Curriculum and Course Descriptions
In addition to this curriculum, the Spoleto Festival and the Perugia Jazz Festival will be taking place at the same time, and are each within 30 minutes of Assisi. There will be free time during the festival to visit these neighboring events.
A word on professional development credits for New Jersey teachers.
New Jersey teachers can obtain approximately 50 to 60 hours from a single year at Assisi Performing Arts. Moreover, professional development in Assisi will make your trip tax deductible! Contact us for additional details.
duets, and ensembles from the standard opera repertoire. Accompaniment will be with piano.
Solos are offered on the basis of musicality. There is no competition for solos. All qualified
singers are given the opportunity to perform as soloists. Instrumentalists are given the opportunity to perform with the Assisi Festival Chamber orchestra.
Instrumentalists have many opportunities to perform in chamber music concerts. Anne Eisfeller, principal
harpist of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, will coordinate all performances. Solo opportunities
are offered on a non-competitive basis to qualified instrumentalists. Organists are offered the opportunity to perform in concert and accompany the Festival Choir for
services in on of the major basilicas of Assisi. Organ recitals will take place in Santa Maria Maggiore,
and the Basilica of Santa Maria Degli Angeli. These courses are designed to familiarize singers and instrumentalists with the history and performance
requirements of these areas of liturgical music that every musician eventually will be expected to
perform. The goal of the course is to make a musician feel comfortable and competent when called upon to
perform or direct in the area of liturgical music.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above."
- Develop your intrinsic spirituality as a singer.
- As a singer, build your career and your life on a foundation of self-integrity.
- Learn to give statement to your unique artistry as a singer.
Through lecture, discussion and performance, participants will get a glimpse into the inner lives of
operatic characters such as Violetta, Tosca, Orfeo, Mimi, Rodolfo, Calaf, Parsifal, Desdemona, Tamino,
Pamina and others where, perhaps surprisingly, it will be discovered that each character possesses a deep
spirituality. Participants will be invited to express and experience the spirituality of a character and, hopefully,
plumb their own spiritual depths through the performance of arias and duets in class.
will be the musical contributions of the four cities that became the musical centers of Italy: Venice, Florence, Rome,
and Naples, in conjunction with composers such as Archangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi, Tommaso Vitali, Domenico
Gabrieli, Tomaso Albinoni, and Domenico Scarlatti, whose works flourished in these centers. Exercises in listening will
cover both instrumental and vocal masterpieces of this era with particular attention given to the Concerto Grosso.
Performance practices of the period will be presented and discussed with an opportunity for improvisation and
ornamentation on melodies from Baroque sonatas and concertos. Performances in a workshop setting will be encouraged. This 4-6 hour course will examine the life of St. Francis and the art that inspired his life.
Walking tours of Assisi are included. Bach is well known for his use of numerology in his compositions. This course will highlight some examples of Bach's
use of numerical patterns in his themes and musical forms, and the meaning of these patterns. The goal of this course is to provide participants with sound knowledge of all aspects of the traditional Catholic musical
liturgy. All musical components of the standard Sunday morning mass will be examined. In addition, we will explore
Catholic composers of the High Renaissance including Palestrina, Tallis, Byrd and Victoria. The anticipated culmination
of this course will be sung Solemn High Mass on Sunday in Assisi at the Basilica of St. Francis. A survey and repertoire course on music in the black American church. Course offered upon request. This workshop is designed to make the musician familiar with the order of service found in any liturgical setting and will include all
denominations. Special emphasis is given to the format of a wedding ceremony where musicians are frequently called upon to plan
and perform the music for these occasions. This course is of value to all instrumentalists and singers. Course offered upon request. The history and the role of the cantor are the subject of this course. The importance
of the cantor's theological and musical significance are discussed. Course offered upon request. The Jazz Workshop is conducted by members of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.