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Summer Program
Nos Partenaires
SUMMER PROGRAM 2027
Villeneuve-lès-Avignon · Provence · France
May 26 – June 12, 2027
17 Days of Artistic & Professional Immersion in the Heart of Provence
For 17 days, a group of 10 to 25 advanced young opera singers will come together in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, overlooking Avignon and the Palais des Papes, for an immersive artistic residency combining training and production.
An international program in English, French, and Italian, bringing together advanced artistic training, opera production, public performances, and immersion in French and Provençal life.
For some participants, this professional performance experience may also contribute to the academic requirements of their degree program, particularly through the complete experience of preparing, rehearsing, and performing a role before a live audience.
From Training to the Stage
Throughout the residency, participants will work with an international faculty of 6 professionals:
France Dariz — Vocal Technique Professor · French · Specialist in Bel Canto vocal technique · French language and repertoire · Vocal technique for Italian repertoire, in collaboration with Nicolas Giusti
Christine Craipeau — Mental Preparation · French · French language, diction, and stylistic features of French repertoire
Nicolas Giusti — Conductor · Music Director · Professor, Boston Conservatory at Berklee · Italian · Lead faculty member for Italian repertoire style and interpretation
Joshua Collier — Stage Director · Artistic Director, Opera Vermont · American · American repertoire style and interpretation
Ayaka Niwano — Collaborative Pianist · Vocal Coach
Noélie Lantin — Accompanist
Bel Canto vocal technique, musical and stylistic work, mental preparation, language and diction, interpretation, collaborative piano coaching, musical direction, and stage direction: the program is designed to lead participants progressively from advanced training into the real working conditions of an opera production and live performance.
4 Public Performance Events
✨ Musical Theatre / Music-Hall Concert
The program’s first public event will take place as part of the cultural exchanges organized by the City of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and UNESCO.
Participants will share repertoire from their own musical and theatrical culture with a French audience, creating an opportunity for cultural exchange and connection.
Planned for the program’s first weekend — exact date to be confirmed.
🎶 French Mélodie Concert
This concert will be presented as part of Les Nuits de juin, organized by La Chartreuse in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.
An immersion in French language, culture, and repertoire, studied and experienced directly in France, then shared with an audience.
🎭 Mozart — Le nozze di Figaro
2 casts · 2 performances
Le nozze di Figaro is the professional through-line of the residency. Roles prepared before arrival will be developed throughout the program, leading to the final production and performances.
June 10, 2027: Dress rehearsal
June 11, 2027: First performance
June 12, 2027: Second performance
Both performances are planned for the Tinel Hall at La Chartreuse in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, subject to venue confirmation.
Connecting with the Audience from the Rehearsal Process
The connection with the audience will not begin only on performance night.
Whenever possible, a large portion of rehearsals will be open to the public, particularly when they can take place in accessible or outdoor spaces.
For the audience, this is an opportunity to discover what happens behind the scenes and observe how a role, a scene, and a production are built before reaching the stage.
For the singers, the presence of an audience is part of the experience: it allows them to work with an audience present, gradually build a relationship with the local community, and develop an exchange that is simultaneously artistic, cultural, and linguistic.
This progressive interaction leads from open rehearsals to concerts and ultimately to the central professional objective of the residency: performing a role in an opera production before a live audience.
Live in France. Sing in France 🇫🇷
The Summer Program is also a true immersion in French language and culture.
Participants will live in the heart of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, just minutes from Avignon, with opportunities to use French in everyday life and experience local cafés, markets, shops, cultural sites, and daily life in Provence.
This immersion is an integral part of the artistic experience: living a language and its culture in order to better understand and interpret its repertoire, particularly through the study and performance of French mélodie.
Your Stay in Provence 🌿
Participants will stay in double-room accommodations in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, close to the historic center and the program’s working locations.
Stay Dates
Arrival and check-in: May 25, 2027
Summer Program: May 26–June 12, 2027
Departure and check-out: June 13, 2027
The program is all-inclusive on site, from arrival on May 25 through departure on June 13, 2027. Accommodations, full board, and all scheduled program activities are included.
Travel to and from Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and the other expenses listed under “Not Included” remain the participant’s responsibility.
On site:
🏊 Swimming pool
🏃 Sports facilities
🍽️ Full board — breakfast, lunch, and dinner
🥡 Packed meals when required by the artistic schedule
The program is intensive, but the schedule is designed with vocal load, rest, and recovery in mind, while also allowing participants opportunities to experience Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, Avignon, and Provence.
