In our recent survey on summer music programs, one program, Sessione Senese per la Musica e L’Arte, directed by Joseph Del Principe, stood out from the crowd—unfortunately in a negative rather than a positive way. Singers entered the program expecting a fun, rewarding and career-enhancing experience, but their expectations were far from the realities What we discovered in our survey was a group of singers who came away from the SSMA program feeling terribly disappointed, financially depleted and betrayed.
In our last summer program issue in 1999, it was a similar story. Multiple participants had written CS about their poor experiences. Joseph del Principe, the director, unhappy with the letters we were getting, sent us a copy of an explanatory letter he had sent to participants regarding his lawsuit against some of his faculty, on whom he placed blame for the program’s flaws.
One of the complaints concerned Mr. Del Principe’s claim to be offering college credit through Charter Oaks State College in Connecticut for SSMA participants. As one student wrote, “Upon my arrival in the U.S., I called Charter Oaks. I had taken three classes at SSMA at $335 a course…Charter Oaks told me that the director of SSMA tried to get all of his classes approved years ago, but CO only found one to be at the college level.…If I wanted credit for the class I paid SSMA for, I would have to fill out forms for CO and pay $95.…I contacted SSMA…the director will not speak to me, and I was told to direct all questions to his lawyer.” Classical Singer was contacted at that time by Jessica Gauvin at the Connecticut Attorney General’s office asking for copies of all the letters complaining about SSMA. We are unaware of any result of that investigation.
When we invited singers to write to us about summer programs this year, we heard the same stories about SSMA as we heard in 1999, just with different singer names. It isn’t Charter Oaks mentioned as granting college credit; now it is the University of Siena, but no student we spoke to who actually attended SSMA received college credit for the University of Siena or from their home university for participation.. Phone calls to the university of Siena turned up nothing as well; no one we spoke to had heard of Joseph del Principe or SSMA, although we concede that the university is a large organization and we may not have reached the correct people. SSMA participants mentioned other problems. Here are some examples:
“[Vocal Instructor/Masterclass teacher] Titzianan Carrara spoke no English. Often Ms. Carrara would take personal phone calls during class and be gone for up to 30 minutes.”
“The opportunities to sing in the concerts were given to those who were willing to pay $50 for private lessons with Ms. Carrara. As it turned out, skill and prior experience were actually a detriment to performance opportunities.”
“The one lesson I did have with Ms. Carrara left me hoarse for three days, due to a very muscled and heavy technique that was taught.”
“He [Mr. Del Principe] was so sweet an accommodating…until he grabbed my money. I am a renal failure patient and am in need of taking a lot of medications. This was something that I had made SSMA aware of on my written application for admission. …I approached Mr. Del Principe to express concern about the conditions of my living quarters, but before I could finish my sentence Mr. Del Principe yelled, ‘How about my well-being? Who cares about my well-being?’”
“When I got there, most of the promises in the brochure were lies. You were threatened if you spoke out against the director.”
“At one point I expressed an opinion… and the… teacher…yelled very loud, ‘SHUT UP!’ I was…shocked.”
When CS first looked at the website, there was a page which claimed that SSMA had faculty seminars conducted by the famed Accademia Chigiana, yet the Accademia said they have no connection whatever with SSMA except that Dr. Del Principe was a student there for a short time many years ago. The page can no longer be found on SSMA’s website.
Various singers have attempted to recoup their tuition, since the reality differed so much from the promises: “You may want to know that when I returned home, I wrote him[Del Principe] a letter expressing my concerns about the program and asking for a refund of my tuition. He threatened me with legal action. I have a copy of the letter if you would like me to mail it to you. I also sent a complaint to NATS (where I found the advertisement) expressing my concerns and was threatened again [by Del Principe].”
Promises vs. Reality
Below is a list of SSMA program features and benefits as described on the SSMA website. Following each is a participant’s quote describing his or her actual experience:
SSMA offers a room and board plan, including cultural trips, courses, concerts and travel. The city of Siena offers special considerations to students enrolled in the program. Participants will be housed at the Piccolo Teatro, “I know of know such place as the Piccolo Teatro.” Pensione-S.Teresa,“This is where the majority of students were housed. It was plain but adequate.” and in comfortable pensiones near the university. “Some were a 15-minute walk from the school building.” A special plan is offered for breakfast, “Breakfast was not included.” lunch and dinner, as well as for extra meals at the best local trattorie. The cost for the program is $1,985.00. “I spent another $1,000 on other expenses. Most of this was on food, because even though the program was supposed to include food, many times the school would close and we would be left to fend for ourselves.” Courses available: $375.00 per three credit/non credit/in service courses. “I paid $820 for graduate credit in 2001 and have yet to receive it.” “I am actually in contact with the Connecticut Attorney General’s office to try and get my tuition money back. There are several other past students involved in this pursuit, but as of yet we have had no luck. Mr. Del Principe gets a slap on the hand and warnings but goes on with the program.”
PERFORMANCE PRACTICE (All periods) Solos, small/large chamber ensembles, vocal and instrumental including:
MUSIC-ART, Travel-Study (Extensive history background not necessary).
“The ‘culture’ course, as it was called, only met twice throughout the entire program; there were a few people who attended the program solely for the culture course, and they spent the entire month entertaining themselves without any guidance. When the culture class did meet, it was taught by Del Principe, who is not authorized to give tours in Italian museums (tour guides in Italy must have special permits), and he simply read the information from the brochures provided by the museum or church. He is completely unknowledgeable about Italian culture, art, and anything related. He also claims to be fluent in Italian. I am not fluent in Italian, but quite proficient as I lived in Florence for many months, and Del Principe’s Italian is not even at my level.”
