Faculty include professionals from some of the world's important opera stages. Alumni have gone on to international careers. Located in Urbino, Italy, Musica nelle Marche is an exclusive summer music program dedicated to educating today's young singing actors about Italian culture and music. The $5200 tuition cost includes a shared double room in a hotel in the city center and free Wi-Fi. (Single
rooms are only available if the hotel has extra space and there would be a supplemental charge of $225.) Included in the price:
-Italian classes and textbooks
-Private voice lessons and musical/dramatic coaching.
-Opera scenes program
-Concerts in various towns in the Marche Region
-Excursions to Verona to the Opera, Vineyard tour and wine tasting and Pasta Making
session in a centuries old Mill, followed by a dinner of our creations! FACULTY:
CHUCK CHANDLER | GENERAL DIRECTOR
Award winning teacher and established authority in fitness training and the singing voice, pedagogue Dr. Chuck Chandler is a highly sought after presenter, master clinician, and consultant. His students have performance credits at the Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Atlanta Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Santa Fe Opera among others. He has presented sessions at conferences in the United States and abroad on multiple pedagogical topics including The Pedagogy of Pedagogy, Fitness Training and the Singing Voice, and Modern Opera and Pedagogical Updates at the International Congress of Voice Teachers, National Opera Association, and National Association of Teachers of Singing. His articles “Modern Opera and Film” and “Fitness Training and the Singing Voice: successful strategies for integration” are published in the National Association of Teachers of Singing peer-reviewed Journal of Singing. Chandler has given pedagogical workshops on topics including the use of Voce Vista which offers real-time spectrogram analysis in the studio, teaching TBB voices, the use of progressive vocalise, and many others throughout the United States. Further, his presence as an adjudicator for competitions and as an in-demand master clinician nationwide is strong. As a performer, Chuck Chandler has sung world premieres of operatic roles and art song cycles, and garnered acclaim as a tenor soloist in the performance of such concert works as Uriel in Haydn’s The Creation, Obadiah in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, the tenor soloist in Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bach Cantata # 61, John Stainer’s Crucifixion, the Du Bois Seven Last Words of Christ, and the Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio to name a few. His operatic roles have included Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Nanki-Poo in The Mikado, Emperor Altoum in Turandot, King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and many others. His commercial recording, Art Songs and Duets by Women Composers was recently released. He has been a frequent recitalist throughout the United States and has appeared at venues such as the Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Scorca Recital Hall at Opera America. Chandler makes regular appearances at the Festival of Music by Women Composers, the National Association of Teachers of Singing national conferences, and continues serving on the faculty at the young artist training program of Red River Lyric Opera since 2016 as well as in leadership for National Association of Teachers of Singing. Additionally, Chandler has taught at the Orvieto Musica Festival as guest artist faculty. He holds a doctorate in vocal performance from University of Kentucky and has completed levels I and II Singing Voice Specialist training. SCOTT RAMSAY | ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & VOICE TEACHER
Praised by Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times for his “stentorian, strong tenor”, Scott Ramsay is highly regarded by Opera companies and Symphony Orchestras across North America and abroad for his dynamic performances in varying repertoire. Ramsay's include Narraboth in Salome and as soloist in David Del Tredici’s world premiere of Dum Dee Tweedle with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, both under the baton of Leonard Slatkin; his return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Painter/Sailor in Berg’s Lulu, Mark in Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage both conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, and Mitch in Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire; his Virginia Opera debut in the same role; Wilhelm Dantine in Glass’ The Perfect American with Long Beach Opera and Chicago Opera Theater; Nemorino in L’elisir D’amore at Michigan Opera Theater; Lenski