Belcanto & Verismo Week
July 14–20, 2025 | Trieste, Italy
In July 2025 OperUs was proud to welcome a select group of early-career opera professionals and recent conservatoire graduates to the Belcanto & Verismo Week, an intensive summer training program offering expert coaching in the vocal style and dramatic interpretation of 19th and early 20th century Italian opera, in and around the historic maritime city of Trieste, Italy. The participants received individual instruction from leading specialists in Belcanto and Verismo repertoire, daily Italian language and diction coaching with a native-speaking coach, and industry-focused seminars on the workings of the major Italian opera houses. Tailored to deepen both the Young Artists' technical skill and cultural understanding, the program culminated in a final public performance at the beautiful Corte Marco D'aviano in Gradisca d'Isonzo, Italy. For our Young Artists travelling from countries around the world including the Netherlands, UK, Mexico and Costa Rica to participate, the course was a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture from which Italian operatic tradition was born.
Shaping skills in the home of Belcanto
The Young Artists benefitted from dedicated 1:1 coaching with our internationally renowned faculty, honing both their technique and artistic interpretation of the Belcanto and Verismo genres, including Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini and more. The fully bilingual program was tailored to help them craft an artistic identity while immersed in the language, history and culture of Italian opera. Daily coaching and support from a native-speaking Italian language and diction tutor supported the discovery of the unbreakable bond between language and music in the "fraseggio" of Belcanto and Verismo styles, on this program which unites ancient cultural tradition and knowledge with technical and artistic innovation.
Managerial and artist branding focus
Setting this program apart from simple training courses was OperUs' signature focus on artist branding and career development. The program was structured to include multiple opportunities designed to inform and support the Young Artists in their growing careers, with a particular focus on the modern opera industry here in Italy. Participants joined seminars on the functioning and hiring practises of the major Italian opera houses, and defined and reviewed their professional brands with our resident performing arts manager and OperUs GM Dr. Fiorenza Badila Costantini.
Finally, the week was rounded off with a professional photoshoot for new artist headshots matching the individual branding each participant devised during the program.
Final Performance
The program concluded with a final performance held in the breathtaking open-air Corte Marco D'Aviano in Gradisca d'Isonzo, named as one of the "borghi più belli" (most beautiful small towns) in Italy. The Corte itself is situated in a historic palace now in the possession of the city of Gradisca and generously made available to OperUs for this artistic event. The concert was performed to a public audience and invited guests including city officials and some of the sponsors who make scholarships for OperUs Young Artists possible. We were so proud to present the fruits of our young professionals' hard work in a journey through Italian opera under the stars, performed to enthusiastic applause here in the homeland of the genre.
