Prix Atelier d’Excellence
Atelier d’Excellence (AdE) is an organization founded by Greek mezzo-soprano Maria Zoi, dedicated to the artistic development and image building of rising Opera singers.
Aligned with this vision, AdE invited internationally acclaimed Opera artists to support this worthy cause as “Ambassadors” to work with AdE to create professional opportunities for young artists.
One of these ambassadors is international soprano Ermonela Jaho, who also served on the jury of the Prix Atelier d’Excellence Competition. When asked about Ade & its mission, the opera star said:
“There is nothing more noble that sculpting the souls of people though Art. Singing has this unique power. Sharing this passion with the younger generation of singers is a privilege. We should all support future artists, as an investment in them is an investment in a better humanity.”
Other members of the jury included the Faculty of the Accademia d’Opera Italiana: Alessandro Amoretti (Vocal Coach), Kirsten Chambers (Soprano), Ricardo Estrada (Conductor, Vocal Coach), Sunnyboy Dladla (tenor), Alan Fischer (Stage Director, Acting Coach), Sandra Hormozi (Artist Manager), Anthony Manoli (Conductor, Vocal Coach), Eleonora Pacetti (Director of Fabbrica YAP - Teatro dell’Opera di Roma), Stefano de Peppo (Bass-Baritone, Italina Diction Coach), Jorge Parodi (Conductor, Vocal Coach), Mary Pinto (Vocal Coach)Scott Barnes (Acting Coach) and Alexia Voulgaridou (Soprano).
Sponsors for the competition offering prizes to the winners included: Ricardo Estrada (Conductor/Vocal Coach), The Diction Buddy App, Resonance App, 360° Of Opera, Atelier d’Excellence, Sadent Medical Aesthetics.
The competition took place on Sunday, November 8, 2020 as a livestream on Facebook. The participants presented pre-recorded performances and there was live commentary and scoring by members of the jury.
Without further ado, we are proud to present to you the winners of the competition!
FIRST PRIZE: IPELENG KGATLA – SOPRANO
Full name: Ipeleng Malefsane Kgatla
Nationality: South African
Aria Prix AdE: “E Susanna non vien... Dove sono” from Le Nozze di FIgaro by Mozart
Prize: A guest appearance in a concert in Barcelona offered by Maestro Ricardo Estrada, one coaching session offered by Resonance, 6 month subscription offered by the Diction Buddy App, 100 Euro money prize offered by Sadent Medical Aesthetics and 360° of Opera press feature.
What was your experience throughout the Accademia?
I loved being part of the Academia. I learned a lot and met a lot of people too. I was also very happy to work the the Academia mentors and will definitely work with them again in the future.
What kind of possibilities do you think being a prizewinner in the competition opens for you?
The possibilities are endless. This competition allowed us to make contacts with people that have been in the industry away longer than us and with people that are willing to help us succeed in this industry too. I am very happy to know that I have such mentors who are always there to lend a helping hand.
How has this experience made you more hopeful for the future of the opera world?
This experience has made me very hopeful for the future of the opera world. For the mere fact that there were people that were able to give their time and expertise for the good of young opera singers, that gives me hope that opera has a good future ahead of it. This experience also showed me that opera is alive and that it will never die. The talent and artistry of the people will always keep it alive.
What are your plans for the coming year?
My plans for the coming year are to take part in more international singing competitions. My plans are also to participate in more Opera projects/Summer projects all over the world. I will also still be a student at the Musik Hochschule in Mannheim, doing my Concert Examiner degree.
Watch Ipeleng Kgatla’s performance:
Connect with Ipeleng Kgatla :
SECOND PRIZE: GOSHA KOWALINSKA – MEZZO-SOPRANO
Nationality: Polish
Aria Prix AdE: “Acerba voluttà” from Adriana Lecouvreur by Cilea
Prize: Free enrollment as Active Participant in the German Opera Academy by AdE to take place in 2021, 100€ kindly offered by Sadent Medical Aesthetics, one free coaching session with renowned soprano Alexia Voulgaridou and 360° of Opera press feature.
What was your experience throughout the Accademia?
It was an amazing experience to be able to work on my roles with great artists, focus on interpretation and technique, have fresh feedback and continue to “stay in the game”.
How has this experience made you more hopeful for the future of the opera world?