in Eugene Onegin with Madison Opera; the Duke in Rigoletto with Sacramento Opera; Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra; Jupiter in Semele, Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte all with Arizona Opera; Roméo in Roméo et Juliette with both Opera New Jersey and Syracuse Opera; Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Austin Lyric Opera and Dayton Opera; and in his signature role of Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dublin International Opera Festival, Kentucky Opera, New Orleans Opera, Connecticut Grand Opera, Green Mountain Opera Festival, and for his debut at Portland Opera. Mr. Ramsay's numerous symphonic engagements have included solo appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Francesca da Rimini/Christoph Eschenbach, and A Child of Our Time/Sir Andrew Davis); Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Verdi Requiem/Sir Andrew Davis); Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra (Kammermusik 1958/David Robertson); American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall, Symphony Space, and the Bard Festival (U.S. premiere: The Destruction of Jerusalem and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, both under Leon Botstein); Ravinia Festival (Grier's Songs from Spoon River); Grant Park Music Festival (Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi/Hannu Lintu, and Die erste Walpurgisnacht/Carlos Kalmar); Berkshire Choral Festival (the title role in Handel's Judas Maccabeus, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Carmina Burana and Verdi's Requiem at the Terezin Memorial in Prague); Rochester Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, also Bel Canto Chorus, Louisville Orchestra, and Master Chorale of South Florida (Verdi's Requiem); Pacific Symphony Orchestra (Tchaikovsky and Taneyev's Roméo et Juliette/Carl St. Clair); Nashville and Pacific symphony orchestras (Messiah); Chicago's Music of the Baroque (Mozart's Requiem, and cantatas of Telemann and Bach/Jane Glover); Santa Cruz Symphony, Toledo, Albany, Jacksonville, Mobile and Pasadena symphony orchestras (Beethoven's Symphony No. 9); Albany Symphony Orchestra (Opera Gala Concert, also "Mozart at the Opera"); Bach-Collegium Stuttgart (Bach Cantatas No. 41, 109 & 205); Pasadena and Jacksonville symphony orchestras (Mozart's Requiem); Springfield Symphony Orchestra (Opera Gala Concert, and Carmina Burana); Madison Symphony Orchestra (Bach's Magnificat); Green Bay Symphony Orchestra (Opera Gala Concert) and "Songs by Edward T. Cone" at Princeton University. During his three-season engagement as a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's Ryan Opera Center, Mr. Ramsay made his debut as Rodrigo in Verdi's Otello alongside Ben Heppner, Renée Fleming and Jonas Kaufmann. During his time in the Ryan Opera Center he also sang principal roles in La bohème, Die Zauberflöte, Parsifal, La Traviata, Samson et Dalila, Regina, Lucia di Lammermoor and Madama Butterfly. Ramsay’s final season at Lyric Opera’s Ryan Opera Center was detailed by the New York Post writer William Murray in his book entitled Fortissimo: Backstage at the Opera with Sacred Monsters and Young Singers. Ramsay is a member of the voice faculty at DePaul University's School of Music in Chicago and is the Artistic Director of Musica nelle Marche an Italian language, culture and music program for young singers. ASHLEY EASON | PROGRAM OPERATIONS MANAGER
Ashley Eason is an American mezzo-soprano whose expanding career demonstrates her diversity as a performer, educator, and arts professional. She is an active soloist and ensemble singer whose repertory encompasses a variety of styles including opera, oratorio, chanson, lieder, art song, and world music. Ms. Eason is a longtime member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chorus based in Chicago, Illinois singing under the baton of CSO Music Director Riccardo Muti, and many other internationally leading conductors. Eason’s recent season highlights include Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cavalleria Rusticana with Lakeland Opera, Verdi’s Aida with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Brahms Requiem with CSO at the highly acclaimed Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois. Throughout her expanding career, Ms. Eason has enjoyed performing various operatic roles such as Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Speranza in L’Orfeo, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi, Charlotte in Werther, and others. A lover of oratorio, she was a recent soloist in performances of Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Handel’s Messiah. In addition to her singing career, Ms. Eason is also an arts advocate, administrator, and