The University of Debrecen is once again announcing the training program for practicing stage singers. Applicants to this two-semester part-time course can gain high-level professional preparation and practical experience in the field of stage singing performance.
The postgraduate module is open to performing artists who have prior vocal technique and music theory training, as well as any degree obtained at least at the bachelor’s level, and who wish to develop their stage skills in the genres of opera and operetta.
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Admission is announced for applicants with tenor, baritone, bass, and soprano voice ranges, in accordance with the role requirements of the planned performances. In each semester, students will gain practical experience by performing roles in orchestra-accompanied productions in front of a live audience. The final exam performances are held under theatrical conditions, and high-quality audio and video recordings of the productions will be made. Upon completion, students will receive a micro-certificate – informed Artúr Vranyecz, master instructor, actor, and director at the University of Debrecen’s Faculty of Music, who is also the professional head of the program.
The final performances will be staged by Eszter Novák, Jászai Mari Award-winning director and artistic director of the Szigligeti Theatre in Nagyvárad, and by Dániel Halasi, director and, from January 1, 2024, the artistic director of the Csokonai National Theatre in Debrecen.
During the training, students will not only develop their singing skills but also their acting abilities and movement skills, gaining comprehensive knowledge in stage presence, role development, self-awareness, and communication. In addition, they will learn speech techniques and stress management.
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The training offers stage performance opportunities, further education, and repertoire expansion for singers who wish to present themselves as soloists on the musical stage. In the first semester, a cross-section of Franz Lehár’s operetta The Merry Widow will be performed in Hungarian with orchestral accompaniment in the Aula of the University of Debrecen’s Main Building. In the second semester, a cross-section of Donizetti’s comic opera L’elisir d’amore will be presented in Hungarian, also with orchestral accompaniment. The teaching team pays special attention to assigning singing tasks that match the abilities and talents of the prospective students in both semesters, added Artúr Vranyecz.
The intensive training takes place every two to three weeks on predetermined weekends at the Faculty of Music of the University of Debrecen, with a one-week rehearsal period preceding the semester-closing performances. The artistic director of the training is Éva Mohos Nagy, professor emeritus, Liszt Prize-winning opera singer; the musical director is Zoltán Bolyky, conductor of the DE-ZK Symphony Orchestra; and the production manager is Artúr Vranyecz, master instructor at DE-ZK.
Speech technique is taught by Éva Varga, actress awarded the Jászai Mari and Déryné prizes; dance skills by Éva Poroszlay, dancer, ballet master, and choreographer; career management by Éva Bátori, opera singer and honored and outstanding artist; and psychologist Tímea Kinga Gönczi, master instructor at DE-ZK, prepares students in stress management and self-awareness.
Applications for the program can be submitted until midnight on Tuesday, August 26, and the entrance exam will be held on September 2 at 11 a.m. in the Liszt Hall of the Faculty of Music at the University of Debrecen.
The University of Debrecen also offers scholarships in its mentoring program to help cover the tuition fees of the module, and additional institutional support may be available for those who successfully complete the course requirements.
More information can be found here.
Video selection from last semester’s performances:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykK0YmzNits%C2%A0&feature=youtu.be
