This year’s Professional Advantage Summer Program in Italy was a selective four-week program for 20 participants possessing professional-caliber operatic ability and potential. These singers and the faculty mentors chosen by the Professional Advantage spent mornings together in Italian language classes with language instructors from the University of Urbino. Afternoons and evenings were devoted to rehearsing two fully-staged, double cast productions of Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Verdi’s Falstaff as well as a scenes and arias concert performed during those weeks. Coachings with our conductors, lessons, professional seminars and gastronomic excursions to one of four agriturismos rounded out each week.

Without a doubt, the most exciting of our Professional Advantages are the multiple opportunities for performance! We performed Italian repertoire in Italy with professional orchestra in an historic 19th century theater and with piano in the courtyard of an 11th century castle. We provided a very real-world replication of the life of the professional opera singer arriving on location with role and music prepared, then working hard for four weeks to produce opera of the highest possible quality. Participants improved their ability to speak and sing Italian, increased their Italian repertoire in authentic European performance settings, and developed contacts and friendships with professional singers, directors and conductors currently in hiring positions.

“I loved everything about the opportunity. It was the way the music was meant to be performed. Being able to hear the individual instruments play the specific parts written for them by the composer was so fabulous. It was a huge part of why I chose to come to the Professional Advantage!!!”

“I think that (singing with an orchestra) is sort of the whole point. I’ve spent soooo much time in school learning about non-standard rep that we probably won’t be hired to sing. I want to also know about what people like and what we should learn in order to compete in the opera world. And since we are in Italy, it’s great that all the rep is in Italian.”

Who Participated?

In 2009, singers and mentors native to 10 different states and Canada joined us in a charming mountain town in Italy’s Marche region. They flew into Bologna, caught a train to Pesaro where we met them with a private bus bound for Mercatello sul Metauro, our home for the next four weeks. Most stayed in furnished apartments in the center of town, others in a family home-stay located in a quiet hillside overlooking the valley.

Singer Participants:

We auditioned and accepted current and emerging professional singers recognizing the need to polish language and performance skills, learn Italian repertoire, and add European performance experience to their resumes. University music faculty seeking personal rejuvenation and career development also found that singing once again in such an immersive, authentic opera experience was just what they needed. We also accepted singers who had recently completed advanced degree or performance programs, and a few serious-minded undergraduate students with the talent and maturity to actuate the unique advantages our program offers. We had former professionals giving themselves the opportunity to sing again in a supportive setting! We even had current professionals joining us to improve skills away from the bright lights of the industry. Whether our participants came to ignite or re-ignite their careers, they honed skills and found new perspectives amidst splendid surroundings.

“Everyone there was serious & talented.  Even the youngest were a HUGE example to the rest of us about stepping up to the plate & doing their job –The sharing of knowledge & expertise was really wonderful.  I think the different levels of ability, yet the consistency of everyone being committed to the craft of singing, was REALLY wonderful & inspiring.”

“I was thrilled to see people of differing ages and stages and levels.  I felt that it added a lot to the program…I felt like I learned so much from them, as well as offered something to them.”

“I really came to grow. I worked very, very hard and tried to absorb everything I could.  I prepared as much as I could…I grew tremendously.  I went in wide open and I gained more than I can express in words.”

We called them faculty or staff, and the participants called them “the pros”, but whatever they were called, they were, above all, mentors. Six accomplished opera singers, voice coaches, directors, conductors, and pianists links chosen for rare combinations of talent, experience, and the sincere desire to maximize the skill and career horizons for singers with real potential. Professional, approachable, they demonstrated true enthusiasm for the mentor aspects of this program. We chose them because they put art before ego, and because we think they are a joy to work with!

“I loved…the fact that all of the faculty took on as much a mentoring role as a teaching one - I learned a lot just from talking to different people.”

“Insight, specific techniques that can assist me in my singing, encouragement, someone who really understood where I was at and how to help me move forward.”

“The advice and instruction I received was so practical.  The training I received through coachings, lessons and rehearsals was so helpful and at such a high level.  I felt like I was spoken to honestly and helped practically.”

“It is so much easier to communicate what you want or need when you are on a level where you feel like there is mutual respect, and even understanding.”

“It is so essential to be able to be around and learn from the pros.”

“As I sit here filling out applications for YA programs and they ask why I'm interested in applying, I realize that the reasons why I want to apply to a YA program is to receive exactly the training I received with The Professional Advantage. I happen to learn best by doing. Working with the conductors and orchestras was so invaluable… However, there was something just as helpful- and that was that a teacher, or coach came to almost every rehearsal and then gave you feedback, and THEN worked on it with you privately. That is what made this such an incredible and unique experience… Also, the masterclass on stagecraft was very helpful. To see it demonstrated and to have the opportunity to try it in the class was very helpful, but how Pro Adv took it to the next level was by Mark, Amy and Vernon pointing out during rehearsals, where the techniques, tools and tricks could be used. …I left feeling so much more confident in myself as a musician, a singer and an actress. How can I thank you for that?”

Sometimes when I walk on the street, I ask myself "Mercatello! Was it real? Oh! yes, it was real." 

Since The Professional Advantage is a language-based program, each day began with a solid foundation: three hours of intensive Italian taught by native-speaking teachers from the renowned University of Urbino. Classes were available at the beginner and intermediate levels for mentors and participants. These classes were interrupted by the morning pausa (pause), a time to step out for coffee and try our new skills with shopkeepers and others in the piazza (plaza). It did not take long to realize that Mercatello was a city full of willing teachers! After class, finding or making a simple pranzo (lunch) in a nearby restaurant or market was an easy, inexpensive delight, often shared between singers and mentors. Afterward, the afternoon pausa (think siesta), was a long, relaxing one, during which all the shops closed and students had free time to practice, rest or soak in the beauty of the mountains nestling Mercatello.

"My Italian conversation skills improved immensely. It was extremely helpful being in a small town where we were forced to practice our Italian on a daily basis and also interact with the locals."

"I was so surprised that our little town had so much going on during the time that we were there. It was a great experience to get a feel for small-town Italian culture."

"I am so glad we were in Mercatello rather than a larger city. It was wonderful to get to know some of the locals and experience cultural differences as well as practice our Italian on a daily basis."

"I loved the small town feeling. It really gave me an idea of how a small town functions and to see their sense of community was beautiful."

"I loved the relationships I built with the locals, growing in my Italian and experiencing Italy through a small town rather than a big city influenced by the Americans. It really was the perfect place for this program!"

After the pausa, our hard work continued but the emphasis changed, for we not only wanted our singers to speak Italian correctly, but also to sing it…beautifully. Our afternoon and evening rehearsals, voice lessons, and coachings were held inside the historic and well-equipped Palazzo Garibaldi located on the piazza in the heart of Mercatello. Each participant worked closely with all six of our hand-selected mentors in many capacities: it can be said that each day and each rehearsal was in reality a master class.

“Phenomenal!!!   My vocal classes were amazing."

“This program is truly a gem.”

“Everything about this program was valuable.”

“I can’t thank you enough!”

Each participant received a one hour coaching each week with operatic stars Mark Thomsen or Amy Johnson, often accompanied by our pianist or one of our conductors. Mark and Amy are known for their insight and their solid technique. They share the ability to offer clear, down-to-earth evaluations and suggestions with candor, good humor, and innate kindness. Since sessions were shaped by the singers’ needs and concerns, they took many paths. And with the full attention of these professionals, singers were quick to make the most of what were, in effect, private master classes.

The program…. “provided us with all the good ingredients for a summer program: outstanding, dedicated faculty committed to helping us learn the ropes, challenges and goals, knowledge, information, individual attention, an ideal environment...and more. I personally learned a lot about where I need to steer next: the level at which I need and want to work in order to have a fulfilling and successful career. And I also had the benefit of hands-on experience working with a high caliber of conductors, coaches, singers, teachers, and directors. Not to mention that whole Italian-learning thing!”

“The first thing that comes to mind is the caliber of the teacher/performers/participants that attended the program. The level of skill and professionalism was very high. I enjoyed my voice lessons immensely. It was great to have two different, extremely talented teachers on staff to teach lessons and work repertoire with. This was definitely a highlight of the program for me.”

“At one point, my roommate and I were commiserating about our stress, and I finally looked at her (in a moment of epiphany) and said, "What are we complaining about? We are working as opera singers for a month in Italy. Are we insane??" Perspective gained. It was amazing.”

“In just three weeks, I was able to get my voice back together. I appreciated how my lessons with Mark were not just about vocal technique.  We spent time working on movement and how to develop sensitivity to the music and poetry.”

“It took me back to when I first started voice lessons…when I still believed that many things were possible. Amy can pick out exactly what’s going on and help you fix it.”

“I would sacrifice my firstborn for regular voice lessons with Amy.” 
Co-directors’ note:  We think she’s kidding.

“I can say with the highest form of sincerity that the vocal instruction I received was TOP NOTCH!  I had lessons with both Amy and Mark and…gained tremendous insight into my vocal technique: what I need to focus on; how to improve, etc… (they) provided real, practical, effective alternatives to what I was doing.”

“I really like the varied level of participants. Not only was I able to learn form the teachers but many of the older more experienced performers gave me some good advice. The entire faculty was so great about always being there for us. Whether it be during a café in the morning or a beer in the afternoon they were always there to answer questions and just talk.”

Under the direction of our program co-founder, versatile director and seasoned Metropolitan Opera baritone Vernon Hartman link, rehearsals overflowed with expert direction in every imaginable aspect of professional opera production including attention to fine-tuning each singers’dramatic ability. Whether rehearsing a cast or cooking a bountiful Italian feast for them, Vernon filled conversations with pithy, savory anecdotes drawn from his four decades deep in the heart of opera!

Valuable master classes covered Stage Movement and How to Get Hired and Rehired and informal talk often centered on the insider industry knowledge and experiences of the resident mentors. To maximize the experience for all, an afternoon was allotted for one-on-one conferences between participants and mentors on the final day of the program.

“Addressing a problem through different people with different approaches was great. Especially nice positive people! Couldn’t get better!”

“I enjoyed getting so many different professional opinions on aspects of the business and came away with valuable professional insight, experience, and confidence in my ability to pursue my professional goals.”

“All of the faculty took on as much a mentoring role as a teaching one - I learned a lot just from talking to different people.” 

Participants also received a one-hour coaching with each of the two conductors over the course of the program. Because we selected different conductors for Suor Angelica and Falstaff, singers benefitted from the perspectives and experiences of two uniquely talented professionals currently in hiring positions--James Caraher and Louis Salemno. Many participants felt that this in effect doubled the personal and professional value of this type of program.

“Having two different conductors was a great experience through the whole program.  Different approaches with different styles and different energies…it was amazing.”

“Jim very easily could tell what I needed and figured out that I responded well when he varied the accompaniment…Between suggestions he encouraged me and just played and didn’t psych me out, and it all made me sing better.” 

“Jim – Great!  I really enjoyed working with him because his experience is so vast.  He shared with me what he would be looking for in someone auditioning for him, which helped me a lot.  His suggestions were practical and his attitude was fabulous!”

“Jim: I also enjoyed having him in (Italian) class as a peer.  He is so “normal” that it drew me off my ledge the first week to realize that I had nothing to fear and that I was okay.” 

"Louis Salemno is an excellent coach and fine instructor on singing in Italian."

"Louis is an amazing technician when it comes to music, and doesn't ask anything of you that he doesn't ask of himself. I would love to work with him again - his coachings were extremely detail oriented and helpful. His knowledge and passion are inspiring."

"He is intense - I learned a lot from him."

"Louis helped me learn that I need to trust my musicanship, that I actually knew what I was doing, and just needed to trust it. He is a great conductor to work with."

“It was fun to perform so much!!!!!  That’s why we came!”

