It is a big question in every high school graduate’s life: What should I do during the summer before my freshman year of college? And since I was turning 18 during the summer, I faced an added challenge: I fell right in the gray area between youth programs (roughly ages 15 to 18) and adult programs (18 and over). What’s more, having participated in the Boston University Tanglewood Institute for the summers of 2003 and 2004, I was not sure if any other program could come close to the truly wonderful experiences of those previous two summers.
I also wondered whether an “adult” program would understand and cultivate an 18-year-old “baritenor’s” voice. So, with a rather heavy heart, I started asking around. Luckily, I didn’t have to look far. When I brought up the topic of summer programs with my voice teacher, she told me she had also been thinking about where I should go over the summer. She explained that her friend Jane Klaviter, prompter and coach for the Metropolitan Opera, had created and was running a summer program called the Bel Canto Institute, focusing on that long-lost period for which we are all nostalgic: the era of “beautiful singing.”
Over the next couple of weeks, I talked with a few people, including my teacher, about the division to which I should apply. My teacher thought, since I was in the early stages of my own personal development, that I should apply to the Youth Division, but said it would be a good idea to call Jane Klaviter and discuss my situation with her.
Of course! I should have done that in the first place! After scolding myself for being so stupid, I picked up the phone and called Ms. Klaviter.
I must admit, I was a little nervous to be talking on the phone with a prompter at the Met who was also the head of the program to which I was applying, but when a strong, friendly voice answered, I was instantly at ease. In a short conversation, I told her my situation. She said she wasn’t sure what to do, but that she would know more when she met me at my audition, and we would talk about it then.
That was that. I filled out applications for both of the programs, put them in the mail, scheduled an audition, and went back to focusing on another web of anxiety: my college auditions.
I went to my Bel Canto Institute audition, located just a few blocks from my apartment, on a chilly February day. As I entered the audition room, I saw two affable-looking women sitting on a couch: Jane Klaviter and Mary Elizabeth Poore, voice teacher for the Youth Division. We talked for a while before they invited me to sing my two veteran, college-audition warhorses: “Già il sole dal Gange” by Scarlatti and “Il fervido desiderio” from Bellini’s Tre ariette. When Jane started to play, her intuition and ear for the Bel Canto style instantly became apparent, and I hoped I would get a chance to work with her.
When I finished singing, I sat on the couch to talk some more with Jane and Mary Elizabeth about which program I should seek to enter. Both agreed I could handle either program, but due to my level of development and the amount of singing and performing in the Summer Program (adult) Division, they thought I should apply to the Youth Division.
The letter arrived a little over a month later: I was accepted! I was thrilled to be able to work with Jane and Mary Elizabeth, and I was so excited at the prospect of an incredible summer, even though I still was not sure where I would be going in the fall.
The next few months flew by. The Eastman School of Music accepted me as a vocal performance major; I finished my senior year, graduated with honors, gave a senior recital, and had about a week to breathe before I headed off to a little town in the Catskill Mountains I had never heard of: New Paltz, N.Y.
When I stepped out of the car in New Paltz, I knew there was something quite intriguing about this picturesque little town; it seemed to be filled with that je ne sais quoithat feeds the soul of an artist. The Bel Canto Institute is fortunate enough to be on the campus of the State University of New York at New Paltz. The lack of air-conditioning took some getting used to, but it was a wonderful place to spend my summer. All 14 participants and two of the teachers shared an entire dorm, with all its amenities, so you could say that the accommodations were rather spacious, including our own bathrooms, something unheard of in a normal summer program.
I would soon come to realize there was nothing normal about this program.
Once we were all moved in, the participants, teachers, and parents had a meeting with Jane, after which she showed us around so we could see where we would be working for the next three-and-a-half weeks. That night, I went to dinner with some friends I had met on the tour, kissed my mom good-bye, and settled into my room, thinking about all the things I would have an opportunity to do while I was in the program.
The next three weeks flew by in a blaze of excitement, learning, fun, stimulation, and most of all, information. I learned so much about myself—the coming-of-age singer and artist—while I was in New Paltz, not to mention the incredible amount I learned about the Bel Canto style, and about singing and style in general.
Don’t get the wrong idea—we had plenty of fun, but I worked hard over the summer to progress. With good friends and amazing teachers to guide me, I knew from the very beginning the path I had to take.
During my time at Bel Canto, I had (roughly) an acting class and Italian diction for two hours about three times a week, two half-hour lessons and two half-hour coachings per week, 90 minutes of Italian conversation a week, a two-and-a-half-day period of Italian language immersion, plus three lectures and a performance class every day but Sunday. Add the performances and practicing, and I hardly had time for the trips and other fun things that were planned.
