Medea Iassonidi, soprano, pianist and vocal teacher with 40 years of experience in opera theaters (Kiev, Athens, Maribor, Perm, Niznij Novgorod, Novosibirsk) -is a clear supporter and promoter of the Old Italian School of Singing. All this thanks to her teachers: first – Natalia Tatarinova in Kiev(that took lessons from N. Zlobin, pupil of famous Camillo Everardi) and second-Fiorella Carmen-Forti in Athens (Italian soprano, pupil of R. Stracciari and M. Polverosi) , who sang with Mario del Monaco, Franco Corelli, Giuseppe di Stefano, G. Aragall, etc.
Participants of this Master class will learn what the terms “il colpo di gola”, “succhiato”, “flusso vocale”, “la tecnica del singhiozzo”, “la tecnica del sorriso”, “vertical singing,” “colonna vocale”, “il canto sul laringe”, the deep and low larynx position, actually mean, and of course learn how to apply them in praxis – what role have the muscles of the underbelly, solar plexus and neck muscles to play during the singing and what does it mean to breath mostly with the back side of the diaphragm.
Masterclass focuses on preparing the singers for succeeding on opera stage through intensive lessons with our experienced casting director and vocal teacher.
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.
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 with leading vocal teacher will last up to 1h. After the lesson, every student has an additional 1h lesson with our experienced opera coach 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 teacher 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).
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 masterclass can be held in English, Greek, Italian, Russian upon a specific student’s request.
Soprano, vocal teacher and casting director of Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, jury member of Russian TV show “Big Opera” began her musical career as a pianist, graduating from the Kiev 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”(Donetsk; 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 accompanist and coach with SNG (Maribor Opera in Slovenija) for two years.
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 Florence as Desdemona with maestro Zubin Mehta; 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”,” Don Giovanni”, “Ariadne auf Naxos), Zurich, Helsinki-“Traviata”, Munchen-Konstanze in Mozart “The Abduction from Serail”.
Among the singers she worked with are: tenors Iwan Gyngazov, Boris Rudak; baritons Enchbat Tuvshinzhargal, Fernando Araujo; mezzo-soprano Natalia Lyaskova; soprano Ekaterina Protsenko.
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.
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.
