From Martina Franca to Lisboa, from a screen to the stage.

I met Maddalena De Biasi - young soprano from Verona of rare artistic temperament and taste (not to mention her beauty) - exactly two years ago, in the early Fall of 2020, as a student of the Accademia del Belcanto "Rodolfo Celletti" in Martina Franca, where I teach.

At the time she identified as leggero di coloratura and was about to graduate at Santa Cecilia under the exquisite Sara Mingardo - artist and teacher who needs no introductions to this audience.

After her graduation, Maddalena went through a vocal crisis and asked me to become her (only) Maestra.

So, after clarifying what a studying path that makes sense means for me, and what it looks like, exactly one year ago we began working together.

Her former teacher was great enough not to oppose the initiative and kept Maddalena under her wing nonetheless, finding her gigs and so on.

Incidentally, Maddalena is as well the eldest of SEVEN siblings and definitely doesn't come from a wealthy family: her weekly sessions with me throughout the past year were made possible by the promotions that I periodically send out through this very newsletter, and by initiatives such as the Salvadanaio.

The currently active FALL! offer will expire the day after tomorrow: this coming Friday, Sep 30th, at midnight, Italian time, so you may want to check it out now below:

That said, now you are welcome to simply just hear for yourselves.

This is the initial coloratura Maddalena, in August '21.

Here we are figuring out some of Lakmé's Paganinian gestures.

A couple of months later we had stopped making the voice and reaching the notes:

we were now welcoming the Unknown and embodying the score and the character

in a woken up, magnetic, yet dreamy physical state:

Ups and down followed, but her growth was steady,

because her paradigm had shifted for good.

Here's the two of us revisiting her perused Despina

as an adult, sexually mature character

with complete pelvic (and mental) reliability:

Finally, this is her a few days ago, in occasion of her first international debut in Lisboa,

in the Belcanto protagonist role of Fanny from Rossini's La Cambiale di Matrimonio.

"Per me non si è trattato solo di un percorso vocale e tecnico.

Lavorando con la Maestra Gamarro ho imparato la pazienza, la professionalità e l'ascolto.

Da qualche mese a questa parte sto imparando a gestire le mie energie e il mio tempo in modo funzionale e costruttivo.

Il mio rapporto con la musica è cambiato radicalmente:

non più pietra inaridita e asettica, ma scintilla, energia, profondità

(della pronuncia e degli strati emotivi che scaturiscono magicamente da una vocale).

Ho trovato un contatto elettrico.

Maria Callas diceva che il suono nasce prima nella testa,

ma trovo che la spiegazione della Maestra Gamarro sia più efficace:

bisogna sentire il suono con le orecchie della mente,

visualizzarlo, aspettarlo e fidarci

della sensazione fisica che scaturisce da quel pensiero,

che da qualche parte è già suono e quindi materia. 

Sara non insegna solo il canto, ma soprattutto la parola:

le restituisce il suo originario potere comunicativo che nell'Opera è andato via via perdendosi attraverso decenni di scimmiottamenti e imitazioni anestetizzanti.

Quando canto mi sento viva e presente.

Con questo tipo di lavoro l'Opera può rinascere e continuare a vivere con ogni interprete."


-Maddalena De Biasi-

I say "Amen" to all that.

See you online soon?

La Maestra

“extremely good at this” (Graham Vick)

"a fantastic coach, extremely helpful for young singers as well as experienced ones" (Barbara Hannigan)

“bringing the language, the music and the characters to life” (Paul Nilon)

“the foundation of a role” (Jennifer Rowley)

“magic conjunction of vocal technique, musical interpretation and building of the character: a radical rethinking of the act of singing” (Anna Piroli)

“incredible breadth of knowledge” (Heather Lowe)

“magic effect on the voice and our art form” (Jessica Harper)

“opened up a world” (Giulia Zaniboni)

“180 degree turn in my work with the singers” (Theophilos Lambrianidis)

“invaluable: she’ll make a role really succeed on stage” (Ariadne Greif)

“potentially life-changing” (Amy Payne)

“brings life to operatic drama” (Maria Sanner)

“enlightening, professionally and humanly” (Clara La Licata)

“thoroughly prepared and professional” (Marie Kuijken)

“truly unique method and insights” (Jasmine Law)

“a lingual and linguistic genius” (Peter Tantsits)

“entirely devoted to the art of Opera singing” (Ida Falk Winland)

“incredibly informed, consistent, knowledgeable” (Michael Corvino)

“carrying the torch of finest Italian Opera” (Nathaniel Kondrat)

“a crucial basis for all the singers” (David Cowan)

“a cure and a respect of the Music and the words’ musicality that can be learnt so deeply nowhere else in the world” (Matilde Bianchi)