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Our finest musicians from the University of Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music are in Italy for the first European Chamber Music Summer School. They are staging daily concerts in Verona, Mantova and Venice at prestigious venues like The Bibiena Theatre, Palazzo Te and La Pieta.  Our students report from Italy. Well, that was quick. We are at the end of what has been an incredible journey of music-making, laughter and all things sugary. Experiencing growth in technical ability, style and ways to make the music we perform more exciting and accessible to an international audience with great friends has made this an unforgettable experience. Anyone who knows me knows that I love catching the ferry to the Con in Sydney. However, sauntering down the hill from our lush accommodation at Alla Fontana del Ferro and crossing the Ponte Pietra over the Adige river to arrive at the Conservatorio di Verona might just be on par with my journey back home. The first week was a series of intensive master classes with soprano Lella Cuberli. Her professional attitude and years of experience (as well as playful mockery of our Aussie accents) made for a fantastic first week. I was blown away at…

Our finest musicians from the University of Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music are in Italy for the first European Chamber Music Summer School. They are staging daily concerts in Verona, Mantova and Venice at prestigious venues like The Bibiena Theatre, Palazzo Te and La Pieta.  Our students report from Italy. Wow! What a whirlwind week of masterclasses, orchestral rehearsals and settling in after a day and a half’s travelling! It feels like longer as we reach the end of our first full week of learning and performing in Verona. Exactly a week ago, we wound our way through the streets and found ourselves at one of the city’s biggest and most beautiful churches. Sant’Anastasia, an elaborate red-brick gothic church in the oldest part of the city, towers over the street below, and the Conservatorium is literally attached to this beautiful church by a shared wall. We have just had a full week of intense lessons and masterclasses, working on repertoire and technique with Lella Cuberli. Working with a soprano with such an impressive international career and such valuable and apt technical advice has been a privilege and so inspiring. As well as our daily six-hour masterclasses, we also rehearsed with the…

Our finest musicians from the University of Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music are in Italy for the first European Chamber Music Summer School. They are staging daily concerts in Verona, Mantova and Venice at prestigious venues like The Bibiena Theatre, Palazzo Te and La Pieta.  Our students report from Italy. This week has far exceeded my already high expectations. Working with Lella Cuberli has been brilliant. We spend about six wonderfully intense hours a day with Lella, rotating through technique and repertoire sessions. Working with her is informative, interesting and, most of all, motivating. However, I feel observing lessons is most valuable. Lella has such a wealth of knowledge, and the little pieces of singing gold she hands to us are invaluable. We all appreciate how generous she is with her time.  As mentioned in the last post, we were all very excited to step inside the ancient Arena di Verona to be spectators of Verdi’s Aida. To claim the prime stone seating, it was recommended that we arrive at least two hours earlier than the start time of 9pm. Can you believe the opera was scheduled to finish at 1:30am?! After a day of threatening thunderstorms, we had our umbrellas packed and our…

Our finest musicians from the University of Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music are in Italy for the first European Chamber Music Summer School.  They are staging daily concerts in Verona, Mantova and Venice at prestigious venues like The Bibiena Theatre, Palazzo Te and La Pieta.  Our students report from Italy. 2014 European Chamber Music School participants As I sit on the balcony watching a thunderstorm engulf the city, I am compelled to reflect on the beginning of what will prove to be a wonderful Italian experience. Back in March we auditioned for the inaugural Estivo chamber music festival. Myself, along with over forty other students were lucky enough to be selected. I was selected to perform pieces from the art song repertoire, by composers such as Tosti, Liszt and Massenet, as well as in a vocal quartet performing Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzes. After much preparation and many rehearsals, July 5th was upon us and we were due to fly to Verona. After a long flight (who knew Australia was so far away!) and bus from Milan, we arrived in Verona on a beautiful summer day. As one must do when arriving in Italy, we went looking for the nearest pizzeria, to get our fill…

The talented 24-year-old was picked for The King and I while still at Sydney Con. So is she ready for the spotlight? Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The British virtuoso gave Young Performers Awards finalist Jeremy So some pointers at the piano.

We asked budding music writers at the Sydney Conservatorium to review a new Australian classical CD. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The Sydney Conservatorium of Music, one of Australia’s oldest and most prestigious conservatories, has been added to the NSW heritage register. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in