This past spring a group of students from Wichita State University’s School of Music made their mark in the 2,200-year-old city of Lucca, Italy, where famous operatic composers once walked the cobbled roads. Canta in Italia is a month-long opportunity for serious students of voice and opera to improve their voice and language skills and get a sense of whether working internationally is really for them.

Because of the intensity of the language immersion and the daily lessons, rehearsals and coaching sessions, participants in Canta in Italia improve their talents rapidly. Many have experienced important breakthroughs in their singing technique, acting and appreciation for European living and culture. Besides students, another group that benefits from the program is young voice teachers who wish to gain performing experience.

The immersive, experience-based learning opportunity transported the participants from Wichita to Tuscany, where they participated in two hours of Italian language lessons daily for four weeks. They also attended a seminar on living and working in Europe presented by a Lucca-based agent specialized in working with young artists.

“The trip was an amazing and eye-opening experience for me,” said graduate student Jacob Skipworth. “From the time our plane touched down in Rome, I felt like I was immersed in the Italian culture and ways of doing things. We learned the Italian language from the Italians. We had the opportunity to learn from world-renowned singers, teachers and coaches. The program opened my eyes to so many different aspects of the world of opera.”

Overcoming obstacles

Besides focusing on their studies, the visiting Shockers had the opportunity to tour Tuscany, traveling by bus to Verona to see Carmen in the Arena, take a day trip to Florence to visit the Pitti Palace and a train ride to Pistoia. Museum passes, provided to all students and faculty, were well-used on weekends and during post-program travels.

According to Marie King, associate professor and WSU program director of opera, a Kansas-style weather event hit Lucca halfway through the trip: large hail, strong winds and a violent downpour culminated in a 200-year-old tree falling on the group’s rehearsal studio. Fortunately, one of the program’s pianists was the director of a local music school, and classes and rehearsals were quickly reorganized to take place there.

But Mother Nature wasn’t the only obstacle the group had to overcome.

“It was difficult to compete with the World Cup,” King said. “Soccer games necessitated changing dates – the Pistoia concert was fairly well attended, but the Lucca concert was packed.”

The performances were presented as part of two established music series, at Pistoia’s Summer Festival of Music in the City and at Lucca’s famous Renaissance-era wall as part of Le Mura di Lucca 500, a year-long celebration of the wall’s construction in 1514. Besides the two planned performances for Italian audiences, the students had another chance to sing for the public at an impromptu concert of opera arias at the Scuola di Musica.

Canta in Italia is a credit-optional class at Wichita State. For information on the program or to sign up for next year, visit the Canta in Italia website at wichita.edu/cantainitalia.