CHAT WITH MAESTRO PELLEGRINO ON THE UPCOMING MASTERCLASS ITALIAN OPERA IN LONDON

I met Maestro Marcello Giordano Pellegrino - Opera Singer, Pianist, Organist, Teacher of History of Opera and Coach for Opera Singers, manager and promoter of cultural events both in Italy and abroad - in occasion of a Masterclass on Italian Opera he and conductor Peter Fender organised in London in September 2019. His empathy, his direct style of communication and his personality made immediately an impression on me and we struck a good friendship, characterised by the same great love for the Art of Music and the World of Opera.

At the end of masterclass, we decided to collaborate together to continue developing this project here in London and in Europe as well. This is a transcription of an interview/chat that we had two days ago with the intention of presenting this Masterclass in London.

Yuri: Dear Marcello, it's a pleasure to have you for this interview today. How did the idea to run a masterclass on Italian Opera for opera singers abroad originally came about?

Marcello: The project was born from a collaboration with the London-based orchestra conductor Peter Fender. The idea was to organise a masterclass entirely dedicated to the study of Italian Opera of Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini, Mascagni,  Leoncavallo , but also Mozart (Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, Cosi fan Tutte),  focusing specifically  on the study of the character, vocal technique and interpretation.

Yuri: What can the singers hope to learn and achieve by attending this masterclass?

Marcello: By the end of this masterclass, the singers will have gained a broader and  deeper knowledge of the Italian repertoire. They will be able to perform their repertoire  with greater understanding and confidence. An important aspect of attending this project is that we are offer artistic opportunities for the most promising singers: from concerts in London and Italy, to auditions for opera productions and a complete training on the Italian repertoire.

Yuri: This is definitely an interesting bonus for the singers: the opportunity to gain valuable experience and some exposure... This is all so exciting! Are we going to offer this training on Italian Opera somewhere else apart from London?

Marcello:  Yes: we intend to promote this project dedicated to the training of opera singers in other important European capitals as well.

Yuri: Marcello, it was a pleasure to chat with you today and I, for one, I am looking forward to you coming back to London to share your expertise with the students and the emerging opera singers. They must be eager to learn and to make the most of this opportunity... I am really excited to join you and Maestro Peter Fender on this project!

Marcello: Thanks , Yuri, for this virtual meeting to present our masterclass on the Italian Opera. Thank you all for following this presentation. See you soon ... greetings from Italy!