Progetto Puccini holds opera masterclass for Filipino talents

YOUNG FILIPINO opera singers, selected from a promising pool of National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) winners and stars from Viva Voce’s production of La Bohème, have taken the opportunity to learn under world-renowned Italian operatic tenor Fabio Armiliato.

Progetto Puccini 2024 gave these emerging opera singers the chance of a lifetime through an opera masterclass series, held from Oct. 1 to 4 at the Manila Metropolitan Theater.

Organized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Arturo Toscanini Foundation, and the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, the four-day masterclass will culminate in a concert on Oct. 5 at the same venue, with a repertoire celebrating the beloved Italian composer Giacomo Puccini.

The classes led by Mr. Armiliato allowed the chosen Filipino opera singers — Angeli Benipayo, Nerissa De Juan, Stefanie Quintin-Avila, Jomel Garcia, Ervin Lumauag, and Karl Arnold Saret — to refine their craft. They focused on vocal technique, Italian diction, interpretation, and stagecraft, with the culminating recital set to put their new knowledge into performance practice.

CCP President Kaye Tinga noted that Progetto Puccini is only the first step towards revealing Filipinos’ true potential in opera.

“It is a vital step in showcasing Filipino artistry and opera excellence, and we look forward to many opportunities this collaboration will inspire,” Ms. Tinga said at the press conference on Sept. 18 at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila.

As a distinguished operatic tenor with a specialization in vocal technique and lyrical repertoire, Mr. Armiliato will be bringing his experience performing at opera houses like Teatro alla Scala and the Metropolitan Opera to the masterclasses.

Joining him are music director and vocal teacher Mariano Panico, soprano and diction coach Lorna Zaccaria, and répétiteur and accompanist John Florencio. These four comprise the Progetto Puccini lineup of mentors.

NURTURING AUDIENCES
After the culminating concert on Oct. 5, the program will continue. The second phase of the project will feature performances of La Bohème at the Teatro Orfeo in Taranto, Italy, from June 15 to 30, 2025.

“These opportunities will build our singers all while we build our audiences here in the Philippines. Eventually, hopefully, they will pursue the profession and continue doing what they love,” Progetto Puccini artistic director soprano Camille Lopez-Molina said at the press conference.

“I’m sure Filipino audiences will enjoy this music that is really universal and relatable — if only we get to know it,” she added.

For Mr. Armiliato, it will be “an honor to work with gifted, young Filipino artists,” according to a video message. “Together we will breathe new life into Puccini’s music, inspiring both performers and audiences alike,” he said.

This international collaboration next year will strengthen cultural ties between the Filipino and Italian communities through opera. In the meantime, Progetto Puccini’s culminating concert, Amore in Arie, will be held for free at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila at 6 p.m.

“Our talents are immense, but we have failed to give them an audience. I think it’s time to expose the general public to this artistry. We need to value our artists as they should be valued,” Progetto Puccini executive producer Irene Marcos-Araneta told the press.

“Opera is music, spectacle, drama, intrigue, gossip, tragedy, loss, romance and comedy. And Filipinos love all of that.”

Attendance at the Giacomo Puccini tribute Amore in Arie, while open and free to the public, requires registration via the following link: https://bit.ly/ccp-amore. — Brontë H. Lacsamana