Gergiev starts in-house academy to replace foreign absentees
NewsSt Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre has created an in-house academy group of 19 students and graduates who will receive hands-on experience with world-class coaches and repetiteurs before going on stage.
Althought the announcement does not mention it, the Mariinsky schoolroom is clearly designed to fill gaps in the company’s casting, which has struggled in the absence of foregn singers and interns.
I am surprised Russia has to struggle to fill any musician gap.
Could he please train somebody to replace his pal Putin?
Trouble is, there’ll be many more where he came from. Unelected tyrants always have plenty of successors.
This academy exists since many many years and consists of hundreds of young singers who get exploited in hopes of singing a role on stage. Get your facts straight next time please
“Hands-on experience”? Mmm. Interesting.
Many major opera companies in the West (and even some smaller ones) have similar programs (e.g. Lindemann Young Artist Program at the Met; Merola program at San Francisco Opera) I’m surprised that the Mariinsky hasn’t one such program already.
I would like to have more information about this “new” academy. At least to my knowledge there are already two groups of “trainees”, the Mariinsky Theatre Young Singers Academy, run by Gergiev sister Larisa Gergieva, and the so called Atkins Young Artists Program, coached by Craig Rutenberg. Both groups build the Mariinsky Theatre “ensemble “.
BTW – the Mariinsky has a new Opera Director, Head of Vocal Department: the singer Vladimir Vaneev.