Veneto Opera Summer School
Baroque week: 20–27 July 2025
Aria and Song week: 10–17 August 2025
Led by Matteo Dalle Fratte, Founder of Melofonetica and renowned Italian coach
Bassano del Grappa, Italy
Apply online now – early bird rates until 7 March 2025
NEW! Baroque week: 20–27 July 2025
An inspiring programme of language, movement and performance skills in Italian baroque repertoire for singers and instrumentalists
Singers will benefit from:
- A full overview of the transformative Melofonetica Method, giving you the tools and techniques to make a rapid improvement to your Italian lyric diction, expression and performance skills
- 3.5 hours of one-to-one coaching, including sessions with each member of our faculty, to prepare your choice of Italian baroque repertoire
- 3.5 hours of movement sessions where you'll:
- Learn to integrate baroque dance and gesture with music and text, observing how movement changes emphasis, tempo and dynamics and enhances communication with your audience
- Identify different dances in music
- Explore the characters of the dances and their relationship to the role and music
- Understand how period costumes affect movement
- 3.5 hours of vocalising and ensemble sessions to polish Italian pronunciation and enhance musicality in a baroque chorus
- A 1.5 hour workshop on the art of Italian recitative, providing a fascinating overview of Italian metrics and the structure of recitative and dispelling the myths about recitative performance
- Tailored individual performance coaching in concert rehearsals
- Guided listening and Q&A on sung Italian
- Unlimited access to observe inspiring Italian masterclasses
- A collaborative, supportive and inspiring environment led by highly effective coaches
- The opportunity to meet, learn and sing with participants from all over the world while enjoying la dolce vita in beautiful, historic Bassano del Grappa
Instrumentalists
Places for: two répétiteurs/harpsichordists, two baroque violinists and one baroque cellist (or viola da gamba player)
- Develop your experience in accompanying Italian baroque vocal repertoire
- Work closely alongside singers, exploring how the integration of language informs phrasing and articulation and how movement affects emphasis, tempo and dynamics
- Join or observe movement sessions
- Experience how clear and correct diction enhances the dialogue between conductor, singer and accompanist
All participants will also have the opportunity to:
- Perform in a concert for an Italian audience and enjoy a celebratory dinner at the end of the week
- Visit a UNESCO World Heritage Venetian villa and organic vineyard, with tastings of wine, olive oil and other local products
- Visit Bassano's historic weekly market
- Learn about grappa production with a visit to a local grapperia
“I loved every aspect of this course from the method itself to the staff, rehearsals, masterclasses and the performances. The course took into consideration everyone’s individual voice type and level of training and made sure they were used to their fullest potential so everyone got to show off their talents. The staff were also very kind, patient and understanding to every participant. Cannot recommend this course enough.” – April, soprano
"An excellent week of learning." – Jamie, baritone
"I really enjoyed the friendly and supportive atmosphere that was created. It didn't matter where you were on your singing journey, everyone was given the same care and attention which was so nice to see and experience." – Isky, mezzo
Aria and Song week, 10–17 August 2025
An enriching programme of Italian repertoire coaching for singers and pianists
Singers will benefit from:
- A full overview of the transformative Melofonetica Method, giving you the tools and techniques to make a rapid improvement to your Italian lyric diction, expression and performance skills
- 4 hours of one-to-one coaching, including sessions with each member of our faculty, to prepare your choice of Italian aria or song
- Unlimited access to observe inspiring Italian masterclasses
- 6 hours of vocalising and ensemble sessions to polish Italian pronunciation and enhance musicality
- 2 x 1 hour workshops:
- Working effectively with a pianist and conductor: understand how to optimise the collaborative relationship with your accompanist or conductor
- Sung Italian in the body: explore how good sung Italian benefits singing technique and benefit from simple yoga exercises to develop inner awareness and quality of breath connection
- Tailored individual performance coaching in concert rehearsals
- Guided listening and Q&A on sung Italian
- 3 x 45-minute morning yoga sessions to prepare for the day (optional but included at no additional cost)
- A collaborative, supportive and inspiring environment led by highly effective coaches
- The opportunity to meet, learn and sing with participants from all over the world while enjoying la dolce vita in beautiful, historic Bassano del Grappa
Pianists
Pianists will benefit from much of the above combined with tailored coaching in how to use the Melofonetica Method to better prepare Italian repertoire and collaborate more effectively with singers.
