OperaWorks is an opera training program, founded by program director Ann Baltz, and conducted in

Northridge, California Northridge is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the Los Angeles, California, City of Los Angeles. The community is home to California State University, Northridge, and the Northridge Fashion Center. Originally named List_of_mino ...

, USA.

Description

OperaWorks is a training program for singers and instructors working in the field of classical music. Accepting a limited number of students selected each year from up to eight cities across the United States, the program operates from the beginning of June and runs through the end of July, annually. OperaWorks was founded in 1987 by classical pianist Ann Baltz as a response to what she saw as the myopic tendencies of conventional operatic training. Baltz envisioned a new approach to the training of vocalists, in which the "total instrument" would be addressed, not just the voice itself. Over the years, her program has expanded to include instruction in movement,

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...

, acting,

visualization Visualization or visualisation may refer to: * Visualization (graphics), the physical or imagining creation of images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message * Data visualization, the graphic representation of data * Information visuali ...

, conducting, improvisation and the Alexander technique, as well as

career management Career management is the combination of structured planning and the active management choice of one's own professional career. Career Management is an umbrella term that covers Career Planning & Career Development on an individual level or at an ...

. Borrowing to some degree from teaching techniques long utilized in contemporary theatrical training, OperaWorks strives to free the individual vocal artist in such a manner that the physical conventions and artifice of

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

performance can fall away, hopefully revealing something altogether truer to life itself. Recognizing the uniqueness of each individual artist, OperaWorks endeavors to develop singers from the inside out, thus enabling them to trust their own instincts – musically, emotionally, dramatically. In 2006, Baltz invited

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

Brad Mays Brad Mays (born May 30, 1955) is an independent filmmaker and stage director, living and working in Los Angeles, California. Background and education Mays was raised in the Edinburg section of West Windsor Township, New Jersey, attending the ...

to spend an entire summer filming the various classes and events at OperaWorks. The results are to be seen in the documentary feature film '' SING*ularity''.

Notable alumni

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s: Hila Plitmann, Priti Gandhi, Jessica Rivera *

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...

: Julie Makerov, Jessica Rivera, Rebecca Ringle, Michael Chioldi, Ashley Emerson, Robert McPherson *

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

: Raymond Ayers,

Randall Scotting Randall Scotting is an American countertenor performing internationally at opera houses and concert venues. As a young singer, he made his American stage debut performing the role of Nireno in Handel's ''Giulio Cesare'' at Opera Colorado. Randa ...

, Priti Gandhi, Basia Revi, Rebecca Ringle * Los Angeles Opera: Michael Chioldi, Erica Wueschner, Priti Gandhi * Solo Pop recording artist: Arden Kaywin

References

External links

*
Ann Baltz in residence at AU’s School of Music
at Anderson University (Indiana) (14 November 2007) *IndiWire article abou
"SING*ularity" (OperaWorks)OperaWorks
at answers.com
''SING*ularity''
at Turner Classic Movies (TCM) {{DEFAULTSORT:Operaworks Opera organizations Music education in the United States Summer camps in California Arts organizations established in 1987 1987 establishments in California