Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1201983
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 JANUARY 2020 6 CULTURE CARLOS Conde, an American-born bass-baritone with a long interna- tional career as an opera singer and widely known as a vocal pedagogue and a professor of opera-perform- ing-practice, was invited to the Mikiel Anton Vassalli College Mal- ta School of Music on the initiative of Soprano-Teacher Miriam Cauchi. Conde delivered a public lecture on classical singing and gave mas- terclasses to 31 local singers who were keen on improving their sing- ing technique and repertoire inter- pretation. The lecture on classical singing based on the Italian linguistic per- spective – a vocal technique which dates back to the 13th century Italian School of Singing – was supported by theories of bel canto masters in- cluding Marchetto da Padova (1274- 1326), Francesco Tosi (1653-1732), Nicolo Porpora (1688-1768), Gio- vanni Battista Mancini (1714-1800), Vincenzo Manfredini (1737-1799), Giovanni Lamperti (1839-1910), and Manuel García (1805-1906). A highlight of the event was the ac- tive collaboration of the three voice Teachers from the Vocal Depart- ment of the MAVC Malta School of Music namely, Miriam Cauchi, Andriana Yordanova, and Graziella Debattista, with whom Conde estab- lished a remarkable team-teaching dynamic. The students were accom- panied by Pianist-Teachers from same school: Irina Fedcenko, Julia Miller and Galina Antariuk. Conde started each masterclass by "vocalising" each singer, and during this process, he referred back to as- pects of the technique outlined in his lecture – a technique that has proved its worth over the years with various students worldwide. Inter- estingly, Conde first listened to each student's speaking voice, and only after that he skilfully guided each student through vocal warm-up drills. Conde helped students improve their technique by inviting them to find an equilibrium between head and chest vocal registers – two ap- parent extremes which need to be fused together seamlessly like two primary colours. With a tireless and caring ap- proach, Conde identified the unique potential within each singer's voice including areas of interest from a commercial aspect. Moreover, he offered a special lecture on career development, performance practice and a global view on the develop- ment of the art form. Masterclasses with Prof. Carlos Conde at the MAVC, Malta School of Music