Nelly Apt
Scholarship

Winner 2005

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Report on the International Vocal Arts Institute - 2006

 

Anita Watson

 

The first people I met when I got to the airport in Tel Aviv were a group of singers from America.  I soon came to realise that for most of them, it wasn’t their first time at the summer programme in Tel Aviv.  The reason is, that the programme is so wonderful that many singers come back year after year, even if they are already working professionally.  I would say that 80% of the singers are already professionals, with the ages ranging up to about 40. The standard of both singers and coaches is incredibly high, and it is no surprise that the programme is in its 20^th year.

 

I feel incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to attend IVAI with the funds from the Nelly Apt Scholarship.  I was a bit uncertain of what the programme would be like, but I was definitely happily surprised.  Even with the troubles going on between Israel and Lebanon, the programme remained relatively unaffected.  The only effect was that we had to cancel one concert, which was too close to the danger zone, and we had regular meetings about security.  However, we were always assured that if the situation got too bad that we would be evacuated.

 

Having said all that, the audiences in Tel Aviv were incredibly supportive of us as singers, and the programme in general.  Tickets are sold to the Master classes, which are held each evening for the first two weeks, and the audiences are always full.  They are a great opportunity to work with the top coaches, and also to perform to a supportive audience.  I performed in two Master classes while I was there.  The first one was with Joan Dornemann, who heard me sing for the first time, and seemed to be impressed.  She was fantastic to work with, and the best thing about her Master classes are that they are always different.  She seems to be able to tap into exactly what each singer needs, and get a result.  The other one was with Lucy Arner, who is also an amazing coach and a wealth of knowledge.

 

After I sang in the first Master class I was told by one audience member that they were going to take away my passport and not let me leave the country because they liked me so much.  Joan told the audience in the Master class that I was given a scholarship from Australia to attend the programme.  She said that she didn’t know what was in the water in Australia, but in Mexico they breed great tenors, in Russia, great basses, and from Australia they send one beautiful soprano year after year.   That was a nice compliment to get.

 

The days at the programme are very long, but worthwhile.  In general we left the hotel at 9.30am, and returned about 10.30pm after the Master classes and concerts.  It is not compulsory to attend the performances, but I couldn’t help myself, as there were so many amazing singers to see and hear.

 

I was given the role of Ann Putnam in Robert Ward’s “The Crucible”. It was an amazing opera to be involved with.  It had a very powerful story, great music, and to top it off we had a great cast.  For the first few days we worked with our pianist Mark Ensley, and then as our conductor Steven Byess didn’t arrive until late in the second week of the programme, we rehearsed the opera firstly as a play with director David Drisin.  This was a great opportunity to work on characterisation and also the intention of our lines.  Some people in the programme choose not to be given a part in an opera, but for me I found this to be a very rewarding experience.  Not only for the opportunity to add a role to my CV, but also to work closely with the other singers. 

 

We also had an opportunity to talk on the phone in a conference call with the composer, a man in his eighties who is still a prolific composer.  This was an unexpected bonus.

 

Every year 5 operas are performed, and they are varying in style.  This year in addition to “The Crucible” there was “The Abduction from the Seraglio”, “Don Pasquale”, “Eugene Onegin” and “Tosca”.   It shows the calibre of the singers they have in the programme that these operas can even be performed, let alone extremely well, which was the case. 

 

In the second week of the programme, many concerts are held.  I was given the opportunity to perform in the Puccini, Verismo, and Mozart concerts, all of which were organised and directed by different coaches.  This was a good opportunity not only to perform different repertoire for an audience, but also to work in ensembles, and be given direction and staging.  The faculty of the programme are an amazing group of people.  I had voice lessons with Abbie Furmansky, and had coaching with Bob Cowart, Joan Dornemann, Mark Ensley, Ira Siff, Jane Steele, Sharon Mohar, Jorge Parodi, Dodi Rosenmeyer, Cesar Ulloa, Lucy Arner and Joan Norris.  There were many more coaches at the programme, but unfortunately there wasn’t time to work with them all.  I learnt so much from the coaches I had the opportunity to study with, and am looking forward to when I can work with them again.

 

I was also given the honour of performing in the gala concert at the New Israeli Opera House.  This was a great opportunity for me, as I not only got to sing in the sextet from Don Giovanni, but also the aria Chi Il bel Sogno, with the orchestra conducted by Paul Nadler. 

 

Not only are the audiences in Israel very supportive, but also so are the other singers in the programme.   It was a great ensemble of singers, many of which are from the USA and Mexico, but I also had two Australians to keep my company.  Andrew Goodwin who attended the programme on the Nelly Apt Scholarship last year had an amazing success with his role of Lensky in Eugene Onegin.  After his aria, the audience applauded for about a minute before letting him continue. 

 

The group of singers had a lot of fun having a sing-a-long on two occasions in restaurants, with passers-by giving us looks of disbelief and amazement.  I thought to myself that I would probably never be in a room again with so many great voices (and so may top C’s at once!).

 

There is so much to be gained at this programme and I really appreciate the opportunity I was given to attend.  I know it has opened my eyes to another part of the opera world, as well as the chance to work with great coaches, directors, conductors, and many singers who I know will be international stars.  I will treasure the experience, and use the knowledge I have gained, and hope that I can return to IVAI again in the future.