Arriving Early or Extending Your Stay
Participants who wish to arrive before May 25 or remain in France after June 13 are welcome to extend their stay at their own expense.
If you would like to remain at the same accommodation used during the Summer Program, you must inform the Académie du Bel Canto well in advance.
Subject to availability, additional nights may then be included in the accommodation reservation. All additional nights, meals, and personal expenses outside the official program stay are the participant’s responsibility.
Participants who do not request an extension in advance will be responsible for arranging their own additional accommodations.
Professional Photo & Video Materials
A professional sound and video engineer will document the Summer Program through photographs, performance recordings, and short promotional videos.
After the program, participants will receive a video of their performance, along with the photo and video materials featuring them. They may use these materials freely, without additional licensing fees, for auditions, applications, portfolios, websites, social media, and other professional purposes.
Program Fee: €5,000
The total Summer Program fee is €5,000 per participant.
The program fee includes:
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17 days of advanced artistic and professional training;
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all coaching sessions and instruction from all 6 faculty members;
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vocal technique;
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collaborative pianists and vocal coaches;
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musical direction and stage direction;
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rehearsals;
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the production of Le nozze di Figaro;
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participation in all 4 public performance events;
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double-room accommodations from May 25 through June 13, 2027;
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full board throughout the official stay;
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packed meals when required by the artistic schedule;
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access to available on-site facilities;
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professional photo and video coverage;
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a recording of your performance and photos and videos featuring you;
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a Certificate of Participation issued by the Académie du Bel Canto.
Not Included
The following are not included in the program fee:
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international or domestic travel to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon;
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airport or train station transfers;
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travel and medical insurance;
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personal expenses;
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additional accommodations or meals outside the official program stay.
Each participant is responsible for arranging and paying for their own travel to and from Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.
A practical arrival guide will be provided before the program.
Registration & Payment
Registration Opens: September 22, 2026
Registration Deadline: February 1, 2027
Following acceptance and role assignment, your place in the program will be secured upon receipt of a non-refundable 50% deposit of €2,500.
Deposit: €2,500 — non-refundable
Remaining Balance: €2,500
The full €5,000 program fee must be paid by February 1, 2027.
All payments will be made in euros (EUR), not U.S. dollars.
Payment may be made by IBAN bank transfer:
ASSOC. ACADEMIE DU BEL CANTO
IBAN: FR76 1350 6100 0085 2125 2665 286
BIC: AGRIFRPP835
A role or place in the program cannot be guaranteed until the required deposit has been received.
Arrive Ready to Enter Production
Participation in the Summer Program requires a serious commitment to preparation before arriving in France.
Participants will receive their assigned roles and repertoire in advance and are expected to arrive with all required music fully learned and memorized, ready to enter the production process from the first day of the program.
Assigned repertoire will include:
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your assigned role in Le nozze di Figaro;
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assigned French mélodie repertoire;
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repertoire for the Musical Theatre / Music-Hall Concert.
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A virtual musical check-in will take place in spring 2027, on a date to be announced, so that the music staff can assess each participant’s preparation and progress before arrival.
Advance musical preparation is an essential condition of participation. The 17-day residency is designed to develop, rehearse, stage, and perform repertoire that has already been learned, not to learn roles after arrival.
Travel Documents, Insurance & International Travel
Each participant is responsible for having the documents and permissions required to legally enter and stay in France for the duration of the program.
Participants must verify their own immigration and travel requirements and, when applicable, obtain the necessary authorization no later than **May
17 DAYS · 6 PROFESSIONALS · 3 LANGUAGES
· 4 PUBLIC PERFORMANCE EVENTS
An international residency.
A cultural immersion and exchange.
An opera production.
A role taken all the way to the stage and a live audience.
Professional experience supporting your academic and artistic journey.
→ → EXPLORE THE FULL TRAINING PROGRAM
France Dariz — French Dramatic Soprano & Voice Teacher
Bel Canto Vocal Technique · French Repertoire · French Lyric Diction
Drawing on an international performing career, including appearances in Verona, Parma, Modena, and Macerata, France Dariz brings teaching grounded in stage experience and the Bel Canto vocal tradition.
Within the Summer Program, she will guide singers in developing their vocal technique and applying it to repertoire. For Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, she will address the vocal demands of each role in collaboration with Nicolas Giusti, who leads the work on Italian repertoire style.
In partnership with Christine Craipeau, she will also explore the style and interpretation of French mélodie, connecting pronunciation, lyric diction, and vocal technique in service of the text and musical expression.
