Masterclass for Opera singers

Learn opera roles effectively

July 6th - 12th, 2024 | Ptuj, Slovenia

Do you feel you could prepare for your role better but you don’t know how?

Do you want to go deeper into the role?

Join us in intensive 7 days MASTERCLASS

How to learn opera roles?
Learn from our vocal coach Medea WITH
40 years of experiences

Medea Iassonidi Masterclass is a unique program for singers who wish to study and understand the opera repertoire on an advanced level.

The program is led by our expert Medea Iassonidi with more than 40 years of experience as a vocal coach.

The program is meant for talented opera singers preparing to step on a professional stage.  

the program

Masterclass focuses on preparing the singers for succeeding on opera stage through intensive lessons with our experienced casting director and vocal coach. 

Every accepted candidate for ACTIVE participation will be asked to choose one opera to focus on. During the 7 days intensive program, we will work through the whole chosen opera. 

Our day will consist from lesson with Medea Iassonidi, after lesson there will be another lesson with Svetlana Jan. Every singer has one piano room at disposal. 

To achieve the most effectiveness we kindly ask all ACTIVE candidates to carefully learn their entire role. Lessons will focus on good intonation and right pronunciation we will analyze harmonies and discuss the right character for music pieces. We will advise on how to hold a good audition, our vocal coaches will share their experiences and their standards when it comes to choosing the right candidates for a certain role.

For applying to the masterclass we kindly ask you to fill out the application form on this site. 

To successfully submit the form you will be asked to provide us the link to the aria chosen by you which represent you the best. 

After submission, we will review your application. If your application will be accepted we will contact you with all additional information. 

Every ACTIVE participant is entitled to one lesson per day with our leading vocal coach and to one lesson with our accompanist. 

The lesson lasts up to 1h and 30min. After the lesson, every student has an additional lesson with our pianist to practice corrections suggested by our leading vocal coach. 

For ACTIVE participants there will be seven practice rooms with pianos.

Every ACTIVE candidate will get 2 lessons per day (1h 30 min with a leading vocal coach and 1h with our accompanist per day).

You will be encouraged to attend also other lessons as a passive attendee. 

PASSIVE participants are allowed to attend lessons and all other events free of charge. Passive participants may be given one lesson with the chosen faculty member (price upon request). Active participants may be given extra lessons with the chosen faculty member (price upon request).

 

The candidate will have to pay the course tuition directly to the organizers of the masterclass until the 6th of July. 

Cancelation of the program or part of the program during the program.

In such an event organizers will return up to 100% of the tuition fee. Or in case the cancelation occurred after part of the lessons were made, the candidate will be entitled to return part of the tuition fee in the amount of non-used lessons counted by days (every day is worth 20% of the total tuition fee). 

The organizers are responsible only for the return costs of tuition fees. Organizers are not responsible for other costs that may occur during this masterclass. 

Masterclass will be hosted by Minorite monastery Ptuj. All active and pasive candidates are oblighted to respect general house rules of conduct from host – Minorite monastery. 

The majority of instructions will be held in English.  Lessons can also be held in Italian or Russian upon a specific student’s request. 

6th - 12th July

Opera workshop

MEDEA IASSONIDI

soprano, vocal coach, casting director and jury member for TV show "Big Opera"

SVETLANA JAN

accompanist, opera coach at National theatre in Prague

Age limit

no limit

Admission

Mandatory audition link to a video recording must be included in the online application

