Caramoor is a music festival established over sixty years ago in Westchester County. It is set on the lush grounds of a former private estate, with extensive gardens, a historic house, and three beautifully appointed performance spaces. The Bel Canto at Caramoor program was established in 1997 with a production of Rossini’s La donna del lago, and has built an international reputation since that time as a center for innovative interpretation and memorable performances of bel canto opera. Our repertory through 2010 has included seven Rossini titles, five each by Donizetti and Bellini, four by Verdi, and single operas of Gluck, Handel, Viardot and Francesco Conti. Among these have been the first modern production of La sonnambula in the new critical edition and Bellini’s original keys; the world premiere of Donizetti’s lost opera Elisabeth; the first New York performance of Verdi’s La forza del destino in its St. Petersburg version, and the introduction of new editions of Il barbiere di Siviglia, L’elisir d’amore and Maria di Rohan. The New Yorker’s Alex Ross called 2009’s Semiramide “the most memorable act of creative performance in recent weeks,” and declared after returning for Norma in 2010 that “Caramoor has become an operatic paradise” – just two of many accolades from the national and international press.

The typical member of our program is a singer who has completed formal training and begun to work professionally, who has particular aptitude for some aspect of the bel canto repertory, and who could participate successfully in a mainstage production if required to go on as a cover (as happened in 2010 when Jennifer Rowley took over the title role of Maria di Rohan with great success). We have no age limit; exceptional younger singers still in school are sometimes accepted, and for roles that typically require a mature voice, more experienced singers are sometimes invited as well. Some past program members currently pursuing notable careers include: Christopher Bengochea, Reyna Carguill ,Carla Dirlikov, Inna Dukach, Amanda Forsythe, Stephen Gaertner, Nancy Fabiola Herrera, Eric Jordan, Yeghishe Manucharyan, Nicholas Masters, Mari Moriya, Angela Mortellaro, Zurab Ninua, Marco Nistico, Nicole Piccolomini, Jennifer Rowley and Manon Strauss-Evrard.
 

WHAT WE DO
Program members receive an intensive seven-week course in Italian operatic style and performance practice, while gaining practical experience as covers, singers of secondary roles, and soloists on concerts and recitals. Our focus is on the classic vocal accomplishments of bel canto singing, the Italian language, and the stylistic history of the Italian vocal tradition. We place great emphasis on integrating the theoretical and linguistic topics at the level of performance, and on one-on-one training; all five of our faculty members give private coaching nearly every day of the program, making an unusually favorable coach-to-singer ratio. Performance exposure comes through the secondary roles sung in our mainstage performances and through recitals by the Young Artists given at Caramoor in the afternoon before every opera performance; these have become a very popular and well-attended feature of the Caramoor experience. In 2013, to mark the bicentennial of Verdi's birth, we are performing the composer's two Parisian grand operas in their original French, but our traditional focus on Italian work will be maintained through the presentation, in two concert programs, of the complete songs of Verdi, all performed by members of the Young Artist program.

SCHEDULE
The program runs Monday through Saturday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. On most days, the full group will be called from 10 to 3, and the later hours will be devoted to private coaching. Each member will receive a private coaching approximately every second day. Rehearsals are mostly in Manhattan, and transportation is provided when we go to the Caramoor site.

A typical day will include:
â–ª Lecture class on bel canto style and performance practice
â–ª Work class (group work in masterclass format)
â–ª Chorus rehearsal (optional participation – see below)
â–ª Rehearsal of mainstage opera (from third week onward)
â–ª Private coaching and concert rehearsals

Bel Canto at Caramoor has adopted an innovative approach to the perennial problem of chorus participation in YA programs. We recognize that, for some young professionals, it becomes necessary to say “no” to singing chorus – but at the same time, we value the energy and vocal resources that solo-quality singers bring to choral performance. Our solution, therefore, is to make it optional: nobody is required to sing in the chorus, but program members who would like to do so can earn some extra cash. We also strive to make the choral experience “soloist-friendly,” with our chief coach doubling as chorus master.

A second level of participation, the Caramoor Bel Canto Apprentices, is open to those for whom we do not have slots in the Young Artist group. The Apprentices participate in the class activities and receive occasional private coachings, and at least two masterclasses each week are devoted exclusively to this group. Apprentices are paid for chorus participation and receive a small honorarium to cover local transport.

ONE IMPORTANT LIMITATION to note before applying: We do not have a budget for housing; all members must either live in the New York area, or have access to a place to stay here.

The Caramoor Bel Canto Young Artists Program is using a YAP Tracker application for all submissions. You do not need to be a paying subscriber to YAP Tracker to use the application form, although you will need an account. Guest accounts are available; please see YAP Tracker's Website for details at http://www.yaptracker.com. The listing can be found at http://www.yaptracker.com/opportunities/detail/?id=1723899

The application can be found here: http://www.yaptracker.com/applications/caramoor-2013

For tips on YAP Tracker's online application process: http://www.yaptracker.com/more/help/online-application-process/

If you have any questions about the YAP Tracker application process, please contact help@yaptracker.com