entrepreneur whose background includes positions with organizations such as Stetson University School of Music, Central Florida Vocal Arts, and Palm Beach Opera. She also maintains a real estate business serving Central Florida and the greater Chicago area. Eason completed her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance with distinction at DePaul University (Chicago, Illinois) in 2017. She is a protégé of master teacher and internationally acclaimed soprano Julia Faulkner, current Director of Vocal studies for the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She was an Angeli Scholar for the Musica Nelle Marche opera program in Urbino, Italy, where she spent a summer abroad studying voice, performing Italian opera, and undertaking Italian language study at Università degli Studi di Urbino. Prior to her studies at DePaul University, Ms. Eason completed both her Master’s in Business Administration and Bachelor of Music with an outside field of business administration at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. JILL GROVE | VOICE TEACHER
Before the pandemic, American mezzo-soprano Jill Grove returned to both the Metropolitan Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Governess in Pique Dame, joined Minnesota Opera for Klytaemnestra in Elektra, and was scheduled at the Metropolitan Opera for their production of Káťa Kabanova before the pandemic shut everything down. Last season she sang the Fortune Teller in Arabella and Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana with San Francisco Opera, 1st Maid in Elektra with Canadian Opera Company, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera for their productions of Götterdämmerung and Dialogues des Carmélites. She also joined the Calgary Philharmonic for performances of Verdi’s Requiem. Jill will make her Arizona Opera debut in the winter of 2022 in their production of A Little Night Music. The mezzo’s other recent performances include; Klytaemnestra in Elektra with Michigan Opera Theatre; Auntie in Peter Grimes with Canadian Opera Company; Ježibaba in Rusalka and First Maid in Elektra with Houston Grand Opera; Buryja in Jenůfa, and Madelon in Andrea Chenier at San Francisco Opera; Dame Quickly in Falstaff, Muschel in Die ägyptische Helena, Florence Pike in Albert Herring, Ursule in Béatrice et Bénédict, and Antonia’s Mother in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Santa Fe Opera; Erda in Siegfried, Nutrice in L’Incoronazione di Poppea, and Zita in Gianni Schicchi at Los Angeles Opera; Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress with Pittsburgh Opera and Utah Opera; Amneris in Aida in previous performances with Canadian Opera Company, San Diego Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago.. In Europe, Ms. Grove has performed the role of Haushälterin in Die schweigsame Frau with Théâtre du Châtelet; Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera with Welsh National Opera and Teatro Carlo Felice; and Erda in Siegfried and the First Norn in Götterdämmerung with the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich under the baton of Kent Nagano. CANDACE EVANS | DIRECTOR/DRAMATIC COACH
An award-winning director, Ms. Evans has been internationally praised for “a flawless sense of timing” (Opera News), with work that is “genuine gripping drama” (Opera Now). Her production of La Viuda Alegre for the legendary Teatro Colón was named in the top three operas of the entire Argentinian season. Known for incisive story-telling, she wrote the libretto, and directed Wisdom of Stone, for OperaVision Europe during the lockdown of 2020. Evans performance career includes vocal studies at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, an MFA in classical acting/directing, with tours both national and international. She has danced with the Wisconsin Ballet, sung with the Dallas Symphony, done national voice-overs, and appeared in both film and episodic television. This combination of talent and experience illustrates why her directorial style includes the integration of musical intent, dramatic truth and the physical life of performers. Previously on the theatre/music faculty of Southern Methodist University, she is committed to working with young artists. She has lectured and directed at Yale, Carnegie Mellon, Indiana University, Oberlin in Italy, La Musica Lirica, Taos Opera Institute and Seagle Colony. Among her past professional engagements include Dallas Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Arizona Opera, Opera Carolina, San Jose Opera, San Diego Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Madison Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Grand Rapids Opera, Birmingham Opera, Livermore Opera, Opera Southwest, and the Florentine Opera. LINDA HIRT | FOUNDER, VOCAL COACH
