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Of all the operatic works restored to life in our age of revivals, the most extensive and durable group has been the products of the bel canto school - Giochino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, and the young Giuseppe Verdi. Between 1808 and 1850 these masters produced some 125 works of musical theater in a style that made italian opera the world's most popular art form.
Later, the shifting winds of taste swept all but about ten of these operas from regular use. But beginning with the spectacular example of Maria Callas, and continuing through Marilyn Horne, Joan Sutherland, and Beverly Sills, exciting artists have rediscovered the lapsed skills of bel canto singing and revealed dozens of masterpieces anew to modern audiences.
In 1997, following the success of a Caramoor production of Rossini's La Cenerentola that introduced Vivica Genaux to New York, we decided to establish a formal concentration on bel canto opera, and Bel Canto at Caramoor was born.
Appearing at the 1997 press conference that formally inaugurated the venture, reigning bel canto diva Marilyn Horne said: "I can't imagine a better place for this project. It's beautiful. People love to go there, the acoustics are great, the orchestra is wonderful...The voices are out there, but what I most often find missing is the hand of a really fine maestro concertatore who can bring out the best in each singer. These singers are going to be very fortunate to have Wil Crutchfield."
Since then, Bel Canto at Caramoor has been called "essential" by The New York Times for its revelatory interpretation of rare masterpieces and for its consistent discovery of new operatic talent. Each summer Caramoor's International Music Festival features established artists like Ewa Podles, June Anderson, Barry Banks, and Sumi Jo, who are joined by the members of Caramoor's Bel Canto Young Artists training program in performances that delight both critics and audiences.
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If you would like to support the Bel Canto at Caramoor Young Artists
Please call Robin Valovich at 914.232.5035 ext. 265 or robin@caramoor.org
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