Tution & Fee

APPLICATION FEE: 30€

Full COURSE TUTION is 700€

4 DAYS COURSE IS 400€

Application DEADLINE 30 June

FINAL CONCERT 13th July

About
Medea iassonidi

Soprano, vocal coach, and casting director of Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, jury member for “Big Opera” show TV Cultura.  began her musical career as a pianist, graduating from the Kyiv Conservatory and then working for several years as an accompanist at the National Opera of Ukraine (Kiev). At the same time, she began to study singing with N.Tatarinova. From 1991 Ms.Iassonidi lived in Greece where working as an accompanist (Greek National Opera, Athens Megaron) she completed the formal course of vocal study at the Athens Conservatory with K. Morfoniu and with famous bariton K. Paschalis(opera studio). She participated in master classes with G. Vishnevskaja (Lubeck Hochschule Summer Academy), W. Lipp (Mozarteum University Summer Academy) and P. Montarsolo. For 13 years she had been working with Italian soprano Fiorella Carmen-Forti. She performed on stage the roles of Michaela in G. Bizet “Carmen”(Brno) , Mimi in G. Puccini “La Boheme”(Brno, Athens) , Maddalena di Coigny in U.Giordano “Andrea Chenier”(Brno, Prague, Karlsruhe) Lisa in V. Bellini “La Sonnambula”(Athens Megaron) Aida in G. Verdi”Aida”(Czech republic), Leonora in G. Verdi “Il Trovatore”(Opera festival in Zvolen, Slovakia) Tosca in G. Puccini”Tosca”(Novosibirsk). She appeared at Carnegie Hall of New York as Chrisothemis in M. Theodorakis opera “ Electra” in 2000. In October 2007 she participated in a concert-theatrical performance (stage director C.Serebrennikov) of Carl Orff’s “De Temporum Fine Comoedia” (first performance in Russia) in Moscow under the direction of Theodor Currentzis. 2011-2014-Medea Iassonidi was an assistant of artistic director Teodor Currentzis in Perm opera and ballet theatre in Russia. 2017-2023 she was a casting director at Perm opera house.

She collaborated as a vocal coach and pianist with SNG (Maribor Opera in Slovenija) for a few years with maestro F. Rosa and stage director P.F. Maestrini. The singers under her teaching make careers on big opera stages: Nadine Kucher, soprano – Grand Prix of Cardiff Singing Competition (then Violetta under the guidance of maestro Barenboim, etc); Zarina Abaeva, soprano appearances in Baden-Baden festival (conducted by Teo Currentzis in “La Boheme” and Requiem G. Verdi), recently in Bologna (Teatro Comunale) as Cio-Cio San with maestro D. Oren; Nadezda Pavlova-Salzburg festival (Donna Anna in ”Don Giovanni”-stage director R. Castellucci and maestro T. Currentzis), Hamburg opera (“Rigoletto” and” Don Giovanni”), Zurich, Helsinki-“Traviata”, Munchen-Konstanze in Mozart “The Abduction from Serail”.
Among the singers she worked with are: tenors Azer Zada, Iwan Gyngazov, Boris Rudak; baritons Enchbat Tuvshinzhargal, Konstantin Suchkov, Fernando Araujo; mezzo Natalia Lyaskova

MASTERCLASS | July 6th - 12th, 2024 | Ptuj, Slovenia

"Nevertheless, for sure there is such a person who hears you from the outside and somehow directs ...

— For ten years, this person was Medea Iassonidi (head of the opera troupe of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theater until April 1, 2023. ). She understood that I was a professional and guided me very gently. She is a unique musician - you can learn a big part with her in three days."
NADEZHDA PAVLOVA
Soprano

Some of Medea's protégés

Nadezhda Pavlova

soprano
2023 La Traviata with Zubin Mehta

Zarina Abaeva

soprano

Nadine Kucher

soprano

Azer Zada

tenor

Tuvshinjargal Enkhbat

baritone

Natalia Lyaskova

mezzo

About
Svetlana Jan

Svetlana Jan graduated from S-Peterburg conservatory with piano diploma. During 11 years she was a coach and accompanist of the S-Petersburg conservatory Opera theatre.

Then at Slovakian National Opera in Bratislava. For more then 25 years she is the accompanist, opera coach at National theatre in Prague
She cooperated with such conductors as: B. Gregor, O. Lenard, Ch. Konig E. Dovico, Y. Alexa, H. Griffiths, L. Swarovsky G. Croci, H. M. Forster, J. Kizlink, R. Jindra

APPLICATION FORM

Guest
speakers

Tilen Draksler

CONDUCTOR

Jure Pockaj

OPERA SINGER

Azer Zad

tenor

Masterclass location: Minorite Monastery ptuj

The masterclass will be held in the tranquil 13th century built Minorit monastery of St. Peter of Paul. It will offer practice rooms and a big hall for the participants and coaches to reharse in. The monastery is located in the center of Ptuj within walking distance of the accomodations and attractions.

PTUJ

Oldest Slovenian city

 
Masterclass will be held in the heart of Slovenias oldest city Ptuj. Located in the eastern part of the country by river Drava, Ptuj offers a lovely historical and cultural »vibe«. While the Ptuj Castle is the main attraction, the centre is filled with beautiful buidlings, churches and a theater. You can enjoy local food and wine in its restaurants, cafes and bars which are all within walking distance as well as a thermal spa. There will also be plenty of musical and cultural events happening in the city and its sorrounding areas at the time of the Masterclass.

For early applicants we will help to find affordable acomodations!

2024 organizer:

OUR MAIN SPONSORS: