Feel the Magic project 

Feel the Magic’s three-year journey continues this month with the Feel the Magic in Vocal Masterclasses. International artist and vocal coach, Soprano Claudia Sasso, is delivering a series of intensive individual vocal masterclasses at the Astra Theatre in Victoria, Gozo, from Monday 15 November 2021 to the following Friday.

The best enrolled student in the vocal masterclasses will be offered a bursary to further training in Voice at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, a top higher education institution that is world renowned for its vocal training, and will be given a Certificate as a testimonial on completion of the training abroad.

The masterclasses will culminate in a recital by Ms Sasso at the Astra Theatre on Saturday, 20 November 2021, at 7.30 p.m. The recital will feature arias by Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Gounod, composers that are synonymous with the vocal pyrotechnics so characteristic of Ms Sasso’s vocal tessitura.

To book your place for this recital, click on the Feel the Magic Facebook page for further details to be announced on Saturday, 6 November.

Born in Bordighera, in the Liguria region of north-east Italy, Claudia Sasso obtained a Master’s Degree cum laude with an honourable mentionin opera singing at the Perugia Conservatory, studying with soprano Mro Prof. Michela Sburlati.

Among the roles Ms Sasso has interpreted are Frasquita in Bizet’s Carmen, the Queen of the Opera Night Die Zauberflöte by Mozart, Musetta in La Bohème by Puccini, Olympia in Les contes d’ Hoffmann, Polly in L’opera da tre soldi, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Norina in Don Pasquale, Suzanna in Le nozze di Figaro and leading roles in the world premieres of the operas Il piccolo principe by A. Caruso and Solaris by E. Correggia for the Festival Mito in Turin.

Apart from touring Italy extensively, she has also performed at the Wagnerian festival in Bayreuth, Germany, and on tour in Japan under the artistic direction of Mro Hiroo Hadame. Her latest film production was of the Opera Movie Show L’anfora di Clio, in which Ms Sasso played the role of Thalia, deity of Art and Dance. The film took part in the Out of Competition Documentaries section of the 38th edition of the Torino Film Festival in 2020.

Among her forthcoming engagements is a series of concerts in the Veneto Region dedicated to the great artist and recently deceased composer, Ennio Morricone, and as soprano soloist in the production of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff with the Orchestra and Choir of the Nice Opera under the direction of Mro G.G. Rath.

Despite her young age, she has extensive teaching experience in particular in the belcanto technique. She taught at the Summer School of VCU Arts in Richmond, Virginia, USA. Since 2005 she has been director and vocal coach of the choral ensemble Voci e note, and since 2019 she has been director and vocal coach of the diocesan choir of Ventimiglia-Sanremo.

For some years she has been collaborating with her teacher Mro Prof. Sburlati, as her assistant. Together they participated in the Federico Cesi Festival in Trevi, on several occasions, in some masterclasses in China and teach together at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome.

The number of students who will be admitted to the vocal masterclasses is very limited. Students can register their interest and obtain more information by sending an e-mail to info@chorusurbanus.com or an sms on 99448759. Closing date for applications is Friday, 12 November 2021, at noon.

Feel the Magic 2019-2021 is generously sponsored by the Gozo Cultural Support Programme, Ministry for Gozo, Arts Council Malta and Teatru Astra.