“I think the ability to perform the role with orchestra was a highlight of the program and it also makes this program stand out.”

In most things worth doing, the journey is as important as the destination, and certainly every single day of our four weeks in Mercatello stood on its own merit. However, as singers and artists our greatest joy comes in performing, so what would four weeks of preparation be without it?

“I appreciated that you obviously put A LOT of thought into balancing music & scenes as equally as possible between all the participants.”

This year, the level of talent represented made possible the performance of two fully-staged operas, Puccini's Suor Angelica and Verdi's Falstaff. Each opera was performed twice in different venues: the Puccini masterpiece in an ethereal 11th century Benedictine abbey courtyard in nearby Lamoli, as well as in the lovely flower garden of a 13th century Franciscan cloister in Mercatello. Verdi's valedictory work was performed not only in the bucolic courtyard of Mercatello's Palazzo Donati (coincidentally, the summer home of the program faculty but also in the famed Teatro Communale in Cagli (the theater that witnessed, among other events, the professional debut of Mario Del Monaco in 1940). This classic tiered opera house is renowned as one of the finest in Italy, both visually and acoustically. All four performances were with orchestra, the outstanding Orchestra Sinfonica Rossini of Pesaro. In addition, a concert featuring celebrated scenes and arias from the standard Italian repertoire was performed under the stars at the sublime Castello Brancaleoni in Piobbico, a welcome return to the original home of the program. Five once-in-a-lifetime events, five unforgettable settings: magical opportunities!

“The ability to sing a full opera role with orchestra was very beneficial to me and I consider it to be one of the most important aspects of the program. I believe it is an important skill to have that is difficult to cultivate outside of the professional world."

“I think the ability to perform the role with orchestra was a highlight of the program and it also makes this program stand out.”

“Working with an orchestra was very important. The professionalism we witnessed from them and the limited rehearsal time was what I should be expecting in the real world rather than in a collegiate setting.”

“It was so wonderful to work with such a great orchestra, really a pleasure!”

“The double casting was interesting to watch different people work and certainly in our cast it was never an “A” cast “B” cast issue.”

“I feel much more confident, after settling down the experience and realising all I have gone through, I have become fearless!  I have learned so many things of all kinds that there is no way to thank you enough.” 

“In leaving my familiar environment, I was given a new set of eyes with which to view myself.  It continues to impact me now that I am home.  I view everything … relationships, work, singing, differently now.” 

Magical Mercatello!! Located in an idyllic valley and nestled at the foot of the Appenini mountains with fields of sunflowers, it seems a place where time stands still. At night, the lit bell-towers of the church and the Palazzo Gasparini can be seen from afar and guide you to the heart of Mercatello – the Piazza Garibaldi – where the Italian life of years ago is vibrant and welcoming.

Our participants came to Mercatello to work hard, and they did, but they were in Italy and took full advantage. Urbino, a bustling medieval city of 15,000 is within easy reach by bus and Urbania a short 15 minutes by car. In truth, the breath-taking scenery coming and going was as riveting as the destinations themselves. Our first off-site concert in the 13th century courtyard of the Castello Brancaleoni brought us from our idyllic valley surrounded by mountains to an equally stunning locale. The unique opportunity of presenting each opera in two different venues afforded us the delight of performing Suor Angelica in an exquisitely beautiful 9th century Benedictine Abbey courtyard in the ancient town of Lamoli with a second performance in the restored garden of Chiesa di San Francesco, now a museum with its prized frescoes. We later traveled to historic Cagli for our rehearsals and performances with orchestra at the beautiful Cagli Theater. Break-times found us exploring this larger town’s little side-streets for that perfect pasta, gelato or other culinary delight!

It was a surprise to us all to experience the varied and numerous festivities held in this little town of Mercatello. Band concerts, valley ball tournaments, staged performances and dances, children’s games – the community spirit was terrific!

