Mascarade Opera Studio aspires to be the leading independent training and performance institution for singers and répétiteurs in the world, its programme becoming the gold standard by which all Young Artists Programmes and Opera Studios will be measured.
Vision
Working with an international network of opera houses and festivals, with Teatro La Fenice, our principal artistic partner, at its core, we aim to redefine the formation and promotion of young artists for the future.
Mission
To establish Mascarade Emerging Artists as a world-class institution for opera training. To establish Mascarade Emerging Artists as the key provider of young talent to theatres and festivals all over the world.
To prepare young and exceptionally talented opera singers and répétiteurs for major careers in opera, through our centre for excellence in performance science and our international network of partners and collaborators.
To weave Mascarade Emerging Artists firmly into the cultural fabric of Florence and its region by providing first-class, high-quality musical entertainment and to increase accessibility and inclusion via its enrichment programme.
History
The New Generation Festival (NGF) was founded in 2017 by Maximilian Fane, Frankie Parham and Roger Granville with the aim to promote emerging young artists from around the world. The NGF presented the finest talents in opera, music, theatre and across the Arts with a programme that ran throughout the year in spectacular locations, ranging from the Swiss mountains of Andermatt to its flagship summer festival in Florence. Inspired by the achievements of the Italian Renaissance, The NGF celebrated creativity and stimulated it through the connection of art forms, cultures and generations. In August 2020, The NGF staged The ReGeneration Festival in partnership with The Uffizi Galleries at the landmark Boboli Gardens to demonstrate the paramount importance of sustaining culture in times of crisis. It was an unprecedented manifestation of the restorative power of the Arts and magnificent proof of what is possible through cooperation.
With a deepened awareness of the need for sustainability and longevity, the Mascarade Opera Studio was developed by the NGF team to build on the success of the NGF Summer School, which provided young talented singers with the opportunity to receive training in opera and to be part of the NGF’s chorus. In the very city where the art form was born and where the Renaissance blossomed and flourished, the aim of the Mascarade Opera Studio’s nine-month programme was to re-evaluate opera training and the function of opera in society. Situated in the ground floor of the Palazzo Corsini al Prato, the Mascarade Opera Studio opened its doors in September 2020 to eight singers and two répétiteurs from renowned conservatoire and opera training programmes. With its concentration on the development of psychological performance skills, including resilience, assertiveness training and personal evaluation as well as career coaching, it differed radically from traditional programmes.
In line with its aspiration to become the gold standard for opera training, from September 2022 the Mascarade Opera Studio expands into the new two-year high-ability training and performance programme: Mascarade Emerging Artists. True to the spirit of The New Generation Festival, it is run in collaboration with Teatro La Fenice and other opera houses, providing its artists with performance opportunities throughout Europe.
Images ©Marco-Borrelli