News

15.10.2013

Neil Shicoff to Conduct Master Classes

Famous American tenor Neil Shicoff has always emphasized that for him, the Mikhailovsky Theatre is more than just another tour venue: he considers himself a member of the team, deeply connected to the company. Shicoff is currently in St. Petersburg once more; he not only sang the role of Eléazar in La juive on 13 October, but will also be holding master classes for his colleagues for the whole of the following week. The Mikhailovsky Theatre’s young opera soloists have already studied with Shicoff and learned many secrets of vocal mastery from him, so they are very much looking forward to this latest series of lessons.

Suren Maksutov, tenor:

“Neil Shicoff is not only a great master with an expert knowledge of singing technique, but also an outstanding creative individual, which is why young singers derive so much from his master classes. At the end of last season, I consulted Shicoff on the role of the Steersman in Der fliegende Holländer. We were rehearsing for the première of the opera, and I very much hoped that Shicoff would suggest the proper way to approach the role. There are vocal complexities and problems of articulation in it. I tried to take on board all the master’s advice and recommendations: he particularly stressed how important it was to use the timbre of the voice more gently, and drew attention to the vibrato frequency. There is an atmosphere of great trust in Shicoff’s lessons; he encourages artists to open up and have faith in themselves.”

It should be noted that a few days ago, music critic Larisa Doktorova published her review of Der fliegende Holländer, in which she wrote, in particular, “Suren Maksutov as the Steersman gave an excellent performance of a difficult role; his powerful, elegant tenor sounded comfortable in every register.”

Evgeny Solodovnikov, bass

“When I was told last winter that I would be taking part in a master class with Neil Shicoff, I was at a loss, and for a long time could not decide what to sing for him. In the end I opted for Don Basilio’s aria from Il barbiere di Siviglia. It is a difficult aria, both from the technical and the acting points of view. I had big problems with some parts of it. Shicoff was a little surprised at my choice, because singers usually bring bel canto pieces to master classes. The lessons definitely gave me a great lift. There were lots of things going round in my head which I could not decipher myself, but with his help, I managed to deal with them. We worked a great deal on breathing, and what surprised me was that Shicoff, as a tenor, could demonstrate bass tessitura. He throws himself completely into these lessons. In the same way that he seems to enter a different dimension when on stage, in his lessons too he is able to forget about time. The master class went on for five or six hours, and Shicoff did not sit down once in all that time: he was totally absorbed in his work”.

Neil Shicoff’s master classes will be held from 15 to 19 October. Those participating will be Fyodor Ataskevich, Suren Maksutov, Evgeny Akhmedov, Evgeny Solodovnikov, Yury Monchak, and Ivan Krutikov. The participants in the programme for female singers will be Maria Litke, Svetlana Monchak, and Sofia Fainberg.