Nicolas Giusti — Conductor, Pianist & Educator
Music Direction · Italian Style · Opera Repertoire
A professor of opera at Berklee in Boston, Nicolas Giusti combines extensive experience in higher education with an international career as a pianist and conductor, including work at La Scala in Milan, the Paris Opera, and the Rossini Opera Festival.
As part of the Summer Program, he will serve as the principal faculty member for Italian musical and stylistic coaching and will lead the musical preparation and conducting of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. He will work with singers on the development of their roles and ensembles, stylistic precision, and a deeper understanding of how their individual parts fit within the work as a whole.
In collaboration with the teaching team and the stage director, he will introduce singers to the demands of working with a conductor: listening, responsiveness, and the connection between vocal technique, interpretation, and musical direction.
Joshua Collier — American Tenor & Stage Director
Artistic Direction · Staging · American Repertoire
Artistic Director of Opera Vermont and a tenor with the Fondazione Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Joshua Collier brings experience as both a singer and a stage director.
Within the Summer Program, he will guide participants in the style and interpretation of American repertoire for the Musical Theatre / Music-Hall Concert, focusing on dramatic expression, stage presence, and connection with the audience.
He will also direct the staging of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. In collaboration with Nicolas Giusti and the teaching faculty, he will help singers develop their characters, acting skills, and interactions within each cast, integrating vocal demands with dramatic engagement.
Christine Craipeau — French Mezzo-Soprano & Certified Professional Coach
Brain Gym® Certified · Mental Preparation · French Language & Diction
Having performed with Angers Nantes Opéra, the Opéra de Montpellier, and the Opéra Grand Avignon, Christine Craipeau combines stage experience with expertise in supporting artists’ professional development. A certified professional coach, also certified in Brain Gym® and an MBTI® practitioner, she places mental preparation at the heart of her approach.
Within the Summer Program, she will provide singers with practical tools to manage stress, develop focus, build confidence, and draw on their strengths in both rehearsals and performances. She will also help them define and affirm their artistic identity.
She will lead the work on French language, pronunciation, and diction. In partnership with France Dariz, she will coach the French mélodie repertoire, exploring textual meaning, prosody, and expression in support of interpretation.
Ayaka Niwano — Pianiste et cheffe de chant japonaise, établie en France
Préparation musicale · Travail du répertoire · Accompagnement au piano
Collaboratrice régulière de l’Opéra Grand Avignon, Ayaka Niwano a notamment joué à l’Opéra Bastille, au Théâtre du Châtelet et au Wigmore Hall de Londres. Elle associe son expérience de cheffe de chant à une activité de concertiste et de pédagogue.
Au sein du Summer Program, elle accompagnera les chanteurs dans la préparation musicale des rôles, l’étude des partitions et le travail des ensembles, notamment pour Les Noces de Figaro de Mozart et le répertoire de mélodies françaises. Elle préparera également le concert de comédie musicale / music-hall avec Joshua Collier.
En étroite collaboration avec Nicolas Giusti, Joshua Collier, France Dariz et Christine Craipeau, elle intégrera les orientations stylistiques propres aux répertoires italien, américain et français pour guider les chanteurs dans leur mise en pratique. Elle assurera l’accompagnement au piano des répétitions, du concert de mélodies françaises, du concert de comédie musicale / music-hall et des représentations des Noces de Figaro.
Noélie Lantin — Pianiste accompagnatrice
Accompagnement des cours de chant · Coachings vocaux · Répétitions musicales
Spécialisée dans l’accompagnement des artistes lyriques, Noélie Lantin accompagne la classe de chant du CRR du Grand Avignon. Son parcours l’a notamment conduite aux Chorégies d’Orange et sur la scène de l’Opéra Grand Avignon.
Au sein du Summer Program, elle accompagnera au piano les cours de chant et les coachings de France Dariz, en soutenant le travail de technique vocale et son application au répertoire. Elle interviendra également, selon les besoins, lors des répétitions musicales avec Nicolas Giusti.
Sa connaissance des Noces de Figaro de Mozart, dont elle a déjà assuré la préparation musicale au piano pour une production au CRR du Grand Avignon, ainsi que son expérience auprès des chanteurs seront des atouts pour accompagner les participants avec précision et écoute.
Pedagogical Program
From Graduate-Level Training to Professional Performance Experience
The Summer Program is designed for advanced singers enrolled in higher education programs, for whom production and live performance experience are an essential part of their training.
Over 17 days, participants will experience a complete artistic process: developing repertoire prepared before arrival, working with an international professional faculty, and performing a role before a live audience in an opera production.
