Frequently Asked Questions

Vincerò Academy is the ultimate online mentorship platform connecting young singers from all over the world with the greatest opera stars of our time.

Vincerò’s carefully curated role-study programs provide students across the globe an elite education online with the world’s most admired opera figures.

The goal of the Academy is to provide students with the tools, resources, and guidance to have a full role learned by the end of each program.

This will be done through Group Classes and Workshops led by different Faculty members; dedicated Masterclasses led by our star Faculty; individual music, language, stage, and vocal Coachings; Seminars; the opportunity to connect with industry professionals in casting and management; and to round up the experience, a Carnegie Hall or Bayerische Staatsoper debut.

Our intention is to provide an alternative to the traditional conservatories or universities by focusing our curriculum on the study of full roles under the guidance of world-class artists.

Any singer with a desire to learn or review staple roles under the guidance of today’s top artists.

Whether at undergraduate, graduate, young professional, or performing artist level, this is a unique and one-of-its-kind opportunity for singers to learn from the best in the field, expand their network, and form lifetime connections.

You can learn a new role or work on a role you already know.

There is no age limit. Everyone is welcome to apply.

Applications are processed on a rolling basis three times a year:

March 15 deadline for enrollment starting in April.

July 15 deadline for enrollment starting in August.

November 15 deadline for enrollment starting in December.

You will receive a notification via email to let you know whether you will be invited to a virtual interview or not.

Singers that complete any one program will get a Certificate.

Singers that complete any three programs will receive an Artist Diploma.

At least two of them should be for major roles.

Your individual program will depend on when you enroll and for which role or roles you are accepted.

The following is an example of how it works:

• You apply in June for the role of Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro.

• You are accepted, so you start your enrollment in the Academy in August and receive the Zoom link for all the activities.

• You are also added to the exclusive Facebook Group where all the group activities of the Academy (Masterclasses, Workshops, Seminars, Group Classes) are live-streamed and the recordings remain there to watch later.

• You are assigned two Masterclasses, one with a singer and one with a coach. The singers will be either Angel Blue, Carol Vaness, or Rachel Willis-Sørensen. The coaches will be either Anthony Manoli, Craig Rutenberg, or Joan Dornemann.

• You are also assigned the following Individual Coachings: 4 music coachings with Danielle Orlando, 3 language coachings with Stefano Baldasseroni, and 3 stage coachings with Mignon Dunn.

• At the moment of enrollment, your information is sent to your coaches so they can schedule directly with you. You will have 6 months to complete your coachings with them, but they can extend this deadline for another 6 months.

• You notice that a series of Group Classes for Le Nozze di Figaro and a Recitativo Workshop already took place last May and June, so you watch all the recordings and take notes. You wait until the next Recitativo Workshop takes place in December and the next series of Group Classes for Le Nozze di Figaro takes place in January and February of next year to participate actively in those.

• During all this time, you are able to sign-up weekly to the Singers’ Workshop which takes place every weekend, where you can sing through different scenes of Contessa for your colleagues. You are also able to watch all the Masterclasses, Seminars, and the Group Classes for the other operas in the Facebook Group.

• In mid August, you are notified that a Masterclass with Joan Dornemann has been scheduled for September 20 at 2 pm EST. You confirm your participation, prepare, and sing for that masterclass.

• In early September, you are notified that a Masterclass with Carol Vaness has been scheduled for November 15 at 12 pm EST, so you confirm your participation, put it in your calendar and prepare. However, the masterclass falls on the same day you have an important audition, so you let the Academy know and you will wait until the next masterclass with Carol Vaness is scheduled.

• Mid-September, you are notified that a Masterclass with Angel Blue has been scheduled for October 28 at 5 pm EST. This works way better for your schedule than the masterclass with Carol Vaness in November, so you request to switch. The Academy notifies you the switch is possible so you sing for Angel Blue instead of Carol Vaness.

• In October, David Lomelí and Ana de Archuleta get in touch with you to schedule your Private Consultations on career and management.

• In November, maestro Abdiel Vázquez announces the next date for a Carnegie Hall performance and you confirm your participation!

There is no application fee. We believe application fees can be a deterrent, given how many auditions, schools, and young artist programs singers have to apply to every year.

Just fill out the Application form - we look forward to hearing from you!

Each role has its own specific cost which you can find in the Tuition section.

Yes. We have a limited number of partial scholarships and work-study opportunities available. You can find all the information on tuition and how to apply for financial aid in the Tuition section.

