This June, Opera Project Columbus successfully hosted its first-ever virtual opera festival. VIVA Festival, which stands for Virtual Intensive Vocal Academy, was one of the only opera festivals to take place at all this summer, and it was a hit success.
Opera festivals are an important touchpoint for developing vocalists. They’re places where singers can meet and work with professionals, enjoy the company of their peers and gain knowledge and experience for future performances.
VIVA offered those very things while maintaining health and safety, as the entire festival was hosted online. It was such a success that each master class sold out completely.
Ed Bak, the artistic administrator at Opera Project Columbus, handpicked topics for the VIVA courses taught by highly accredited professionals.
Some of the big names on staff include Wendy Taucher, Giuseppe Filianoti, Devon Cass and Emilio Pons. Students received in-depth instructions on topics like singing in Italian, performance skills, perfecting your professional image and auditioning for roles in Europe.
Opera Project Columbus
“The courses provided me with an ‘inside look’ of what a profession in classical singing is really like,” says one student. “The VIVA Festival lectures were also diverse in the subject matter which is also obliging to what a young artist is looking for in value and enrichment.”
“I am so glad that so many topics were covered and talked about because it truly helped to open my eyes to the profession as a whole and not just one or two aspects of the career,” says another student.
Watch the virtual performance of Una Furtiva Lagrima here.
Not only did Opera Project Columbus pull off a highly successful virtual festival, it also hosted a virtual performance of the aria Una Furtiva Lagrima, from the opera “L’elisir d’amore.” This virtual performance brought together ten orchestra members and soloist Dylan Davis, recording their individual parts from home to be pieced together for a cohesive yet socially distant performance.
With more than 1,000 views on YouTube, it’s clear that this performance deserves an encore.
Sarah Robinson is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
