International Opera Academy to go on its first tour
Mr. Urmancheyev, what was the aim when creating the International Opera Academy? What are its objectives?
In recent years, a great interest in vocal art has arisen in Kazakhstan. If previously the vocal departments of educational institutions were less in demand than the instrumental ones, recently they began to surpass them by 2-3 times. This is due to the influx of talented students who simply had to be accepted.
The establishment of Astana Opera 9 years ago also played its role in the popularization and development of vocal art. With the opera house opening, soloists began to travel abroad for internships, to Europe’s leading opera houses, in particular to Italy, the birthplace of opera. Master classes and other training programs for singers are as necessary as continuing education courses for representatives of any other professions. However, from an economic point of view, inviting teachers is much more profitable than sending performers abroad. All these factors influenced the decision to set up an opera academy in the capital of Kazakhstan.
Educational institutions like ours exist in many leading opera houses of the world. They help singers, in particular the ones who are just starting out, the graduates of colleges and conservatories, to develop and further improve their skills.
What makes the ASTANA OPERA academy stand out among all the rest of the similar institutions?
The education that the academy provides is classical and universal. In all the similar educational institutions the basics of vocal art, acting, deeper study of working with the conductor, foreign languages, first and foremost Italian, as well as other opera languages are taught. In addition, we have introduced a number of courses, such as The History of the World Classical Repertoire, Ethics, The Basics of Style, into the academy’s program. These will help the attendees express their inner world more fully, as we are trying to educate the guys harmoniously.
It is important to emphasize that patrons make a significant contribution to the work of the opera academy. Without them, it simply would not be able to exist. We are very grateful to everyone who helps to develop the cultural sphere in our country, to bring opera art to the next level.
The academy has an international status. What does this mean?
Students from different countries of the world should study at an international academy and guest teachers must be giving the lectures. When we submitted an announcement about the start of admissions to the academy, we received about 100 applications from all over the world. However, the pandemic made its own adjustments. There were applicants from Italy, Spain, Russia, but not everyone was able to come. Among those who managed to make it, there were no particularly bright talents for us to choose them over our guys. Therefore, only Kazakhstani citizens attend the academy today.
Some of the academy’s attendees already perform at the Astana Opera Grand Hall. How to they manage to find the time for everything and are there any concessions made for them?
No concessions are made for them. On the contrary, they have even greater responsibility, because they need to be able to work on all of the material at the academy and onstage. We try to set up the schedule in such a way that these two things would not interfere with each other. In professional terms, this, of course, is one of the big pluses of studying at the Astana Opera Academy, as teachers help them work on the repertoire that they perform at the opera house.
The second semester has already started. How would you summarize the first results of the academy’s work?
Not that much time has passed to be able to speak of some drastic changes, but the results are clear. The guys onstage are not students anymore. Studying acting skills, deep immersion in their roles, in the material they are working on, allow them to set up more concrete goals for themselves. This differentiates master performers from students. An opportunity to go onstage in review concerts, to perform in front of the audience helps greatly to reinforce the knowledge that they receive while studying. An opportunity to go on tour gives them a great experience. The first tour performance, as you know, is planned to take place in Qaraqhandy. There are other tour performances ahead.
The first graduates of the academy will be indicative of its work. What effect are you planning on getting?
Despite the fact that the academy is established in Astana Opera, we expect for the effect of the educational institution’s work to be greater in scale and to impact not only the flagship opera house, but Kazakh vocal school as a whole. We are establishing the foundations for it to turn towards the European one.
When you have been taught well, you will be able to do the same in the future. Now, of course, they will sing at the country’s leading venues, but in the future there is a high probability that the artists will share their skills. We think that this is a very good investment in the future of the opera art in Kazakhstan.
