The rest of my visit to Moscow was consumed with the wonderful impressionist gallery of the Pushkin museum, as well as the beautiful church across the street.
Returning to Saint Petersburg, I was thrown back into the fray of the International Festival of Conservatories. This is the tenth year of the Festival, and Conservatories from France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Israel and the United States were invited, among others. The US was represented by Eastman School of Music, the Peabody Conservatory, Morgan State, and of course, me. The US schools had a separate evening of performances, including some boffo Scriabin from a talented young pianist from Eastman. Vocal students from Peabody presented Spanish songs, Russian duets, and a series of excerpts of songs and arias by Lori Laitman, accompanied by the composer herself! The program encompassed her career as a vocal composer, including her very first song as well as excerpts from her new opera, The Scarlet Letter. The program finished with a thrilling performance of excerpts from Porgy and Bess performed by the Morgan State choir and some fantastic soloists.
Earlier that day I had given my first masterclass in the conservatory. The students were very impressive, singing Mozart, Verdi, Gounod, Puccini, and Fauré. I had a number of luminaries stop into my class, including Laitman and the Russian coach from Peabody, Vera Danchenko-Stern. I felt honored that the two of them took the time to come make my acquaintance, and I was able to meet with both of them more extensively the next day. Over breakfast Lori Laitman and I discussed her career writing for voice (naturally I guided the conversation to those works for baritone) and I look forward to learning some of her works, which are already favorites of my students in Michigan. Vera Danchenko-Stern was kind enough to coach me on some of the Tchaikovsky songs I have been singing. I hope to see both of these extraordinary artists when I am in Washington in March for my recital at the Russian Cultural Center on March 7.
I gave a second masterclass at the Musical College here in Saint Petersburg. In three hours I saw 12 extraordinary young singers perform works ranging from "Caro mio ben" to some of the most ambitious arias in the repertory, such as Doretta's Song from Puccini's La Rondine. All the students acquitted themselves well, a testimony to the fine training they are receiving.
This masterclass gave me the opportunity to better understand how the curriculum works between the two schools. The Conservatory offers vocalists a five year diploma program which is not designed to be the equivalent of an academic degree, but really prepares a singer for a professional career. Although theoretically one could enter the Conservatory right out of high school--and some do--the nature of vocal development makes it more feasible to wait a while. Thus many students get a degree from the Musical College and then apply for entrance into the Conservatory. The students at the Musical College ranged from about 16 to 21. Students start at the Conservatory anywhere from 16 to 24 or even later. Remember that I started taking voice lessons just before turning 39, so I have nothing against late starters!
As the week drew towards its end, I saw a performance of Così fan tutte performed by the Conservatory students. Officially this was not a presentation of the Festival of Conservatories, which had another event presented simultaneously. The Così production was beautifully sung and played and engagingly staged. Larger scenes took place on a central platform with shifting benches and flower pots which would then be hidden by a scene curtain with the next scene playing "in 1." The result was that the scenes in which the men were acting their Albanian roles took place on a stage within a stage, while others looking on could position themselves on the stage floor proper. Without calling attention to itself or veering towards a modern interpretation the staging pointed the audience into a deeper understanding of the levels of the plot and the interactions of the characters.
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