Yes. If you are accepted into any of our programs, you will receive a detailed offer letter which will include: the masterclasses you will be singing in (you will have many options), the coaches you will be assigned to and number of coachings with each, your total tuition, any tuition incentives (scholarship, payment plan, etc.), and a tentative calendar of activities.

No. This is an Academy, and your tuition will cover your masterclasses, group classes, seminars, and coachings with our world-class faculty.

The performances at Carnegie Hall or Bayerische Staatsoper are an opportunity for everyone to meet and share their experiences after many months of learning online.

Additionally, other performance opportunities may arise to audition to perform the season’s operas in concert or semi-staged version through sponsor organizations. These performances are not guaranteed and are only meant as a complement to the entire learning program.

The selection process is divided in two parts: pre-screening and live virtual interview. In order to apply, all you have to do is fill out the form in the Application section.

We will notify you if you are selected for a live virtual interview, which will take place via Zoom.

Yes. You can see a detailed list of roles per opera in the Operas and Roles section.

Each role’s curriculum has been carefully curated and the tuition adjusted accordingly, taking into account the differences in length and complexity of each role.

There is no limit on the number of singers that can be accepted for each role offered.

You decide. We will mainly consider you for the role or roles you request in your application.

However, you can request input or suggestions in your live virtual interview.

Yes you can, please let us know if you would like to request this, and if you are accepted we will tailor a program for you.

Yes you can, and in fact this is highly encouraged! If you request this in your application and you are accepted, we will tailor a program for you.

Online via Zoom! This is a fully virtual academy - an incredible opportunity to be able to connect the most accomplished artists in opera with students from all over the world, something that would be impossible to achieve in person due to geographical, scheduling, and financial reasons.

There is so much that can be achieved through this format and the technology keeps getting better and better, so now the greatest artists across the globe can reach talented students anywhere regardless of where they are located. 

You can take participate in our online activities as long as you have a personal computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone with the Zoom application installed.

We will provide you with a full manual including suggestions for equipment, camera and microphone placing, Zoom settings, accompaniment, and all the other factors which will enhance the online learning experience.

However, the most important factor is to have a stable high-speed internet connection.

The schedule for all the activities is variable and flexible.

All the activities take place throughout the year at different times on weekdays and weekends, depending on the type of activity and who is participating.

Group Classes for each opera and Recitativo Workshops will occur periodically every 6 to 8 months, they last 6 to 8 weeks, and they take place at different times. A definitive schedule and times will depend on the total number of students enrolled for each opera and their different time zones.

The Singers’ Workshop takes place on weekends and singers can participate by signing through a sign-up sheet.

Masterclasses and Seminars are scheduled weeks in advance according to each Faculty member’s availability.

Individual Coachings are scheduled directly between students and their teacher.

We will schedule Masterclasses weeks in advance so you can make the necessary arrangements, and they will take place at a time that is comfortable for all participants to sing.

You will be able to schedule your Individual Coachings directly with your teachers.

If you miss any of the other activities such as Group Classes, Workshops, or Seminars, not to worry! All the activities will be live streamed to a closed Facebook group where you will be able to watch everything later, on your own time. 

The backbone of the program are the Group Classes for each opera, which take place periodically every 6 to 8 months. The total number of Group Classes per opera will depend on enrollment, and can be anywhere from 6 to 16 classes.

There are also Recitativo Workshops for all of those enrolled in any of the Mozart/Da Ponte or Donizetti operas.

There is a Singers’ Workshop where students will have the opportunity to sing through their entire role throughout the year for their colleagues.

For every opera you enroll in, you will sing in at least two Masterclasses: one with a star singer according to your selected role, and one with a master coach. All the Masterclasses have a Q&A session at the end, so students will have an invaluable opportunity to share and learn from our incredible Faculty of singers and coaches.

You will receive a pre-determined number of individual music, stage, language, or voice Coachings according to your role and your virtual interview.

You will also have two personal Consultations, one with casting director David Lomelí and one with artist agent Ana de Archuleta; one individual Role Run-Through session per role with maestro Abdiel Vázquez or another Faculty member, and a performance at Carnegie Hall or Bayerische Staatsoper.

Additionally, all enrolled students will have access through a closed Facebook Group to all the Group Classes, Workshops, Masterclasses, and Seminars, for as long as you are enrolled in the Academy.

Finally, all the students past and present will be invited to audition to participate in any of Vincerò Academy’s opera productions.

