Delaware Valley Opera's Residency Program
In Collaboration with Sullivan County Community College, SUNY
Divas on the Delaware (DOTD), the DVO Residency Program, is designed to further the musical and performance skills of professional singers and talented pre-professionals. The program for singers, male and female, from high school through post-graduate levels, emphasizes performance opportunities and integrates classes in vocal techniques and interpretation, drama, stage movement and choreography, and production techniques. In addition to developing skills essential to the singers' musicianship and stagecraft, the program will offer workshops in aspects of career development, from recital and rehearsal preparation to effective techniques for working successfully with directors, conductors and colleagues. Participants will also have the opportunity to identify individual training objectives and work one-on-one or in small groups with a mentor in areas such as music theory, sight singing or Italian language and diction.
All participants will perform in the 2009 Delaware Valley Opera summer season as soloists or ensemble cast members in Divas on the Delaware, an inventively staged program of opera scenes and Menotti’s complete one-act The Old Maid and the Thief (double cast). The inaugural 2008 Divas performances drew large audiences and critical praise for the "magic being played out on the stage" and the "convincing stage presence and dramatic intensity of voice" of the singers (Time Herald-Record). Residency participants also perform principal or secondary roles (for very advanced singers) and/or in the DVO Choral Ensemble in the DVO's fully staged productions of La Bohème and The Merry Widow.
The program schedule includes three weeks of intensive afternoon and evening workshops, master classes and rehearsals, and three weeks of performances in Sullivan County (NY) and Wayne County (PA). Mornings and some weekends are free, allowing participants to enjoy the beautiful Catskill mountain setting.
Location
Classes, most rehearsals and some performances will be held at Sullivan County Community College (SCCC) in Loch Sheldrake, NY. Additional classes will take place at Villa Roma Resort in Callicoon, NY, including open rehearsals and seminars with participants from an Elder hostel program, "Inside the DVO." Other performances will be in the Tusten Theatre in Narrowsburg, NY, the Ritz Theater in Hawley, PA and other locations to be determined.
Training Staff |
View Bio’s |
Cost to Participants
Commuters: $600.00
Residents: $1,230.00 (Meals not included)
Scholarships
Partial or full scholarships will be offered to outstanding participants.
Auditions
Can be scheduled live in New York City and Narrowsburg, NY, or by high quality cd, tape or online recording. Two contrasting arias, resume and application are requested.
Application deadline is April 1, 2009 | Download Application
College Credit
College Credit can be arranged through the Sullivan County Community College at a modest additional fee, per 3-hour or 6-hour course credit.
For 23 seasons, the Delaware Valley Opera has been presenting professional opera productions in the charming and intimate Tusten Theatre in Narrowsburg, New York, in Sullivan County Community College’s Seelig Theatre and other locations. Main stage productions are accompanied by the Delaware Valley Chamber Orchestra and the DVO Choral Ensemble, with creative use of sets and costuming. Programs also include productions showcasing emerging young singers and in-school workshops and performances. Sullivan County Community College is a two-year community college and a part of the State University of New York (SUNY). For more SCCC information, visit the “Your Community, Your College” website.
For further information, please contact
Eric Barsness
DOTD Executive Director
PO Box 585
Jeffersonville, NY 12748
845-887-5974
barsnesseric@gmail.com