The most amazing event is the two-week preparation and ensuing festivities of their version of the Palio. Somaros (mules/donkeys) are decked out in ribbons with the colors of their Cantoni and the townspeople follow suit with shirts, hair ribbons and hats. The two-week event began with a competition of staged performances by each of the four Cantoni and followed a week later with a day of timed competitions. The piazza is filled with tables to make taglietelle, each contestant given flour and eggs, and the winner is the one who rolls out the largest diameter without any holes. Other contests include climbing a tall pole to grab sausages, log sawing, and so forth! The Palio itself began with a Mass blessing each of the four Cantoni Somari and culminated in a Race around the block, so to speak, of the Somari. The orchestra played long into the night with the happy winners dancing in a weaving line through the town. It was amazing!

And then there were the agriturismo dinners – four of them! and a dinner in the staff home of the Palazzo Donati prepared by our beloved Lina and Celso. The dinners were a highlight – one took us by hay wagon which none of us will forget – and brought us to a high point overlooking the valley and town of Mercatello. What could be more magical than sitting under the stars at a long table with friends eating more culinary specialties than you could count? Well maybe it was the two kinds of homemade grappa to keep us warm on the ride back!

The countryside offered hikes and mountain biking through the gorgeous wooded mountains and fields of grain and picnics by slow moving streams. And all of this, only a few minutes from the piazza!

The townspeople were wonderful and welcomed us like family. Our apartment hosts invited us for dinners and we soon became an integral part of the life and fabric of the community. It was a new experience for all of us, townspeople and opera singers, and a gift to be able to share what each of us had to offer.

Yes, Mercatello sul Metauro was magical. Very magical.

Benita Ryan joins the staff of The Professional Advantage as administrator, production coordinator and “mentor.” She brings a varied wealth of experience to her duties from her background in fundraising, project management, arts administration, concert production and tour coordination. Ms. Ryan served from 1996 – 2002 as Executive Director of The Riverside Symphonia, one of New Jersey’s premier arts organizations based in Lambertville, and she previously served as Board President for seven years. She has spearheaded fundraising and development projects for organizations such as International Hotels Group, Russell Byers Charter School, James Michener Art Museum, Trinity Episcopal Church Princeton, the “Miles of Mules” public art project in Bucks County, and many others. Ms. Ryan managed the United States tour of the Wroclaw Philharmonic in 2005, coordinating all logistics and on-site management. Her Renaissance-woman talents also encompass the management of a 110-acre agricultural farm (Jericho Mountain Orchards, New Hope, PA) whose gardens are often featured on tours and photo shoots, and where she still resides. An experienced pianist and church organist, Ms. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Wheaton College, a Master of Arts in education from Bucknell University and Music Therapy certification from Montclair State University.

Casey E. Guilfoyle is happy to join The Professional Advantage as Production Stage Manager/Administrator/Mentor. Chicago-born, Wisconsin-raised, and of both Italian- and Irish-American heritage, Ms. Guilfoyle has been involved in all aspects of performing arts production. Her credits include Production Stage Manager for Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra (Pirates of Penzance, Rigoletto, Le Nozze di Figaro), Rockford Symphony (La bohème, Tosca), Pamiro Opera (Cavalleria/Pagliacci, La Boheme, Il Trovatore, Hansel and Gretel, Amahl and the Night Visitors), Dubuque Symphony (Rigoletto), and Opera Tampa (Trouble in Tahiti/Berstein Gala). She is an active Journeyman in the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 470 which has helped lead her on many touring adventures with Coconut Grove Playhouse’s Tuesdays with Morrie, Dora the Explorer Touring, Saturday Night Fever, and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. During Summer 2003, she joined International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 158 and installed teledata systems in Green Bay’s historic Lambeau Field. She has performed assorted technical roles at Green Bay’s Weidner Center for the Performing Arts, Fox Valley Performing Arts Center (Appleton), Oneida Casino & Bingo, Meyer Theatre and Resch Center, and is the Resident Stage Manager for the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra. In September 2005, Ms. Guilfoyle successfully graduated from Blue Sky School of Massage in De Pere, WI and became a Nationally Certified and Licensed Massage Therapist.