“There were two planned culture trips that were advertised in the literature for an extra fee. One of them was cancelled upon arrival in Siena, and many of the people who had prepaid were promised a full refund. To my knowledge, only one refund was given upon demand. The people who did pay for the culture seminar were promised full travel expenses, but many complained that they had to pay their own way on water buses and for food.”
ITALIAN LANGUAGE—SSMA/ University of Siena, Stra.
“I only received 11 classes (out of 30[that were promised]) during the entire month.”
“[My course] was provided by a local banker.”
“As someone who is proficient in Italian already, I was really hoping to hone my language skills and focus in on the nuances of the language, such as idioms and the more complex grammatical structures. I was promised an ‘advanced’ course, but when I arrived, all they could offer me was an ‘intermediate’ course that was extremely basic. Towards the end of the program I stopped attending because it was such a waste of time.”
“The classes were great in the fact that they were taught by competent teachers from the University of Siena. But for a three hour credit course, we were told we would have five classes a week for two and a half hours a day. Over the month this should have been 20 classes, right? We got 12, and many of those were shortened due to a call for afternoon rehearsals. There was only one test given at the end. We were also promised we would be put in a class that fit our language level at that time. SSMA only offered two levels, beginner and advanced. Many of the singers who knew how to pronounce and had a good understanding of the language were put in the beginning class with people who were working on basic pronunciation skills. It was very frustrating not to have the level we needed to progress. According to the university classes I have taken, this is not up to standards. I also had a close friend who was in Siena the month before I was taking an intensive Italian language course offered through the University of Utah via the UNS. She said the course was five or six hours a day and very intense. Not at all what I experienced. By the way, she did get credit with the U of U for this class. I have no idea why SSMA was so different when it was taught by UNS teachers.” [No certificate for credit or completion was issued.]
“My [language] class met three or four times a week, taught by a young Italian girl who is a secretary to the ‘director,’ I believe.”
INDEPENDENT STUDIES—by arrangement with director—research, thesis, teaching.
“I don’t know of any independent studies which took place. Students who showed an interest in additional projects were brushed off or ridiculed.”
ALL PARTICIPANTS, in addition to music courses, may attend courses in Italian culture, beginning, intermediate or advanced, at SSMA—University of Siena-Stra., for credit, in-service or non-credit and certificate.
“There was only one ‘culture’ class, which met only twice and was taught by Del Principe. As far as I know, he has no credentials which speak to his expertise on the subject. I know of no affiliation with the University of Siena.”
COMMUNITY LIVING is emphasized, and participants are encouraged to become acquainted with the people and culture of the area. A professional certificate is awarded for full participation in university-level seminars, comparable to courses at American Institutions. Ample free time.
“These are not comparable to American college courses! There is ample free time, but our ‘coursework’ (I use that term loosely) suffered as a result. Some of the girls in the program socialized with the Italians who ran the Instituto Santa Teresa in order to ‘become acquainted with the people and culture of the area,’ and as a result incurred the wrath of Del Principe. Those found to be ‘cohorting,’ as he called it, with the Italians were punished by not being allowed to perform in concerts. It was completely ridiculous and absurd.”
AUDITION and a personal interview with one of the staff is offered to all applicants. Registration by mail is accepted beginning in November; applications submitted after April 30 are considered only if places are available, with applicable late fees. Auditions are held in a New York studio and at Connecticut University in Hartford. Tapes and phone interviews are accepted in cases of long distance. For applications and further information, call or write to the address on our home page. Mention your field of interest. The staff will also provide information and recommendations on low cost weekly group flights to Rome for participants (Charters for European Education) and extra days.
“It was well known that Del Principe got a kick out of the fact that he didn’t listen to a single audition tape—everyone was accepted. Not only did many of us waste time and money carefully preparing audition tapes, but many musicians who are not of performance caliber were accepted into the program. That was frustrating and disappointing for those of us who were looking forward to a rigorous and elite summer musical experience.”
Staff for Soloists
Joseph Del Principe
MUSIC DIRECTOR, COND., COMPOSITION
Columbia University, University of Siena, Conductor, Waterbury Siena Orchestra, Music performed US/Europe, Carnegie Hall, Doctorate, Accademia Chigiana, University of Hartford, Cassella prize. Recordings.
Tiziana Carrara
VOCAL MASTERCLASSES
Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Teatro del’Opera, Rome, Conservatorio di Santa Cecili, Accademia Chigiana, Recordings, SSMA.
[Note: When we contacted the Metropolitan Opera press department, they indicated they had never heard of Ms. Carrara. While it is possible she simply didn’t leave a memorable legacy there, the press department was positive she had never sung at the Met.]
CS asked the singers about the staff:
“I was told we would have a private teacher, but no one had private lessons.”
“There was one voice teacher, one pseudo-choir-director, one vocal accompanist.”
“When approached with problems, the director was completely incapable of handling it civilly.”
A choral director attended the program as a participant and wrote, “The choral music was determined by who wanted to conduct what…and there was only one person that I would truly call a conductor.”
Extra administration consisted of: “Italian helpers who spent a great deal of time partying and sleeping with the younger participants.”
And finally, the choir director, who works with young singers all the time, wrote, “I highly recommend spreading the word to other vocalists that it is an extremely ‘unprofessional’ program musically.”
Reports such as these should prompt singers to spend extra time in due diligence investigation. Complaints can arise from legitimate injustices or from such issues as personality conflicts. Isolated unfortunate incidents occur in the best of programs; however multiple complaints from multiple artists over multiple years may indicate fundamental problems.
Due to the unresolved nature of the complaints received about SSMA, Classical Singer does not recommend this program.
