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