The Wales International Academy of Voice ( cy, Academi Llais Ryngwladol Cymru) was established by its founder, the Welsh
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...
Dennis O'Neill CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
, to provide advanced voice, music and drama coaching to young professional
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 ...
singers from all over the world in the early stages of their careers. It was opened in 2007 as the Cardiff International Academy of Voice and was funded by
Cardiff University. Following Cardiff University's withdrawal of funding in 2010, the
University of Wales Trinity Saint David
, image = Crest of TSD.png
, image_size = 200px
, caption = Coat of armsUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David
, established = 2010 (Saint David's College, Lampeter founded 1822 and opened 1827; royal charter 1828)
, ...
took over the partnership in June 2011 under the new name of the Wales International Academy of Voice.
History
The Academy opened in January 2007 with its first intake of students on year-long courses which began in the Autumn of each year from 2008 to 2009. The courses involved 30 weeks of instruction via individual coaching and
master class
A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are being developed.
"Masterclass" is als ...
es as well as student participation in the
Opera Barga and
Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 ...
festivals. All vocal
recital
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety ...
s by the Academy's students and many of its master classes have been open to the public. The Academy's many notable visiting instructors have included
Carlo Rizzi,
Antonio Pappano
Sir Antonio Pappano (born 30 December 1959) is an English-Italian conductor and pianist. He is currently music director of the Royal Opera House and of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He is scheduled to become chief c ...
,
Richard Bonynge,
Della Jones
Della Jones is a Welsh mezzo-soprano, particularly well known for her interpretations of works by Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, and Britten.
Early life
Jones was born in Tonna, near Neath, Wales. She attended Neath Grammar School for Girl ...
,
Rebecca Evans,
Ileana Cotrubas
Ileana (also Illeana, Iliana, Eleana, Eliana) is a female given name. It is the feminine form of the male name Elijah. It has been adapted for Romanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Italian and Spanish (in Spanish there is also Ilean and in Romanian ...
,
Dame Anne Evans and
Sir Jonathan Miller.
In May 2010 Cardiff University announced that the Academy would close because of a lack of funds.
In May 2011
Trinity Dewi Sant announced that the Academy would be re-launched in June 2011 under the name of Wales International Academy of Voice.
Notable alumni
*
Julia Lezhneva, soprano
*
Mary-Jean O'Doherty, soprano
See also
*
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
, image_name = Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.jpg
, image_size =
, motto =
, established = 1949
, type = Public
, staff =
, vice_chancellor =
, students = 779 (2017/18)
, undergrad ...
*
Cardiff University School of Music
*
Welsh Singers Competition
*
Cardiff Singer of the World
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition (known as Cardiff Singer of the World from 1983–2001 and BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff in 2003) is a competition for classical singers held every two years.
The competition was started by BBC W ...
Notes
External links
Official website
{{Music schools in the United Kingdom
Music schools in Wales
2007 establishments in Wales
Educational institutions established in 2007