Vocal Students and Singers Benefited from Masterclasses with Dr. Carlos Conde at the MAVC, Malta School of Music

Dr. Conde, an American-born bass-baritone with a long international career as an opera singer and widely known as a vocal pedagogue and a professor of opera-performing-practice, was invited to the Mikiel Anton Vassalli College Malta School of Music on the initiative of Soprano-Teacher Ms Miriam Cauchi. Dr Conde delivered a public lecture on classical singing and gave masterclasses to 31 local singers who were keen on improving their singing technique and repertoire interpretation.

The public lecture on classical singing based on the Italian linguistic perspective – a vocal technique which dates back to the 13th century Italian School of Singing was supported by theories of bel canto masters including Marchetto da Padova (1274-1326), Francesco Tosi (1653-1732), Nicolo Porpora (1688-1768), Giovanni Battista Mancini (1714-1800), Vincenzo Manfredini (1737-1799), Giovanni Lamperti (1839-1910), and Manuel García (1805-1906).

A highlight of the event was the active collaboration of the three voice Teachers from the Vocal Department of the MAVC Malta School of Music namely, Ms. Miriam Cauchi, Dr. Andriana Yordanova, and Ms. Graziella Debattista, with whom Conde established a remarkable team- teaching dynamic. The students were accompanied by Pianist-Teachers from same school: Ms Irina Fedcenko, Ms Julia Miller and Ms Galina Antariuk.

Dr. Conde started each masterclass by “vocalising” each singer, and during this process, Dr. Conde referred back to aspects of the technique outlined in his lecture – a technique that has proved its worth over the years with various students worldwide. Interestingly, Dr. Conde first listened to each student’s speaking voice, and only after that he skilfully guided each student through vocal warm-up drills.

Dr. Conde helped students improve their technique by inviting students to find an equilibrium between head and chest vocal registers – two apparent extremes which need to be fused together seamlessly like two primary colours. With a tireless and caring approach, Dr. Conde identified the unique potential within each singer’s voice including areas of interest from a commercial aspect. Moreover, Dr. Conde offered a special lecture on career development, performance practice and a global view on the development of the art form.

About Carlos Conde González
Dr. Conde is an American-born bass-baritone with a long international career as an opera singer. Today, Dr. Conde is widely known as a vocal pedagogue and a professor of opera-performing- practice, teaching at the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme – Royal Opera House, the Mediterranean Opera Studio and Festival, the International Vocal Arts Institutes in Tel Aviv, Virginia, and Montreal; the Sociedad Internacional de Valores Mexicanos (SIVAM); the Beckman Ópera Studio and International Festival in Jalisco (Mexico),the Juilliard School’s Pre- College Division; the City University of New York, and at the Sacred Heart University, where he is the Founder Director of the Musical Arts Institute. Dr. Conde has previously taught at Mannes, Brooklyn College, Rutgers University in New Jersey, the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, the Texas Tech University, and the University of Miami, and was Chancellor at the Puerto Rico Music Conservatory. Dr. Conde is an alumnus of the Juilliard Opera Center and in 2008, was awarded a Doctoral Degree in Musical Arts from Stony Brook University with a dissertation on bel canto singing technique. Dr Conde is currently researching images of sounds as perceived by the brain as part of his post-doctoral studies.

About the Malta School of Music
Established in 1975, the Malta School of Music – originally situated in Old Bakery Street in Valletta and known as the Johann Strauss School of Music, has been the one of the most effective governmental schools in the music performance and artistic field. Over the years, thousands of students have attended music lessons at the school and many of them furthered their studies both locally and abroad. The Malta School of Music is now situated in the newly refurbished centralized premises in Ħamrun and forms part of the Mikiel Anton Vassalli College – the Network of Specialized Schools for the Visual and Performing arts. The School of Music engages Malta’s top musicians and pedagogues who constantly strive to help each student achieve their highest potential in music appreciation, music knowledge and understanding, composition, performance and musicianship through exciting and effective music programmes and opportunities.