Oberlin in Italy: not just for musicians

Now is the time when, on top of schoolwork, one must decide what in the world to do this summer. The voice majors of the Conservatory already know — they’re auditioning for Oberlin in Italy. Why? Senior Marie Masters says that, “performing with Oberlin in Italy gives you a true experience of working in the professional world; not only of preparing a performance in a month, but of dealing with the challenges of working as a full time musician outside of Oberlin — including the challenge of balancing work with more fun than you can legally have in the United States.” This year, the vocal students will be putting on productions of L’Elisir d’Amore, Mascagni’s L’Amica Fritz and Rossini’s La Cambiale de Matrimonio as well as many chamber concerts, vocal recitals and opera scenes.

Oberlin in Italy, however, is for more than just voice majors. The experience, which lasts from June 4 to July 1, is open to everyone: pianists, instrumentalists, composers and liberal arts students. Participants earn five credits of Italian and an extra two if playing in the opera. Once there in the beautiful 14th century town of Urbania, nestled in the foothills of the Marche region west of the Adriatic, the cultural opportunities are endless. As part of tuition (which is seriously inexpensive for five to seven credits), participants are provided with fully furnished shared apartments and houses just short walks from the town’s picturesque Piazza. Students are offered 20 hours of Italian classes per week taught by native teachers and liberal arts students have the option of partaking in courses like painting, drawing, ceramics and cooking.

Students come out of the program having “experienced the language and the culture first hand.” Said senior Todd Boyce, “it’s all about romance and the love of life.” The food is ridiculously good: there’s a hometown grocer, Franco, who will provide you with the juiciest tomatoes this world has to offer, the wine is cheaper than water, the gelato is in healthy supply and the bakeries often open in the morning before you even get to bed from a late night out. Busses run daily to the coastal paradise of Pesaro and there are twice-a-week excursions sponsored by the school. The biggest bonus of this program is that once the month is complete, you’re already in Italy and you can continue to explore the country with an impressive grasp of the language! If you’re interested, e-mail ocitaly@oberlin.edu or dial x58044.
 
 

About us
Subscriptions
Advertising

Previous issue
Older issues