Italy is considered by many to be the birthplace of opera. So it is no wonder that many American opera students flock to Italy each summer for a myriad of music programs. The people of the small Tuscan village of Arezzo host one such program: Oberlin in Italy. I attended the program last summer and left feeling that not only had I worked with some of the most accomplished professionals in opera, but had also made friends with locals who were as eager to learn about me as I was to learn about them.
The program consists of a month-long residency, during which students immerse themselves in the completely Italian-speaking Arezzo to prepare for one of two opera productions. Although celebrating its 22nd year in 2010, Oberlin in Italy has made its home in Arezzo for only the past two years. In that short amount of time, the program has already developed a strong rapport with the community.
Because of the program’s extremely busy schedule, I really felt like I got my money’s worth. On weekdays, studies begin at 9:00 a.m. with three hours of Italian language classes. Then opera rehearsals begin as early as 1:00 p.m. and go as late as 7:00 p.m. some evenings. Participants also receive private lessons with faculty members from Oberlin College as well as such international coaching talents as Enza Ferrari and Umberto Finazzi. In addition, the program provides masterclasses for participants with the various coaches. The faculty and coaches choose the students to perform in these masterclasses during an audition on the first day of the program. With all the coachings, lessons, rehearsals, and classes, I felt that my stay in Italy wasn’t simply a vacation with some rehearsals on the side, but a really valuable month of learning.
The program presents one fully staged mainstage opera accompanied by the program’s orchestra. The show is double cast, and each cast performs twice for a total of four performances. The venues for the production are large theaters in cities outside of Arezzo. The company takes a bus each night of the final week for technical and dress rehearsals. In previous summers, the program provided costumes for the mainstage production. Last summer, however, participants were asked to provide their own costumes, which was a sore spot for some participants. Administrators already have plans to remedy that for future summers.
Singers not involved in the mainstage production participate in the studio opera program. Those productions have no chorus and a more limited budget in terms of sets and costumes. This cast was also asked to bring its own costumes, which consisted of “funeral wear,” and the studio opera performed with piano accompaniment.
The language study portion of the program is very challenging and suited for all levels of Italian. Several weeks before the program, students take a placement test. Program administrators then use the results to create a language program customized to the students of that summer. The students are divided into as many classes at as many levels as is needed. This past year had seven different classes spanning four levels of difficulty, with students ranging from those with no language experience to those with some residential experience in Italy.
Students who complete the language program by meeting the necessary attendance criteria can apply to receive five language study credits towards their degree. You should check with your college to see how these credits could be applied to your situation.
In Italy’s larger cities—teeming with tourists and people hired for their ability to communicate with tourists—it can be a real challenge to find opportunities to practice Italian. In the small town of Arezzo, however, opportunities abound. On my personal adventures, I found that one publicly funded group known as Informagiovani (Youth Info) as well as a few of the attendants at the train station spoke limited English, allowing us to get help when absolutely necessary. My landlord, however, didn’t even know the word “key,” which caused some confusion when we said we were missing our chiesa (church), when we really had lost our chiave (key).
The program offers many different lodging options to fit all budgets and preferences. For example, the convent Santa Catarina is the cheapest option. Primarily for female students, the rooms in Santa Catarina usually house two to four students and have shared bathrooms and no kitchen. On the other end of the scale, participants can opt to pay more for apartments with private rooms and bathrooms and a shared kitchen. Some of these apartments even have free wi-fi and washing machines. Other options run the gamut between these two examples and allow participants to look for something that suits their own preferences for convenience and price.
The accommodation fees are charged in addition to the tuition fee. The program’s tuition in 2010 rounds out at $3,800, and housing ranges from $800 to $1400 on top of that. Oberlin gives financial aid to approximately 35 percent of the participants and it focuses on financial situations as much as talent or ability.
What made Oberlin in Italy so special to me as a student was the overall sense of community on so many levels. On one hand, there was the student community, a typical result of students around the same age spending countless hours together in a country where they had limited external communication resources. This isolation from other sources of easy contact built strong bonds among the students.
The people of Arezzo form another level of community. It is not an easy task for a town to accept visitors from another continent who barely speak their language, but the townspeople of Arezzo were more than welcoming.
Some of the local businesses in particular became famous among program members for their hospitality. One business, Istanbul Kebab, was a favorite among us students for lunch. The owners would give us free food on occasion, saying that they needed to take care of their friends.
Program participants frequented another restaurant, Osteria delle Poste, for dinners. The owner even began to reopen his restaurant after hours for us to eat late at night, after opera performances and rehearsals. One evening when the power went out, the owner let us eat without paying because we only had debit and credit cards. He said we could pay over the next few days. I went back three days later to find that our tab from that night was still pretty high and that most of the participants had not paid. The owner told me not to worry about it and that he was just happy that he could take care of his friends. This kind of friendly reception is one of the greatest parts of this program.
Several exciting village events happened during our month-long stay. Arezzo hosts the biggest antique fair in the world with over 500 stalls participating. The fair takes place on the first Sunday of every month and provides an opportunity to find something truly unique as a gift for someone. And farmers markets in various locations throughout Arezzo give students access to fresh fruit as well as a place to build conversational skills—everyone is always shouting over everybody else, so it’s speak up in Italian or don’t eat!
Another event was the annual Saracen Joust. Started as an exercise for military training in the sixteenth century, the joust later became a performance and has been a yearly tradition since 1931. A medieval-style parade and sumptuous dinner precede the actual joust. Each jouster represents one of four sections of the town of Arezzo. This is not mere entertainment. The Italians’ passion for this event is comparable to that of Super Bowl attendees’ excitement in the States.
The final level of community was the camaraderie within the program itself, particularly between student and instructor. The program attracts esteemed professors which, for many students, can be intimidating. Yet, it is not at all uncommon to see a professor enjoying a meal with a student, or a group of staff members having a small social gathering with a few students.
Being one of the younger students, I was very intimidated at first by the impressive résumés and the iconic people behind them. I felt quite inadequate in the presence of the accomplished professionals who taught me. By the end of the program, however, we had had opportunities to enjoy time together in less formal situations. I enjoyed dinner with both my voice teacher and my opera director. My music director and I played a pickup game of soccer with Arezzo locals (who, incidentally, kicked our butts—only figuratively, of course). This level of comfort with staff and faculty was valuable—not only for networking and learning, but also for motivation. By the end of the program, I realized that aside from the many years of training and experience, I was not that different from the role models I was learning from.
Oberlin in Italy is truly a unique program. Its combination of a rigorous schedule, an extremely accomplished faculty, a town that provides an immersive and friendly environment, and a community that helps students stay motivated makes for an invaluable experience.
For more information, including housing options, registration information, and program faculty, go to new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/summer/oberlin-in-italy.
