Opernfest Prague, an innovative training environment, brings exclusive training, performance and professional development opportunities to international young artists.
American soprano Becca Conviser was returning from a vocal competition when a phone call to fill in for a role at the final hour shifted the trajectory of her career. “I was on my way home from a competition in Germany when I got a call from an opera house in Prague,” she recalls. They needed someone to step into the role of Cio-Cio San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.”
“They asked if I knew the role, and I said, ‘No.’ Then they asked, ‘Can you learn act one this week with the staging, and then learn act two next week?’ I received that call on Friday and was working with the orchestra by Wednesday.”
What began as a chance opportunity fatefully led to an evolving series of experiences that would build a professional foundation between Conviser and the National Theatre Prague community. It also would set the realization that the Czech Republic’s classical music community offers a unique opportunity for aspiring young singers.
International Soloist, Founder, and General Director
Conviser—a celebrated vocalist, entrepreneur, and contagiously energetic innovator—has been touted as a “remarkable young industry influencer” by OperaWire. She was the first American in history to reprise the role of Cizí kněžna in Dvorak’s Rusalka in the Czech Republic. She also was a 2021 grant recipient from the Grammy Recording Academy, in addition to being deemed an essential artist by the Czech Ministry of Culture, allowing her to perform during the recent National State of Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2017, Conviser and her team of dedicated and seasoned classical music professionals from the Czech Republic have worked at the helm of Opernfest Prague (OFP). The program is a groundbreaking, week-long, classical voice offering that counts training among its highlights, as well as performance and industry-leading professional development opportunities.
The training week culminates with house auditions for multiple theaters and a gala, where fellows have the opportunity to perform a musical selection of their choosing, accompanied by a professional orchestra.
An Innovative Format
Opernfest Prague’s foundation rests on the tenet that “every singer’s professional trajectory is different and that the highest-quality training should not be reserved only for those singers already in A-level houses,” says Conviser. Furthermore, it is committed to “creating a supportive community with diversity in age, nationality, and experience, where participants can learn and take inspiration from one another.”
“Creating a positive and collaborative training environment is essential,” Conviser says. “Young artists are often told variations of ‘no’ from the early stages of their education, such as ‘wrong repertoire,’ ‘incorrect musical style,’ ‘wrong shoes,’ ‘never announce a piece that way,’ and more. At OFP our job is not to say, ‘No.’ Instead, our team of professionals, with decades of experience from the other side of the audition table, prefer to say, ‘Here are our observations.’ We use these observations to work collaboratively, respectfully, and professionally with each OFP fellow in order to support their specific goals and developmental interests.”
To prioritize the individual goals of each fellow, Opernfest Prague sessions play host to a small-group format of 18 to 20 international singers. There also is no age restriction placed on the program. Some fellows also opt to return for future sessions. During the program, OFP fellows work individually with team members. They include National Theatre Prague Music Director Jaroslav Kyzlink, Director of Divadlo J.K. Tyla v Plzni (the JK Tyl Theater in Pilsen) Dr. Martin Otava, and National Theater Prague Language Consultant Dr. Marie Kronbergerová, among others.
Each team member provides instruction within their area of expertise, and every coaching has a defined concentration. “By isolating, then combining these elements, the goal is that participants will be able to develop nuanced, individualized interpretations of their pieces,” Conviser explains. Also, as part of the training week, fellows will have the opportunity to audition for the directors of multiple international opera houses. “Based on their decades of experience on international adjudication panels, the Opernfest Prague team understands the criteria these opera houses are looking for when auditioning young artists.”
Committed to tangible takeaways, each fellow also receives professional photographs and high-definition video with orchestra that can be used for prescreenings, website content, and other promotional materials.
Student Experiences
Following years of multifaceted training, the transition from professional opera student to professional opera singer can be a challenge shared by young artists. While singers might have a wealth of knowledge accumulated from their time in the classroom, most have not yet had the opportunity to apply that training in the context of a professional production, which carries a different set of demands.
According to Conviser, this chasm can be seen across the industry. “A singer needs experience to be in a house, but needs to be in a house to gain that experience.” With this obstacle in mind, Opernfest Prague’s proprietary house audition process presents young artists to houses across the Czech Republic for principal role consideration in upcoming productions. Since inception, more than a dozen professional contracts have been offered to Opernfest Prague fellows following these auditions.
A key element in this process is personalization, Conviser says. While contracts ultimately are between the singer and the opera house, this more intimate format allows theaters to get to know each singer and what unique skillsets they could offer in a way that might not be possible in a general audition.
For example, a 26-year-old contralto from Russia (who requests we use only her initials E.K.), attended Opernfest Prague during its inaugural year. According to Conviser, E.K. presented exceptional vocalism during auditions, possessed a strong stage presence, and was multilingual as well as an international competition winner. “In a normal audition setting, this singer might have been overlooked, though, because at the time she had no professional experience. In the context of this more personalized setting, the house audition panel at OFP was able to get to know this artist more familiarly, resulting in a contact being offered.”
Just weeks following her Opernfest Prague participation, E.K. made her professional debut as Olga in Eugene Onegin at Divadlo J. K. Tyla (the JK Tyl Theater). “This experience provided E.K. with an obligatory “barrier to entry” opportunity in a major role, and the opera house got to have an international guest soloist, which is of particular interest to audiences,” Conviser says.
Soprano Kathryn Frady, a 2019 Opernfest Prague fellow, was another who found her involvement in OFP inspiring. “Everyone in the program is just amazing and has so much energy and positive things to say,” she relates. “It makes you want to make more music. It makes you want to be a better singer and actress and bring everything together to become a great artist. It was an amazing week, working with such talented, knowledgeable people.”
Another soprano, Megan Cullen, participated in the program in 2017 and 2019. She said Opernfest Prague helped her to establish a home base for her music career. “There are many things that make the program great, but one of them, I think, is the value,” she says. “Important cultural and musical things are happening [in Prague], so I feel it is my home base in Europe now, and Opernfest Prague had a lot to do with that.”
The Future of Opernfest Prague
“Community” is a concept Conviser revisits frequently and it can be found at the heart of Opernfest Prague. And as part of its commitment to engage with artists on the most professional level, it aims to secure the top venues, experiences, and amenities so that participating singers have access to the tools they need in order to focus on their individual growth and networking time with their colleagues.
“My hope is that OFP can help foster a dynamic community of international soloists, each supporting one another in their professional pursuits,” Conviser says. “Remaining true to their authentic artistry is an important consideration in each stage of a young artist’s training. The pursuit of becoming a professional opera singer is a marathon of inches. At OFP, we encourage our fellows to assemble a team they trust, while persistently revisiting and reconfirming their own perspective in each stage of their training.”
Three Opernfest Prague sessions are slated to take place in 2022: April 3–10, July 3–10 and July 24–31. Applications are reviewed in full in the order they are received, and early submission is strongly encouraged.
For more information, email opernfestprague@gmail.com, visit opernfestprague.com or facebook.com/OpernfestPrague, or follow OFP on Instagram @opernfestprague.
