Six CSUF School of Music vocal students — Benjee Benjelloun, Hart Chen, Joshua Evans, Sophia Khurana, Rachel Williams and Sidney Wu — performed with the International Lyric Academy at the Teatro Comunale in Vicenza, Italy, as part of the academy’s Opera Scenes Program from July 13 through Aug. 3.
For more than 30 years, the academy has provided aspiring artists with the opportunity to work with maestros in preparing operatic roles. Performances, stagings, rehearsals and production craft are all part of the ILA experience.
Selected through audition, the students spent three weeks in Italy preparing for and performing their respective roles while also receiving professional coaching, voice lessons, master classes and Italian classes.
The CSUF vocal students chosen for the ILA program all study under Professor of Music Kerry Jennings, who noted, “The level of preparation, professionalism and performance shown by our students was recognized and universally praised by the other participants and faculty at ILA, and I could not be prouder of them.”
The students were featured in two ILA productions: scenes from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” featuring Khurana, Benjelloun and Wu; and a fully staged production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Falstaff” with Chen, Evans and Williams. The productions were conducted by maestros David Walsh (University of Minnesota) and Stefano Vignati (ILA and Opera Carolina), and directed by Cataldo Russo (artistic director at Teatro del Giglio Giacomo Puccini).
Walsh, in particular, praised Williams (Mistress Quickly, “Falstaff”), stating, “I have rarely witnessed such an example of musical preparation and rapid improvement as Rachel demonstrated in such a demanding role. [She] has been a model for all the students in the program. I hope this excellent collaboration with your university continues well into the future.”