The duration of the program is variable for each student and it depends on the time of the year in which you enroll and on the operas you are participating in.

The program will be considered completed once you have had your individual coachings (you will have 6 months from the time of enrollment), your masterclasses, and have had your consultations and role run-through session. The average duration is one year.

Once you have finished your program, you will need to stay enrolled in the Academy in order to continue to have access to the closed Facebook Group where all the activities are recorded. You can read about the cost of continued enrollment in the Tuition section.

Group Classes are led by one of our Faculty members. They will be an in-depth exploration and group discussion of the full score and libretto of each opera from cover to cover.

Each class will be between one to two hours long. 

This group workshop is led by maestro Abdiel Vázquez and in it you will be able to sing through and coach your recitativi after analyzing the text together, both dramatically and musically.

In the Singers’ Workshop, students will be able to sign up to participate. Participants will sing for their colleagues through an aria or scene from their selected role. The workshops are not mandatory but everyone will have the opportunity to sign-up.

Ensemble singing is not possible online. Our aim is to explore the operas from a role-study perspective – the kind of preparation we all do on our own – with the guidance of experienced artists.

You can let us know the masterclasses of your preference, but the final decision will rest with the Artistic Board. We are confident we will be able to provide every student with a phenomenal experience tailored to their goals, strengths, and needs. 

You can let us know the coaches of your preference, but the final decision will rest with the Artistic Board. The decision will be made according to your application materials, audition videos, and interview, and just like in the masterclasses we are confident we will be able to place you with those coaches that will offer you the most help and guidance. 

The masterclasses are free repertoire, although we highly encourage you to bring something from the roles you are working on or from the repertoire the Faculty member specializes in.

This is your time, so you can use it in any way you think it will benefit you the best.

However, we recommend using them to prepare the role or roles that you are working on.

Definitely! This is also highly encouraged. Feel free to discuss and arrange directly with your coach. These would take place outside Vincerò Academy. 

Vincerò will provide the tracks for many of the full operas recorded by maestro Vázquez, and the program’s apprentice pianists will be recording the tracks for some of the other operas.

We recommend getting your own tracks for your other repertoire, either through trusted coaches and pianists, YouTube, or apps such as Appcompanist.

For your masterclasses, we recommend finding a live pianist to accompany you, but this is not necessary.

Each apprentice pianists will have a program tailored specifically for them.

The backbone of the program will be your apprenticeship with one of our Faculty coaches. You will be assigned to one of them to observe all their private coachings online, host their masterclasses and, when necessary, assist them in their scheduling.

All of our Faculty coaches have acknowledged the invaluable learning experience that is to observe an experienced coach working with different students and we are striving to provide that to apprentice pianists from all over the world.

The other exclusive activity for apprentice pianists are the repetiteurs’ workshops led by one of our Faculty coaches. These group classes are centered on the discussion and analysis of the full score of each opera and how to adapt it to the vocal score in the most practical way, invaluable preparation to work in an opera house.

Apprentice pianists will be assigned different scenes or arias from each of the operas of the program to record under the guidance of the Artistic Director.

Apprentice pianists will be able to participate with the singers in the Group Classes for each opera and in the Recitativo Workshops.

Additionally, apprentice pianists will host the Singers’ Workshop where students will have the opportunity to sing through their entire role throughout the year for their colleagues, and will also host the Masterclasses with star singers.

All apprentice pianists will be invited to participate in at least one performance at Carnegie Hall or Bayerische Staatsoper.

All apprentice pianists will have access through a closed Facebook Group to all the Group Classes, Workshops, Masterclasses, and Seminars, for as long as you are enrolled in the Academy.

Finally, apprentice pianists who also apply for the Conducting Workshop will be given priority in considering their applications and scholarship requests.

The duration is variable according to the program of each pianist and the Faculty coach they are assigned to, but it can be anywhere between 6 to 12 months.

Accepted apprentice pianists will receive a full scholarship.

All enrolled students will be invited to participate in one gala performance either at Carnegie Hall or at Bayerische Staatsoper.

Those singers who accept their invitation will be responsible for their own travel to New York or Munich, room and board, and for any necessary visa requirements or travel permits. Vincerò will gladly provide a letter of invitation upon request.

All current and past students will be invited to audition for Vincerò Academy’s productions, but priority will be given to those students who completed the program for the opera that will be staged.

No. In order to ensure the highest quality, only singers who have completed Vincerò’s programs will be able to perform in Carnegie Hall, Bayerische Staatsoper, or audition for any other live performances.