Barbara Hardgrave, former diction coach for the San Francisco Opera, taught my diction class. Diction and learning the International Phonetic Alphabet can be very dry subjects—but when a teacher, such as Professor Hardgrave, has so much passion and enthusiasm for forming that perfect “closed E,” some of that passion and love infuses you—and you are able to learn more than you thought you would. You find yourself loving the nuances of the perfect vowels so crucial to singing well.
Acting class, taught by J. Knighten Smit, director for the Metropolitan Opera, was always stimulating and thought provoking. In our group classes and individual sessions, Knighten worked with us on creating and developing a character. The purpose of a performing an aria or song is
to make the audience feel something. One of Knighten’s main techniques to achieve this is “verbing,” deciding on an active verb as a controlling idea of the piece.
For example, the backstory I came up with for “Già il sole dal Gange” was that I was coming back home for the first time in years, and when I am singing this song, I am just coming up to my house. The verb we decided to use was “sparkle.”
Gabrielle Ann Euvino, author of the book Italian for Dummies, taught our Italian language and conversation classes. All of us had been singing in Italian for years, but only one of the group had actually taken an Italian grammar course. With Gabrielle’s approach, by the end of our time together, most of us could hold simple conversations. I even found myself starting to think in Italian.
My lessons constituted the most important part of the program, however. Mary Elizabeth—chaperone, voice teacher and resident mom—was an exceptional resource. In my time at the program, I discovered a lot of things about my own voice, and made a lot of progress in my development under her care.
My coachings were equally stimulating—working with Jane and Millard Altman was so amazing. I learned so much about style, and their pearls of vocal wisdom I will not soon forget.
The lectures formed another highlight of the program. Steven Herx gave the first lecture, talking about soprano Marcella Sembrich. It was so interesting to hear the story of this legendary soprano and how she studied.
Mark Elyn’s lectures were truly inspiring. Mr. Elyn described and showed video clips of all the great Bel Canto, Verdi, and verismo artists of the past (including Callas, Sutherland, Björling, etc.). To hear him describe, and to actually see, the great singers I had been listening to all my life was a truly magical experience. To see Björling take a breath, to watch Callas’ mouth as she sang, to watch Sutherland make a phrase, was truly a lesson I will never forget. Singing is such a physical activity, and to actually see these great artists in action was truly inspiring.
Performance class was another of my favorite parts of the program. We would sing for each other and Jane would correct us—it was like an open coaching. This part of the program was great. Not only did I have multiple opportunities to work with Jane, but I was also able to perform for my peers and other teachers, and hear their criticisms, which were equally valuable. When we were not singing for each other in class, we would listen to and analyze different singers: their style, their use of legato, whether their acciaccaturas were properly executed, etc. It was so informative to hear Jane lecture about Bel Canto while providing examples to illustrate her points.
So what did I do for fun? Well, as I said before, I did a lot of work over the summer, but I did have plenty of fun along the way. Besides the fun I had on my own, Jane planned trips and parties, so life was never boring. In New Paltz, we toured the “Stone Houses,” built by the Huguenot settlers in the 17th century, took a boat ride on the underground lake in Howe Caverns, and hiked around the serene Lake Minnewaska, not to mention the daily dinners together, and the pizza and Fourth of July parties. Artists need sufficient stimulation in their lives, and the Bel Canto Institute definitely provided stimulation for the mind, body, and soul.
The last week was the most exciting of the program. The Summer Program Division went to Lake George to give a recital at the Marcella Sembrich Opera Museum. The Youth Division also went into performance mode. We gave our performance at the end of the week.
It was bittersweet: Performing gave me an opportunity to show off all I had learned over the summer—but it also meant I would have to leave this wonderful utopia of art. As hyperbolic as that sounds, the time I spent this summer really changed me and allowed me to grow and learn as a singer-artist.
Now, I am in my freshman year at the Eastman School of Music as a vocal performance major, and I realize, more than I had thought, that my experiences over the summer have helped me. I am almost fluent in the International Phonetic Alphabet; I understand about proper vowels; my foundation in Italian grammar has made it easier to pick up the language; and everything Millard Altman and Jane taught me about style and technique has proven to be invaluable.
When I heard that the Bel Canto Institute is going to be in Italy next summer, I was thrilled. What better place to learn about this wonderful style than in its native country! I really hope I will be able to attend this summer so I can enjoy an opportunity to learn more from the incredible amount of knowledge Jane has accumulated, and to experience this unique program in such an appropriate setting.