I enjoyed especially listening to others singers working on their program and the strong support from Maria Zoi and all the AdE team helped me to still have the light in this difficult time that is the lockdown. I really believe in us all working hand in hand to be better and stronger when our beloved theatres will be open again.
What kind of possibilities do you think being a prize winner in the competition opens for you?
The Accademia not only gives me the opportunity to work with highly renowned Maestros to perfect my singing and art, but also to connect with opera family all around the globe. I am thrilled to be part of that.
What are your plans for the coming year?
My plans for this year … oh, well, so many roles, so little time! Presently, I prepare the role of Baba from Menotti’s Medium, that is waiting to be played in Cagliari’s Theatre in Italy. On January, I am supposed to make my debut in Polish National Theatre in Warsaw as Carmen which I shall sing in Hong Kong just before. Then, there is Santuzza in Brescia and I hope a lot of new openings and possibilities …. but everything now depends on how will we be able to return to the Theatres.
Watch Gosha Kowalinska’s performance:
Connect with Gosha Kowalinska:
THIRD PRIZE: ANNA-LOUISE COSTELLO – MEZZO-SOPRANO
Nationality: Irish
Aria Prix AdE: “Per questa fiamma indomita” from Anna Bolena by Donizetti
Prize: Free enrollment as Active Participant in two individual webinars by Atelier d'Excellence, a free six-month subscription offered by the Diction Buddy App and press feature 360° of Opera.
What was your experience throughout the Accademia?
It was thrilling to get to connect with such well-established, well-known, and well-respected industry professionals, and to interact with them as colleagues, as equals helping equals, not as pedestalled gods deigning to grace operatic newbies with their wisdom.
That said, it was a privilege to witness, recognize and appreciate the incredible depth of each faculty member’s understanding of their personal specialty area of the craft, because, even though the medium of zoom, they each had such incredibly perceptive eyes and ears and emotional muscles, that they were able to identify not just obvious issues for correction, but the root of the issues, which is always a far more efficient and effective place from which to tackle things.
What kind of possibilities do you think being a prize winner in the competition opens for you?
It has been a joy for me to have received such positive encouragement from the faculty, not only by virtue of being awarded a prize, but through the manner in which each member communicated with me in each and every masterclass. The instructors were direct but kind, extremely picky but in a wonderfully affirming way, and they spoke plainly about the expected standards for entering the operatic market, but with kindness.
I am thrilled that, via a faculty member’s recommendation and endorsement, I have already made an amazing contact in my city, and this has added to the confidence that the Accademia has enabled in me, and allowed me to raise my perception of where I currently fit in this industry to a higher level.
How has this experience made you more hopeful for the future of the opera world?
It has been a huge surprise to me just how effective online sessions have been. I had stayed away from online tuition in the past, as I hadn’t believed that, even at a reduced cost, they could be a fraction as useful as in-person instruction, but my mind has been very much been changed!
I think the Accademia has opened up an unforeseeable pool of professionals I had never expected to even hear live in performance, never mind contact or study with.
It’s very easy to be in Europe and only learn how things work here and how things must be here, but having now been exposed to how the industry evaluates singers in the US, and how different the US vocabulary is for vocal and dramatic technique, I feel as though I have massively upgraded my artistic toolbox.
I’d like to make a specific shout-out to Sunnyboy Dladla, who, in his every single word and breath and gesture, reminded me of the joy of singing. The deep catharsis and sheer fun of what we do. The stories we yearn to tell, rather than the technique we’ve been conditioned to ‘show off’. I don’t believe that my practice sessions have been so full of excitement and release since my very first singing lesson, when I first encountered the terms ‘technique’ and ‘vocal folds’ and ‘diaphragm’!
What are your plans for the coming year?
My coming year will hopefully have live stage performances, as my intended 2020 projects have been moved to 2021. In Hamburg in April, I will sing Madame Bernaud in the European premiere staging of Joel Mandelbaum’s “The Village”. In August I will sing Dryade and cover Der Komponist with The Opera Collective in Arles, France. And I am so excited to take Le Salon Cabaret, a recital of Weill, Poulenc, Britten, and Lehrer, through Germany, Ireland, and the UK. And even if performance life doesn’t return to normal, I will be kept quite busy with auditions for opera houses and festivals and agents and will continue to make recordings for sharing with the world.
Watch Anna-Louise Costello’s performance:
Connect with Anna-Louise Costello:
To learn more about Atelier d’Excellence and upcoming events, please visit www.atelierdexcellence.org