Salbek Opera Festival Gala – 25-08-2024
Thousands of spectators applaud Valentina Naforniță, Ruxandra Donose, Ramón Vargas and Leontina Văduva at the concert to mark the ending of the International Salbek Opera Masterclass and Arad Days.
The Salbek Opera Festival Gala, held on 25 August on the stage in front of the Arad Administrative Palace, brought to a close both the second edition of the International Salbek Opera Masterclass and Arad Days.
The special open-air concert was given the Arad Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by David Crescenzi and featured four international opera singers: soprano Valentina Naforniță, mezzosoprano Ruxandra Donose, tenor Ramón Vargas and soprano Leontina Văduva, appearing alongside a number of students from the International Salbek Opera Masterclass.
Before the concert, mezzosoprano Ruxandra Donose gave her assessment of the masterclass, which took place from the 21st to the 25th of August and, the same as last year, was held on the Salbek Castle Estate and its environs:
“I was delighted to be in Salbek for the second time, not only because the natural setting is so beautiful, a setting that we are trying to bring back to life through culture, but also because it was an intensive summer camp for performance and creativity, attended by 24 talented youngsters painstakingly chosen from among more than 70 applicants from four continents. Last year, the level was very good, this year even more so.
ou would think that in the space of just a few days there is no way you can go very deeply into canto technique, but in these few days we have succeeded in covering everything from the basics to mastery. At the same time, we talk to the young singers about the meaning of an international career, how they can develop one, what to watch out for, how to make an entrance on stage—there are a million pieces of advice, great and small, which we can give them, the sum of our accumulated knowledge, and we offer it willingly in the hope that it will be of help to them in the future. It was a very, very good second edition for everybody.” – Ruxandra Donose
Among those who benefited from the advice of the three teachers was the Spanish tenor Victor Jimenez Moral, visiting Romania as well as attending such a masterclass for the first time:
“It was a great pleasure and a great honour for me to study with the three maestros in such a beautiful place as Petriș village. I would like to thank everybody for having given us their time so patiently.
It is very important for a young singer to be able to receive advice, guidance, assistance when needed. And it all took place in the company of other young people from a number of different countries who are just as eager as I am to develop their careers, therefore I think that such a course is extremely beneficial for any musician who is just setting out and I am delighted to have been one of those who had this opportunity, particularly given that I worked with Ramón Vargas, one of my favourite tenors.” – Victor Jimenez Moral
French soprano Eve Hulmann said at the end of the masterclass:
“These few days were very special for me. I was one of twenty-odd young people lucky enough to have the opportunity to work closely with these three major names. Each of the three maestros is different, each has a different vision of opera, from one you learn technique, from another stagecraft, from another posture, and every one of us was able to take away what interests us or what we need to develop further. I would say that it was not just a masterclass, but a masterclass and a number of perfect days for me.” – Eve Hulmann
The International Salbek Opera Masterclass is a musical summer camp that was a revelation not only to students but also to teachers, thinks soprano Leontina Văduva:
“Both the singers from abroad and those from Romania were of an incredible level this year. It was difficult to choose among them, but it was also a real pleasure to work with them. And the fact that they are now joining us onstage makes the moment all the more special.” – Leontina Văduva
The International Salbek Opera Masterclass already holds a special place in the heart of tenor Ramón Vargas, who this year could hardly wait to meet the new generation of opera singers and to revisit the Romanian village:
“We receive energy from them; they receive knowledge from us. Everybody is a winner in this masterclass. Not to mention the superb setting of the Romanian village, which I fall in love with again every time I come here. At the same time, I am extremely happy to take part for the second time in this opera gala in Arad. I think music is one of the few human activities that brings people together.” – Ramón Vargas
One of the special guests attending the recital given by masterclass students in front of Salbek Castle on 24 August and also the Salbek Opera Festival Gala was Her Excellency Ambassador Simona Miculescu, President of the UNESCO General Conference, who declared herself enchanted by the cultural breadth that the castle estate and its environs has been achieving from one year to the next:
“The Salbek Castle Estate is being transformed from one day to the next into a mini UNESCO, as it is a magical space dedicated to culture, heritage, art, and education. On the one hand, this masterclass represents a unique opportunity for young and talented opera singers to interact and to be mentored by major names of the operatic stage, an exercise in beauty, talent and creativity in a unique natural setting, a fabulous opportunity. On the other hand, year after year an outstanding sculpture park has been developing here, which in the long run will definitely help the regeneration through culture of the village where we now find ourselves.” – Simona Miculescu
At the close of the project, Ana Maria Mihăescu, President of the Salbek Castle Association and founder of the Petriș masterclasses, spoke about development through culture and excellence:
“I am sure that the students who came to Salbek this year will become remarkable voices of the stage not only in Romania but also internationally. The same as we endeavoured to do last year, by means of this highly sophisticated means of education we assist the careers of the young artists, we set them on the path to mastery. Together with the three maestros, we hope to contribute to the perfection of this type of education for young musicians.” – Ana Maria Mihăescu
The International Salbek Opera Masterclass is an internationally attended event where 24 students this year had the opportunity to study canto and performance techniques alongside three international opera stars: mezzosoprano Ruxandra Donose, tenor Ramón Vargas and soprano Leontina Văduva.
The International Salbek Opera Masterclass took place from the 21st to the 25th of August 2024 on the Salbek Castle Estate in Petriș, Arad County, in the park around the castle as well as in a number of villages in the area surrounding the Salbek Estate: Petriș, Roșia and Ilteu.