Linda Hirt, who made her New York Carnegie Recital Hall debut under the auspices of the Concert Artist Guild, has performed and taught and on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Among her professional achievements are live radio appearances in New York and Chicago and recordings for Vanguard Records and German national television. As founder and artistic director of Musica nelle Marche LLC, she has shared her passion for Italian music and culture with hundreds of aspiring young artists. Hirt is a vocal coach and mentor at DePaul University School of Music where she also served as Vocal Coordinator for ten years. Linda's husband Geoff Hirt, served as General Director since 2006 when they founded Musica nelle Marche together. In the past eighteen years, the Hirt's have impacted the lives and careers of hundreds of young musicians through their work with MNM. MASSIMO SABBATINI | CONDUCTOR AND COACH
Maestro Massimo Sabbatini is a well-known Italian conductor who has worked with Andrea Bocelli and Daniela Dessi as well as other international performers. He is an accomplished pianist and opera coach who received a diploma from the G. Rossini Conservatory of Music in Pesaro, Italy where he studied violin, composition and orchestral conducting. He is active as a violinist, pianist and conductor of orchestral and choral music. He has taught choral and orchestral conducting at various Italian conservatories. His choirs have performed throughout Europe and recently performed at the University of Paris where a standing room audience greeted his choir. SAORI CHIBA | VOCAL COACH
Acclaimed by the Chicago Daily Herald, “brilliant Japanese pianist” Saora Chiba is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades for her superb keybord artistry. Her five current albums are regularly featured on nationally prominent radio stations. WFMT, WFIU, KING, and KUAT with two recordings capturing the Daily Herald’s coveted TopTen Classical CDs of The Year Award, and the Grammy Award Entry List for Best Chamer of Music Performance. Chiba’s materclass associations include such names as Joyce DiDonato, Dalton Baldwin, Martin Katz, David Schrader, Denyce Graves, and Samuel Ramey, and she recently collaborated with globally recognized artists, Maestro Christoph Eschenbach and violinish Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg at the Ravinia Festival. She has also appeared on renowned radio broadcasts includingthe Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts and the PianoForte Salon Series. Highly sought after as a répétiteur and coach, Ms. Chiba frequently assists with Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Santa Barbara, and Italian summer festivals, Orvieto Musica, and Musica nelle Marche. GREG FRENS | VOCAL COACH
A native of Michigan, Heldentenor Greg Frens began his performing career as a baritone-following the developmental path taken by many of his predecessors, appearing in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, Don Giovanni, Tosca, and Susannah, among others. Subsequent performances included his international debut with the Graz Festival Orchestra, and Roméo et Juliette, La Fanciulla del West, and Giannini’s Beauty and the Beast for DiCapo Opera in New York City. Frenshas appeared to critical acclaim in some lesser-known repertoire, from Ben in Menotti’s The Telephone and John Brooke in Mark Adamo’s Little Women to the title character in the premiere performance of Libby Larsen’s Everyman Jack. More recently, Mr. Frens appeared as Siegmund in Die Walküre at the National Cathedral in Washington DC, as a featured performer with the American Wagner Project. Subsequently, Mr. Frens was awarded a study grant from the Wagner Society of Washington, D.C., for the purpose of preparing the principal heldentenor repertoire with the musical staff of the Metropolitan Opera. On the concert stage, Mr. Frens boasts an active repertoire that includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Missa Solemnis, Britten’s War Requiem and Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Mozart’s Requiem, and Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder. As a repertoire coach, voice teacher, and Musical Director, Mr. Frens maintains an active studio in both Chicago and New York City, and his clients include a wide range of principal artists, from international opera houses to Broadway. Frens holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance from Hope College (2001), and an M.M. in Vocal Performance from Ohio State University (2003). He has held adjunct positions at NYU and Pace University, where he created a music curriculum for the BFA Acting Program. Frenscurrently resides in Chicago with his wife and daughter.
