TWO professional opera soloists will share their ‘wealth of experience’ with the Island’s young singers in an upcoming masterclass.
Verity Wingate, a soprano, and James Cleverton, a baritone – fresh from roles at Europe’s leading opera houses – will be performing with the Jersey Symphony Orchestra at their Summer Concert on Saturday.
Entitled A Night At the Opera, the show features well-known arias and duets from operas such as Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
On Friday, however, the two international stars will be leading a vocal masterclass for singers of school age, as part of the JSO’s education initiative.
During the session, the young singers will get the opportunity to perform their repertoire in front of Ms Wingate and Mr Cleverton. The professionals will also discuss their singing experiences and offer the students advice.
Ms Wingate has taught such sessions before, most recently at the Malmö Opera House in Sweden, where she performed this past season.
She said: ‘I enjoy sharing how it felt to move from a young artist to having a career, from the perspective of recent history. I know how it feels right now to be making those steps.
‘It is important as a musician to share your experiences, so that the next generation can take small lessons with them into their careers. Maybe they will learn from my mistakes as well as successes, even if they just remember one silly story.
‘To share the joy of singing or music, if something happens to be unlocked in a masterclass session, is just the icing on the cake.’
Offering her main advice to young singers, Ms Wingate said: ‘Self-belief and love of what you are doing are vital.’
Her plan for the masterclass is ‘to see what happens’.
‘Some children might be ready for a bit of technical work. Some might be ready for some theatrical details. I will work on whatever seems most useful in the moment. I may well ask them what they would like to achieve out of the session,’ she explained.
Ms Wingate said it would be ‘fantastic’ to perform with the JSO, adding: ‘I have never been to Jersey, so that is a personal treat for me. The programme is full of music that I really love, both to perform and to listen to.’
Vicky Stock, JSO education officer, said the two soloists would ‘undoubtedly enthuse the young singers attending, providing them with a valuable insight into their lives as professional opera singers’.
‘We are delighted to have them deliver the masterclass, and hope that those attending will be inspired by both James and Verity’s wealth of experience,’ she added.
Tickets for Saturday’s concert, which will take place at Les Quennevais School, are available at jso.org.je/concerts-and-events/summer-2023-concert.
