Every classical musician, singer or instrumentalist, knows that especially the Italian language, but also Latin, play a leading role not only for opera and for generic musical terminology (see this page), but also for sacred and liturgical music, secular cantatas and profane repertoire. Especially Baroque opera and other vocal repertoire, which are, for the greatest part, written based on Italian librettos and texts, have become increasingly more popular in America. However, many singers lack formal training in Italian diction beyond a cursory introduction and for some performers, certain musical terms and composer indications aren’t as clear as they should be to convey the right interpretation of a score or to accompany the singing with the right rhetorical effect. Therefore, competency in both these languages is a serious asset to any professional vocalist or instrumentalist.

 

As a native Italian speaker with a neutral accent and deep knowledge of regional dialects, terms, figures of speech and cadences, I am inherently qualified to teach this topic at a high level. Furthermore, I studied Latin in high school and university (Philosophy at Verona University, in Italy), I am a Latin tutor and, during my two-decade long career as a performer (both on modern and original instruments) I have enjoyed several decades of close collaboration with outstanding singers, such as Roberta Invernizzi, Cecilia Bartoli, Anne Hallenberg, Joyce Didonato, etc…(please see my full CV for more). Therefore, I understand the specific challenges of applying diction to vocal performance: if the ultimate goal of any vocalist singing in a foreign language is to sound as if they are local to that culture, I am the perfect vocal diction coach for Italian and Latin.

 

Additionally, I speak fluent French and basic German.

 

I offer a premium language service. This service can be effectively delivered over Skype or in person in the NYC area.

 

 

Course Curriculum

 

 

Comprehensive foundation in Italian and Latin pronunciation (with distinctions regarding historical variations — Classic, Medieval, Renaissance/Baroque and geographical — Italy, Germany, England)

 

•Identifying specific challenges that the language presents to English speakers.

 

•Understanding the differences between Latin or specific regional Italian and commonly-taught Italian (difference in vowel pronunciation, diphthongs, particular groups of consonants).

 

•Elaborating effective strategies for producing the difficult consonant sounds unique to some peculiarities of regional accents or inflections.

 

•Analyzing and incorporating gestures and body movements that are idiomatic and usually very typical of the Italian way of talking into the knowledge and the performance  — this can be of great help also for committing to memory repertoire that will be performed on stage, such as opera.

 

 

Study of texts and librettos from the standard Art-Song and Operatic repertoire

 

•Exploring the cultural and historical influences that have shaped Italian dramaturgy and opera/sacred repertoire.

 

•Utilizing the “sound” of Italian to aid interpretation of characters.

 

•Providing a springboard for further language study.

 

 

This is a results-based program catered to your short and long-term goals. We will achieve tangible results by:

 

•Strengthening your confidence in Italian by giving tools to apply to both performance and pedagogy.

 

•Giving you a huge leg-up in an extremely competitive market.

 

•Improving your diction in other languages by increasing your linguistic agility.

 

 

I am passionate about teaching Italian, Italian and European culture and traditions, and want to share my excitement for the language with you. I am originally from the center-north of Italy, an area which happens to be with a quite neutral regional dialect, but at the same time in close contact with other areas that have a pronunciation that distinguishes itself, whose inflections often penetrated the languages of the arts and the music: this is a crucial aspect of my teaching, as, despite the common consideration of Italy as one unified country, it is quite diverse in terms of idioms, accents and dialects spoken.

 

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Contact me to schedule an introductory lesson or if you would like to have more information.