Lovers of the human voice must mark their calendars now. World-renowned mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick conducts a master class in La Jolla on Saturday, Oct. 7.
Zajick has sung Azucena, Amneris and Eboli in Giuseppe Verdi’s operas “Il Trovatore,” “Aida” and “Don Carlo” with major opera companies the world over. In 1988, early in her career, she sang Azucena and Verdi’s “Requiem” with San Diego Opera. This was six years after she took the bronze medal in the International Tchai-kovsky Competition and a year prior to her Metropolitan Opera debut as ” guess who? ” Azucena.
From Sept. 10 to Oct. 1, Zajick sang Eboli with Los Angeles Opera. She has also sung with the opera companies of San Francisco, Chicago and Houston and at Italy’s La Scala, the Vienna State Opera and London’s Covent Garden, to name but a few.
Through her voice teacher, Sarah Agler, Pacific Beach resident Ruth Kiefer, executive director and co-founder of Villa Musica, met Zajick. Agler and Zajick were college classmates and studied voice together about 20 years ago.
“Dolora Zajick went on to become the world’s leading mezzo soprano, and Sarah Agler had a career of her own and is now teaching in San Diego,” Kiefer said. “Sarah saw an opportunity for both Dolora Zajick to teach a master class and also for Villa Musica, as a fledgling organization, to offer this great opportunity to singers here in San Diego.”
“Helping young singers get on the right track technically as well as artistically before they develop ‘hard-to-unlearn’ habits is critical,” said Zajick, who listened to tapes of 20 applicants before selecting six with whom to work. She looked for gifted singers with strong musical instincts and a desire to learn.
Zajick, who lives in Reno, plans to launch an experimental training program to guide young singers ages 15 to 22 to professional singing careers.
The pilot program begins at Villa Musica in 2007. Meanwhile, it’s “pre-pilot” season.
Zajick conducts her area master class from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, in the Fellowship Hall of La Jolla Presbyterian Church, 7715 Draper Ave. The six singers pay no fee, and the public may audit the fascinating process for a $20 admission fee. (Each participant in the master class sings an aria. The master then works with them one to one on interpretation, technique, language and communication.)
The event is sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera National Council San Diego District Committee and Villa Musica. To reserve a seat, e-mail [email protected]. For information about the master class, call Agler, (858) 456-2106. Visit www.villamusica.org to learn more about Villa Musica and its musical mission.
