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CANADIAN
VOCAL ARTS
INSTITUTE ENTERS
SEVENTH YEAR
Wah Keung Chan
Musical activity in Montreal during
August is usually quiet, yet as
diehard fans have discovered, there
is still opera to be found at the
University of Montreal. Since its
inception seven years ago, the Canadian Vocal
Arts Institute (CVAI) has presented what amounts
to a mini-opera festival in Montreal during the
month of August. This year over 40 of the most
promising young singers, including 20 Canadians
and 16 master teachers and coaches, will take part
in the three-week vocal, opera and lieder training
program. Running from August 2 to 21, the program
consists of five masterclasses and several
Gala performances, including a staging of
Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias on August 19.
The CVAI is actually the Canadian franchise of
the International Vocal Arts Institute, a high-end
opera-finishing summer school founded and run
by renowned vocal coach Joan Dornemann, who
works magic in her masterclasses. “She is more
than a magician,” said Bernard Stotland, the CVAI’s
new board president.“She can get students to sing
an aria a totally different way by using their hands,
MAGIC IN ACTION
during a masterclass with Joan
Dornemann (left)
eyes, ears, nose and behinds. It’s truly amazing.”
The public masterclasses are a fascinating backstage
view into the training that goes into forming
an opera singer. In previous years, the program has
seen prominent guest artists such as Catherine
Malfitano and Haken Hagegard. This year’s special
guest is tenor Neil Shicoff, who will conduct the
first public masterclass on August 6, while other
masterclasses are given by Mignon Dunn, Diana
Soviero, Claude Webster and Dornemann.
One of the things that sets the program apart
is its flexibility. “When the students arrive, the
teachers ask the students what they want to
work on,” said Marie-Anne Perreault, Coordinator
of CVAI. “For some it’s a role, for other’s it’s technique.
It’s individualized teaching.”
The program’s first six years have already borne
fruit. Canadian baritones Phillip Addis and Etienne
Dupuis have both started promising careers on the
international stage. Members of the Atelier lyrique
de l’Opéra de Montréal are regular
participants and it’s no wonder
they often sound better than
their COC counterparts. This
year, six members will take part
in CVAI, as well as Annie
Sanschagrin and Lise Brunelle of
Apéro à l’Opéra.
Running a high-end training
program doesn’t come cheap. The
$1300 tuition only covers a part of
the organization’s $230,000
budget, about half of which goes
towards paying the teachers.
Canadian students also benefit
from $20,000 in bursaries to reduce tuition. Most
impressively, 75% of the budget comes from a distinguished
list of donors and private sponsors led by
David Sela,Jacqueline Desmarais,Power Corporation,
Dr. Hans Black, the Jeunesses musicales du Canada
Foundation, the Sylva M. Gelber Foundation, Hydro-
Quebec and RBC. “People naturally give to causes
related to education,” said Stotland who hopes to
expand the school to have more students and teachers.
Unfortunately, the program’s first attempt at
public funding from the Montreal Arts Council was
turned down, and their dream of hiring an orchestra
to accompany the opera won’t be realized this year.
“One day, we also hope to pay some of the interns,”
said Perreault. Nevertheless, CVAI has entered a new
partnership with the Festival des arts de Saint-
Sauveur to present concerts there. ■
CVAI runs from August 2-21 at the Université de Montreal.
514-343-6427 www.icav-cvai.org
Académie Internationale
de Quatuor à Cordes de McGill
McGill International
String Quartet Academy
Juillet-Août 2010 July-August 45