Tickets for Richard Bonynge's NYC Public Masterclass Available Today

The Georg Solti Accademia and The Juilliard School invite the public to attend an historic evening with one of the classical music world's acclaimed elder statesman, Australian conductor and pianist Richard Bonynge, celebrating the Georg Solti Accademia's 10th Anniversary and first master classes in New York City. Maestro Bonynge leads singers from Juilliard's Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts, The public master classes are also the first to be given by Mr. Bonynge in New York City, and the first collaboration between the Accademia and Juilliard.Tickets for this October 9 event are available to the public starting today, September 25, 2013, via the Janet and Leonard Kramer Box Office at Juilliard or via events.juilliard.edu.

Only the second masterclass for singers in the Accademia's history to take place outside of Italy, the October 9 event offers the public a rare opportunity to witness a musical legend provide special insight into the Italian art of Bel Canto with some of tomorrow's developing artists.

Singers participating in the masterclass have already begun to make their marks in the opera world. Those attending the masterclass may recognize several of them from their recent Metropolitan Opera or Carnegie Hall appearances:

Tenor Mario Chang, from Guatemala City, Guatemala. Currently in his third year of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera, and his first year in the Artist Diploma in Opera Studies program at The Juilliard School, this season, Mr. Chang will sing the role of the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier at the Met. This summer, he participated in the Met's 2013 Summer Recital Series. Mr. Chang is the recipient of a career grant from the Festival Musique et Vin au Clos Vougeot and the Hildegard Behrens Foundation 2012 Young Artist Humanitarian Award for promising young classical artists. In 2011, he won the 48th edition of the Francisco Vinas Competition in Barcelona, Spain. He is a student of tenor Bernardo Villalobos and studies with Dr. Robert C. White, Jr.;

Soprano Raquel Gonzalez, from Lawrence, Kansas. Currently pursuing a master of music degree at Juilliard, she is a recent alumna of the School's undergraduate program. Ms. Gonzalez has performed as Arminda (La finta giardiniera), Dido (Dido and Aeneas), and Melisse in Gluck's Armide, a co-production between the Metropolitan Opera and The Juilliard School. She is a student of Marlena Malas and a recipient of the Toulmin Foundation Scholarshi

Soprano Pureum Jo, a native of Korea. A second-year master of music degree student at The Juilliard School where she received her bachelor of music degree, Ms. Jo has sung the roles of Matsukaze (Matsukaze), Blanche (Dialogues des Carmelites), Sandrina (La finta giardiniera), Giulia (La scala di seta), Lucinde and Melisse (Armide), and La Virtu (L'incoronazione di Poppea). She is a student of Marlena Malas and is the recipient of the Anna Case MacKay Scholarship;

Baritone Takaoki Onishi, from Tokyo, Japan. Currently a student in Juilliard's Artist Diploma in Opera Studies program working with Dr. Robert C. White, Jr., Mr. Onishi has sung the roles of Blansac (La scala di seta) and Masetto (Don Giovanni) at Juilliard. While a member of the Houston Grand Opera's East+West program he created the leading role of The Man in the world premiere of Marty Regan's opera,The Memory Stone. Top Prize winner in the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, Mr Onishi has won First Prize in both the Opera Index Vocal Competition and the Licia Albanese - Puccini Foundation International Vocal Competition, and was the inaugural First Prize winner of IFAC-Juilliard Singing Competition in Japan;

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Mezzo-soprano Virginie Verrez, a native of France. Ms. Verrez recently made her debut at Carnegie Hall premiering a work for orchestra by George Oakley. She has appeared in recitals in Paris, Baden bei Wien and Vienna, and has sung in Vivaldi's Dixit Dominus in Limoges. Ms. Verrez was the first prize winner at the Festival d'Arles International Competition, and performed the role of Beatrice (Le donne curiose) at The Juilliard School. She is a first-year graduate student at Juilliard, where she studies with Edith Wiens.

Australian-born musician Richard Bonynge, AC, CBE, is acknowledged as a scholar of Bel Canto, in 18th and 19th century opera and ballet music. As a conductor he is widely regarded as being extraordinarily sympathetic to singers on the stage and his instinct, knowledge and feel for voices has become legendary. In addition to his own career, he is universally acknowledged for guiding the career of his late wife, the soprano Joan Sutherland. He made his conducting debut in Rome in 1962 with the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, and has since conducted at most of the world's opera houses. Former posts include Artistic Director of Vancouver Opera and Musical Director of Australian Opera. A prolific recording artist, Mr. Bonynge has over fifty complete operas to his credit, has made videos and DVDs of many operas and recorded numerous ballets. His most recent disc of British Opera Overtures was released in early spring 2013 on the British recording label Somm.

The Georg Solti Accademia, located in Castiglione della Pescaia, Italy, is one of the world's leading opera courses, known for its intensive training opportunities for talented young opera singers in the art of Italian opera and song. Founded in 2004 to honor the memory of the legendary Hungarian conductor Sir Georg Solti, the Accademia takes place each summer in the Tuscan seaside town where the late Maestro Solti spent his summers. The Accademia offers a three-week course of in-depth training of the highest standards in Italian music, culture, language, dramatic interpretation and masterclasses, providing 12 young singers selected through auditions with the vital bridge between the end of formal training and professional life with guidance from some of the world's greatest living interpreters and teachers.

As part of its observation of its decade milestone, the Georg Solti Accademia, in addition to the Bonynge public master class, is also supporting a private week-long residency at Juilliard where Mr. Bonynge and other Accademia faculty will work privately with Juilliard singers.

Juilliard's Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts annually enrolls more than 70 singers in a variety of undergraduate (bachelor of music, diploma) and graduate degree programs (master of music, graduate diploma, artist diploma). Juilliard Opera presents fully-staged productions each season, casting Juilliard Students from both the School's artist diploma and master of music programs in all roles, working with prominent international guest conductors and directors. The Juilliard School has presented staged operas since 1929, with a full department created the following year. Master classes at Juilliard have featured Sir Thomas Allen, Joyce DiDonato, Renee Fleming, and Renata Scotto. Among the world renowned singers who have studied at Juilliard are Simon Estes, Renee Fleming, Audra McDonald, Leontyne Price, Rise Stevens, Tatiana Troyanos, and Shirley Verrett. Recent alumni include Paul Appleby, Julie Boulianne, Sasha Cooke, Haeran Hong, Erin Morley, Emalie Savoy, Shenyang, and Jennifer Zetlan.

Richard Bonynge biography

Georg Solti Accademia background

Georg Solti Accademia Board of Directors