This experience can be documented and included in each participant’s artistic and academic record and, depending on their home institution’s requirements, may contribute toward completion of their degree requirements.
Arrival: May 25, 2027
Summer Program: May 26–June 12, 2027
Departure: June 13, 2027
One Faculty, Multiple Areas of Expertise
The program brings together six professionals whose work combines:
vocal technique · musical and stylistic preparation · collaborative piano coaching · language and diction · mental preparation · interpretation · character development · musical direction · stage direction
Individual coaching, small-group work, and faculty rotations allow participants to approach the same repertoire from complementary professional perspectives. Technique, music, text, and stagecraft are developed together in support of interpretation
Three Artistic Experiences, One Progression Toward Opera Production
The three areas of repertoire featured in the Summer Program serve different but complementary purposes. Together, they progressively lead participants toward the residency’s main professional objective:
the production of Le nozze di Figaro.
Musical Theatre / Music-Hall — Sharing Your Own Culture
Concert: May 27 or 28, 2027 — exact date to be confirmed
This opening concert will take place as part of the cultural exchanges organized by the City of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and UNESCO.
Participants will bring repertoire they have already prepared to introduce a French audience to part of their own musical and theatrical culture.
Following arrival on May 25, May 26 will be dedicated to rehearsals with Ayaka Niwano, collaborative pianist and vocal coach, and Joshua Collier, stage director and lead faculty member for American repertoire style, to refine musical, stylistic, and staging choices.
This opening phase will be devoted exclusively to the Musical Theatre / Music-Hall Concert. Work on French mélodie and Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro will begin afterward.
Concert: June 4, 2027
Presented as part of Les Nuits de Juin, organized by La Chartreuse in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, this concert will be the culmination of vocal, musical, stylistic, linguistic, and interpretive work on French mélodie.
The experience of living and working in France will directly inform the study of this repertoire, connecting language and culture with their musical expression.
Mozart — Le nozze di Figaro, in a Condensed Version
Dress Rehearsal: June 10, 2027
Performances: June 11 and 12, 2027
The production of Le nozze di Figaro is the residency’s central objective and will bring the Summer Program to its artistic conclusion.
Following the opening Musical Theatre / Music-Hall phase, roles prepared before arrival will be developed alongside the French mélodie repertoire through vocal technique, Italian style, language and diction, ensemble work, character development, and musical and staging rehearsals.
Two casts are planned. Depending on artistic decisions and production needs, some singers may perform their assigned roles across both casts and appear in both performances.
The performances are planned for the Tinel Hall at La Chartreuse in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, subject to venue confirmation.
From Initial Preparation to Run-Throughs and Performances
After the French Mélodie Concert on June 4, all remaining working time will be devoted to the production of Le nozze di Figaro, while preserving free time, rest, and recovery.
Musical and staging rehearsals already underway will continue to consolidate scenes and ensembles, refine the work of each cast, and incorporate final adjustments. This phase will focus primarily on musical and staged run-throughs, the dress rehearsal, and performances.
The conductor and stage director, already involved in the preparation process, will take a greater role in directing the work. The full faculty will remain available to address vocal, musical, stylistic, linguistic, interpretive, or performance-related challenges.
An issue encountered in rehearsal can therefore be addressed with the appropriate faculty member, and the resulting adjustments can be applied directly within the production.
Connecting with the Audience Throughout the Process
Whenever possible, some rehearsals will be open to the public, particularly in accessible or outdoor spaces.
Audience members will have the opportunity to discover how a scene, a character, and a production take shape. For singers, these encounters will help them become accustomed to an audience’s presence during the working process and build a connection with the local community.
The two concerts and the opera performances will offer complementary stage experiences. Depending on assigned roles and casting arrangements, a participant may perform in three or four public events.
Working Under Real Professional Conditions
The schedule will reflect the demands of a production: some days may begin around 10:00 or 10:30 a.m., while others will be organized around rehearsals or evening performances.
Participants will learn to prepare their instrument, manage their energy, recover between sessions, and maintain their vocal and artistic readiness through performance.
Morning vocal readiness may itself become an area of technical work: preparing and activating the instrument progressively, efficiently, and without forcing.
The approximately 6 to 8 hours of daily activity will include coaching, rehearsals, ensemble work, observation, recovery time, and performances. This does not mean 6 to 8 hours of individual singing. The schedule will take vocal demands and rest needs into account.
PREPARE · REHEARSE · PRODUCE · PERFORM
A role prepared.
A production process experienced from the inside.
A role performed before a live audience.
Professional experience supporting your academic and artistic journey.