FOUNDATION OPERA WORLD STAGE FOR YOUNG CLASSICAL TALENTS
Tomorrow’s opera singersand classical musicians live their dreams wholeheartedly. On their ambitious path, which is often characterized by privation, young opera artists from all over the world can benefit from the foundation opera, an internationally unique promotional platform wlth many links to renowned music experts. The annual classic night, the highlight of the one-week master class conducted by star tenor francisco araiza, serves asthe main event.
What once started as a small event … with one pianist, one tenor and around 30 guests, has developed into an exclusive event with international significance over the past eight years, and is now held in high regard by experts. So in order to do justice to the increased professionalism and the commitment of all those involved, the Swiss Foundation Opera in Zurich was established in January 2011‑a nonprofit and tax-exempt organization that can count on the support of many renowned companies, Corner Bank Ltd. being one of them. From the beginning, the prosperous union of business and culture was based on the fundamental idea of the promotion of young talents in the area of classical music, focusing on talented young singers of all voice types. …
What is special about the Foundation Opera’s concept is that it is not based on the principle of competition, as is the case with similar institutions. «Here, young artists find an atmosphere that does justice to them as opera singers and also to the opera itself,» explains Uwe Nautsch, President of the Foundation Opera, one of the originators of the Classic Night.
«They have to be convincing both with their vocal skills and their presentation on stage under professional direction, which will ultimately be of great ignificance for the overall impression of their interpretation of an opera role. There are no winners as would be the case in a competition; that is not the aim. The young artists who come to us all display excellent qualities. It is much more important for them to be able to demonsrrate their talent during rehearsal in front of recognized international music experts for a week, and then prove themselves in front of the gala audience at the Classic Night. This provides them with invaluable contacts and opens up highly interesting perspectives for their continuing education at renowned opera studios and universities, or even for a role on stage.»
The encoumer wich Francisco Araiza, star tenor, Kammersänger, and professor at the College of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart, who himself was discovered by the legendary conductor of ehe 20th century, Herbert von Karajan, was a stroke of Juck for the platform’s early years. The native Mexican, one of the most important voices of our time, gained extensive stage experience at the most famous opera houses and has excellent contacts in the world of music. Together with Uwe Nautsch, Francisco Araiza forms the Foundation Opera’s Council and, as a gifted maestro and artistic director, has committed himself to the young talents with great passion. This starts with the worldwide search for and selection of new talent, which is presently carried out via a widely spread international partner network of extraordinary music institutions, and includes demanding rehearsals, which are often attended by Francisco Araiza and the Foundation Opera’s president.
Most of the invitations can be traced back to the close cooperation with and recommendations from the network; however, the Foundation is also open to individual requests and considers these carefully. Those who are invited to participate in the Classic Night can benefit from Maestro Araiza’s master classes for one week, working on singing techniques and the interpretation of roles. These days are invaluable to the artists. In addition, they benefit from the attending experts› attention in this short but extremely intensive trial period. Many important steps for future careers have been initiated at the Classic Night, many discoveries have been made during this week. «The Classic Night itself is the reward for all the hard work, a source of great joy for the young people, while the Foundation can thank its promoters and guests with this inspiring music event,» explains Uwe Nautsch. The president of the Foundation Council is considering the possibility of holding such an event in New York or Beijing, due to its great success and many requests. However, the core, i.e., the Foundation and the Classic Night, will remain in Switzerland, with the cooperation of many more musically talented individuals from all over the world, who are yet to be discovered and encouraged to provide numerous lovers of the opera and classical music with great pleasure through their art. For this they work hard day after day, this is what they live for- a fact that still fills Uwe Nautsch with admiration after all these years: » lt is j ust so fascinating for me to see these young people strive for perhaps the most meaningful conquest of them all- the fulfillment of their dreams.»
