TOP trains the whole performer!

July 18 - August 9, 2008

TOP is an intensive training program located in Maurach, Austria on Lake Achen (Achensee), in the beautiful Tyrolean Alps. TOP provides a unique opportunity for singers and pianists to receive training in classical opera in the birthplace of the art form – the heart of Europe. By combining education in the art, history and culture of opera with training in voice, dance, acting and performance, TOP participants graduate with enhanced skills for their operatic careers.

Our staff of internationally recognized professionals will share their experiences and help you to hone your skills in voice, acting, movement, and dance as well as in speaking the German language.

Pianists work with conductors and senior coaches from Milan, Munich and Berlin, while adding to their knowledge of the operatic repertoire.  American and Austrian singers live and study together, exchanging views and practicing each other’s language. 
 
TOP is dedicated to training the whole performer.  How do you climb the stairs gracefully in a hoopskirt? How do you sit while wearing a sword?  Emphasis is placed on the practical skills involved in addressing these challenges.  Workshops in career management and life skills help participants prepare for life as a freelancer.

For only when all these things are integrated can one create Art.

The TOP Faculty bring a range of international experience to the program. 

Elizabeth Bachman, Artistic Director, Acting
Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Baltimore Opera, Opera de Puerto Rico, Teatro Argentino, Argentina,

Resident Faculty:

Kathryn Wright, Music Director, Deutsche Oper Berlin

Julia Faulkner, Voice, Wiener Staatsoper

Korby Myrick, Voice & Piano, Arizona Opera

Oresta Cybriwsky, Coach, Münchner Hochschule fuer Musik und Theater 

Carol Kirkpatrick, Business and Life Skills, author of Aria Ready

Claudia Schwarzmann, German 

Robert Schleifer, Acting  Goodman Theatre, Chicago

Visiting Teachers:

Donald George, Voice, Bayerische Staatsoper

Andrea Huber, Voice and "Diva Lessons"

Dennis Heath, Critical Listening

Hermann Härtel Yodeling Workshop

 
TOP participants will be able to put their training to immediate use, with multiple performances of opera arias as well as selections of Broadway show tunes, in the area’s castles, churches and hotels. The finale will be a staged Gala Concert of opera scenes.

Master classes with experienced international artists will provide students with invaluable instruction in acting, singing and practical advice about life as an opera singer. These public concerts provide immediate feedback to the participants, while enabling the public to gain insight into the creative process.

But rehearsal is not everything. The spirit needs tending as well, and the students are encouraged to get out into the mountain air and enjoy the beautiful natural setting. Our central location -- removed from the bustle of city life, but within easy reach of it – gives us an oasis where we can focus on the cultivation and training of young artists.

"The best moments for me come when I see a performer "get it."  When he or she stops thinking about the movements and the notes and the breathing and opens themselves to the character they are portraying, then -- and only then - can they become a conduit for Art.

We often joke about opening ourselves to the Muse, but it's true.  The moments when the music and the drama come together to create a greater whole --  these are the moments that we live for.  And these are the moements that bring audiences back over and over again!"

-- Elizabeth Bachman