All participants will also have the opportunity to:
- Perform in a concert for an Italian audience and enjoy a celebratory dinner at the end of the week
- Visit a UNESCO World Heritage Venetian villa and organic vineyard, with tastings of wine, olive oil and other local products
- Visit Bassano's historic weekly market
- Learn about grappa production with a visit to a local grapperia
“The week transformed not only my use of Italian, but my awareness of language in singing more generally.” – Johanna, soprano
"I really enjoyed the varied sessions with different coaches exploring the Melofonetica Method. The opportunity to then apply learnt techniques and take part in a public performance at the end of the course was an invaluable and unforgettable experience." – Gayle, soprano
"This course helped me greatly with performance confidence and learning to think for myself as my own artist." – Maddie, soprano
Fees
Fee for singers' tuition packages per week as above: £825, or £775 early bird fee for applications made by 7 March 2025.
Pianists (Aria and Song week): £725, or £675 early bird fee for applications made by 7 March 2025.
Instrumentalists (Baroque week): £325, or £275 early bird fee for applications made by 7 March 2025.
Course fees include: All masterclasses, coaching, workshops, use of practice rooms at specified times, administration and course materials.
Fees don't include optional activities, accommodation or board; participants are free to arrange their own accommodation in Bassano del Grappa. Our teaching venue, the Scalabrini Institute, provides comfortable, high quality accommodation onsite which may be booked separately at very reasonable rates (please contact us for more details).
Observer places are also available for those who'd like to watch some or all of the teaching. Please contact us for rates and more details.
How to apply
Places will be offered to suitable applicants on a first come, first served basis. Participants must be aged 18 or over on the first day of the course. Please note that all tuition is in English.
Singers
We welcome applications from singers of all levels and language backgrounds, as long as you have some prior experience of studying Italian repertoire. Please note that you don't need any previous dance experience to attend the Baroque week!
Please complete the online application form or apply via email with the following:
- A brief CV
- A short video or audio clip of you performing any Italian repertoire
- Your voice type
Pianists and instrumentalists
To apply as a pianist or instrumentalist, you'll need to have, or be studying for, a conservatoire or university music degree with a strong performance element, or have equivalent experience. If you're a pianist or instrumentalist interested in joining us, please contact us for more information.
Observers
If you'd like to attend one or more days to watch some of the teaching and see the Melofonetica Method in action, please contact us for observer rates and further details.
More information
If you have any queries about the programme or you’d like an informal chat about any aspect, don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to receiving your application!
Venue
The Scalabrini Institute is the peaceful and comfortable location for all of our tuition. The teaching rooms are spacious, with views towards the mountains, the town and the famous Ponte Vecchio.
The venue also provides comfortable, high quality accommodation for those who would like the convenience of staying onsite:
- Air-conditioned ensuite bedrooms
- Continental breakfast and three-course Italian lunches
- Wifi
- Use of a small kitchen and washing machine
- Access to scenic riverside walks
Rooms at the Scalabrini Institute may be booked separately (please contact us for details).
Bassano del Grappa
Our venue, the peaceful Scalabrini Institute, is located beside the river in central Bassano del Grappa. Bassano is a beautiful, historic town at the foothills of the Alps in the Veneto region and takes its name from nearby Monte Grappa.
The historic centre of Bassano is just a 5-10 minute scenic riverside walk from our venue. It is pretty and compact with many bars, restaurants and boutiques. The architecture is a blend of typical Venetian arcaded streets and piazzas, and Austrian alpine wooden balconies.
The town is well known for its Ponte Vecchio, a historic wooden bridge designed by Palladio which crosses the river Brenta, locally-produced ceramics and grappa liqueur.
Bassano is within easy reach of Venice Marco Polo, Treviso and Verona airports. There are also direct trains from Venice, Vicenza and Padova. Parking is available at our venue if required.
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