2015 season with Tchaikovsky’s last opera Iolanta (July 28-30) at the Helen Corning Warden Theater at the Academy of Vocal Arts.

An independent summer training program for aspiring and professional opera singers, the workshop was founded in 2011 by Ghenady Meirson, faculty member at the Academy of Vocal Arts and Curtis Institute of Music. The workshop offers an intensive 30-day long multi-faceted opera and vocal performance training and Russian language immersion which concludes with free public performances of the opera and arias the singers have learned in the course of study.

“The workshop helps to place rarely performed Russian operas on the map, making our important contribution to the visibility of these great works,” says Meirson, who provides piano accompaniment to the singers. Performances are sung in Russian with English supertitles.

“I was happy that this season The Metropolitan Opera produced Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta for the first time in their history, with Anna Netrebko in the title role,” says Meirson. “This summer marks my sixth production of this opera.”

In addition to the concerts, the Russian Opera Workshop 2015 brings top-notch local university faculty for conduct a series of Master Classes, which are open to general public at no charge.[Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce Street] July 27-30, 2015; RussianOperaWorkshop.com

Russian Opera Workshop 2015 July Schedule

CONCERTS – start at 7:30 PM

Monday, July 27
Concert of Russian Romances
Introducing Russian Opera Workshop artists.

Tuesday-Thursday, July 28-30
Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky: Iolanta, opera in concert
Ghenady Meirson, Music Director and Pianist

MASTER CLASSES – all start at 1 PM:

Thursday & Friday, July 9 and 10

Michael Eberhard, Artistic Administrator at Opera Philadelphia
Professional Development Auditioning. Two groups of singers on consecutive days.

Thursday & Friday, July 16 and 17
William Stone, Baritone, AVA faculty
Vocal master class on standard opera repertoire. Two groups of singers on consecutive days.

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