The redevelopment of the wonderful Castle Village of Gorizia thanks to the PNRR; the vision towards the future according to the directives of the New Generation EU; the momentum to meet the cultural strategy implemented for GO! 2025 are tools that Piccolo Opera Festival puts at the service of one of its deep missions: to create a next-generation European musical theater, in coordination with authoritative national and international entities to bring long-term value and positive impact to the Gorizia community.

The venue

The lessons will be held in the prestigious rooms of Palazzo Strassoldo, a historic and elegant building near the Castle, a destination for tourists and lovers of the area. The GO! Borderless Opera Lab complements the Borgo Live project of the same Cluster, which focuses on the study and training in theater and dance disciplines.

Internationality

High-level training courses, in addition to innovating the local landscape, aim to establish a strong network of collaboration with major musical academies and the most important Italian and international theaters, with a particular focus on the Western Balkans, to train talents from all over the world and become a reference point among European centers for opera training and production.

The courses

The two artistic curricula offered are Advanced Training Course for Opera Singers and Advanced training course for stage managers – assistant stage directors.

The duration of the course is 600 hours of training, approximately 400 hours of teaching, and 200 hours of project work. Classroom lessons take place from October to the end of April. From May to July, project work and internship training are scheduled.

Opera Singers Course

Vocal technique; Opera and chamber repertoire; History of musical theatre; Stage art; Diction; Orientation and skills assessment; Introduction to the work environment; Health and safety on stage; Individual project work.

Stage Manager Course

Formal analysis and reading of the score; History of theatre; History of musical theatre; History of theatre direction; Theoretical and practical elements of Stage Management; Technical analysis; Study and construction of the production plan; Elements of stagecraft; Elements of lighting engineering; Elements of costume, make-up and hairstyling; Elements of phonics; Elements of IT for live performance; Introduction to the work environment; Safety training standard according to Legislative Decree 81/2008; Technical English for theatre and performing arts; Effective communication and group management.

The teachers

Among the eight teachers scheduled for the Opera Singers course (two of them are accompanying pianists) are the great bass Roberto Scandiuzzi and the Slovenian mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink. Among the ten teachers for the Stage Management course are also Giulio Ciabatti and Paolo Vitale.

The citadel of artists

During whole period, various site-specific representations will be structured in harmony with nature, history, and the community of Gorizia (including “Il viaggio a Reims”, a spectacular performance expected in June 2025). This program will generate significant movements of cultural tourism, thus enriching the proposals of the territory and involving a wide range of young artists from around the world, bringing great cultural vitality to Gorizia. The presence of this important and constantly evolving nursery aims to give life to new projects intersecting with the activities, organizations, places, and different audiences already involved in the territory, amplifying development and attractiveness.