Guild Hall and Bel Canto Boot Camp have announced a new Resident Artist Program in support of the next generation of opera singers.
One of the most impactful ways an artist can learn is by having dedicated time to solely focus on their craft with the support and guidance of seasoned professionals. Inspired by this, Guild Hall announced new direction in their ongoing partnership with Bel Canto Boot Camp after successful collaborations during Covid-19 with BCBC Sunday Matinées, Bel Canto 101 & Terminology for Opera Lovers, and Behind the Screen with BCBC prior to each “MET Live in HD” broadcast.
With the shared values of creative authenticity, artistic development, and community engagement, the series, sponsored by the V. Atkins Foundation, will support an emerging generation of opera singers while bringing operatic performances and community engagement programs to the East End.
The Guild Hall & Bel Canto Boot Camp Resident Artist Program will award paid week-long residencies in the Hamptons to emerging artists identified by an application and audition process. The program will offer each singer individualized training with BCBC coaches, providing time and space for role preparation and scene study on site in East Hampton. Guest artists at the height of international singing careers are invited to join resident artists as both mentors in masterclasses and colleagues in concerts – a unique training and performance collaboration between operatic superstars, established professional singers, and promising singers still on the verge of an international career. Baritenor Michael Spyres and tenor Jack Swanson join Bel Canto Boot Camp at Guild Hall for the 2022 launch season. Soprano Lisette Oropesa is slated for August 2023.
By inviting audiences into select rehearsals and master classes, Guild Hall and BCBC will provide an insider’s view into the singer’s process. Resident artists will engage with the Guild Hall Teen Arts Council, among other education and arts organizations in the communities of the Hamptons. Bel Canto Boot Camp will offer audience education events before recitals and as separate events.
Of the program, BCBC co-founders Derrick Goff and Rachelle Jonck said, “When Guild Hall of East Hampton reached out to us to support their opera audience during COVID, we immediately realized that we had found in them the perfect partner. Their website states: ‘Guild Hall Education strives to create experiences for all our communities to think like an artist: to see and respect a world of various colors and shapes, to experiment with harmony and dissonance, and to value process over product.’ We found people who speak our language – well, they found us! After multiple successful collaborations during the pandemic, we put our heads together once more to find ways to serve our respective communities. The Guild Hall & Bel Canto Boot Camp Resident Artist Series was born to create training and performance opportunities for emerging artists and to bring live unamplified singing to East Hampton. We’re thrilled to make music together.”
“There is a unique love of Opera here in East Hampton,” says Anthony Madonna, Guild Hall’s Patti Kenner Senior Associate for Learning + Public Engagement. “Guild Hall patrons filled the theater each time a Met Live in HD broadcast was presented. Not only was it a way for them to experience the opera in their own backyard, but to gather weekly with friends and family. Over the pandemic, when sitting in a theater was not possible, we saw a different side to, and built new relationships with, our opera patrons. Through the many virtual collaborations with Bel Canto Boot Camp, we learned both what our community loves about the opera – their favorite characters and beloved voices, and what they strive to learn more about. The Guild Hall & BCBC Resident Artist Series is an exciting step forward in building our audiences love and knowledge for opera and the live unamplified voice. Through experiencing artists at both the turning points and heights of their careers, we all – audience, coaches, and performers – will continue to learn together and build upon our love of opera.”
Guild Hall and Bel Canto Boot Camp’s new Resident Artist Series kicks off with “Beautiful Singing: The Roots and Fruits of the Bel Canto Style” with tenor Jack Swanson, soprano Katherine Henly, and BCBC’s Rachelle Jonck and Derrick Goff at the piano, in a program of opera, film, musical theater, and song on Friday, May 20, at 7 PM.
On Saturday, July 30, at 7 PM, it’s “The Potions of Love: Bel Canto Arias and Ensembles” with Brittany Smith, Juan Hernandez, and other resident artists, as well as pianists Rachelle Jonck and Derrick Goff.
“Michael Spyres & Bel Canto Boot Camp: A Bel Canto Journey” will take place on Saturday, October 15, at 7 PM with resident artists and pianists Rachelle Jonck and Derrick Goff.
Recitals are $55 ($49.50 for Guild Hall members). Reservations can be made at guildhall.org.