📆 7–13 August 2026
📍Maiolati Spontini (AN)
Are you a singer in training, a young professional, or someone just beginning to explore the baroque repertoire and looking for an experience that goes beyond ordinary lessons? Spontini Opera Studio was created to offer you exactly that: an intensive week of study, rehearsals, and ensemble music-making, culminating in a real public performance with orchestra, on a theatre stage.
Not an isolated masterclass, but a complete journey from individual preparation all the way to opening night.
The work chosen for this inaugural edition is La conversione di San Guglielmo by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: an eighteenth-century Neapolitan sacred drama that is rare, dramatically powerful, and vocally extraordinary. A repertoire you will rarely have the chance to study and even less often the chance to perform.
You will work side by side with Roberta Invernizzi, vocal and performance practice teacher and one of the leading international sopranos in baroque performance – alongside a dedicated artistic team: Greta Benini, répétiteur, and Alessandro Benigni, conductor. Five roles, five singers, the Accademia Dorica string orchestra: a professional setting, shaped around the needs of a young artist on the rise.
Faculty
Applying couldn’t be easier!
- Read the call for applications: you’ll find it below, or you can download the PDF version.
- Choose your role and record the required audition aria (you may audition for more than one role, click on each title to download the score):
- San Guglielmo – soprano – Aria No. 1: “Ch’io muti consiglio”
- San Bernardo – soprano or tenor – Aria No. 7: “Come non pensi ch’un foco eterno”
- Angelo – light soprano or coloratura soprano – Aria No. 6: “Dove mai raminga vai”
- Cuosemo – basso buffo – Aria No. 4: “Si vedisse cca’dinto a ‘sto core”
- Demonio – bass-baritone or bass – Aria No. 9: “Se mai viene in campo armato”
- Fill in the online form and submit your application!
Rules & Regulations
Spontini Opera Studio
2026
Li prodigi della divina grazia nella conversione
e morte di San Guglielmo duca d’Aquitania
(La conversione di San Guglielmo [duca d’Aquitania])
Sacred Drama by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Article 1 – Project Overview
Accademia Dorica, in partnership with the Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini and the Municipality of Maiolati Spontini, announces an open call for participation in the Spontini Opera Studio 2026, a project dedicated to promoting and sharing the repertoire of Gaspare Spontini, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, and related composers through the annual staging of an operatic or sacred work performed by young singers in training.
The 2026 edition will focus on Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s sacred drama Li prodigi della divina grazia nella conversione e morte di san Guglielmo duca d’Aquitania, also known by its short title La conversione di San Guglielmo [duca d’Aquitania].
The project will run from 7 to 13 August 2026 and will culminate in a concert performance with string orchestra and basso continuo on 13 August 2026 at the Teatro “G. Spontini” in Maiolati Spontini (AN).
The course faculty will include Roberta Invernizzi, lead vocal and performance practice teacher; Greta Benini, répétiteur; and Alessandro Benigni, conductor.
The project offers participants an intensive study programme focused on Pergolesi’s sacred drama, with close attention to vocal technique, stylistic interpretation, ensemble work, and preparation for the final public performance.
Art. 2 – Roles Subject to Selection
The call is open for the following five roles:
- San Guglielmo – soprano
- San Bernardo – soprano or tenor
- Angelo – light soprano or coloratura soprano
- Cuosemo – basso buffo
- Demonio – bass-baritone or bass
Candidates may apply for more than one role.
Art. 3 – Admission Requirements
The call is open to candidates currently enrolled in baroque or classical voice programmes at Conservatoires, Universities, or other accredited higher music education institutions.
There is no age limit.
Knowledge of Italian is not required, though it is welcomed. The course will be conducted in both Italian and English.
Art. 4 – Application Procedure
The application must be submitted exclusively online via:
To participate in the selection, the following materials are required::
- An up-to-date artistic curriculum
- YouTube link containing the video of the requested aria for the chosen role (415hZ)
No other materials are required.
No additional materials are required.
The required audition arias are as follows:
- San Guglielmo – Aria No. 1: “Ch’io muti consiglio”
- San Bernardo – Aria No. 7: “Come non pensi ch’un foco eterno”
- Cuosemo – Aria No. 4: “Si vedisse cca’dinto a ‘sto core”
- Demonio – Aria No. 9: “Se mai viene in campo armato”
- Angelo – Aria No. 6: “Dove mai raminga vai”
Scores for the required arias – in both full score and basso continuo reduction – are available by clicking on the titles.
Art. 5 – Selection Process
Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the submitted materials.
If applying for more than one role, a separate video must be submitted for each role.
There is no application fee.
The panel will evaluate candidates on their vocal, musical, and interpretative suitability for the roles in question.
The panel will consist of: Roberta Invernizzi, lead teacher; Greta Benini, répétiteur; Alessandro Benigni, conductor.
The organisation reserves the right to leave one or more roles uncast should no suitable candidate be identified.
Art. 6 – Deadlines
Applications must be submitted by May 15, 2026.
The outcome of the selection will be communicated by May 30, 2026.
Successful candidates must confirm their participation by completing payment of the participation fee within 20 days of receiving their acceptance notification. Payment details will be provided in the acceptance email.
Art. 7 – Course Structure
The course will take place from 7 to 13 August 2026, structured as follows:
- 7–9 August – Individual and ensemble preparation with Greta Benini
- 10–13 August – Vocal and interpretative coaching with Roberta Invernizzi, and orchestral rehearsals under the direction of Alessandro Benigni
Full rehearsal schedules will be communicated to accepted participants at a later stage.
Attendance is mandatory for the entire duration of the course.
The performance will be given at A=415 Hz.
The organisation reserves the right to withdraw a role assignment from any participant who arrives at rehearsals insufficiently prepared. In such cases, the participation fee will not be refunded.
Art. 8 – Participation Fee and Financial Terms
The participation fee for accepted candidates is €790.00 per person.
This fee covers:
- All teaching sessions and rehearsals
- Full board and accommodation for the duration of the project
Travel expenses are not included and remain the responsibility of each participant.
Attendance as an auditor is also possible. For information on availability and costs, please write to: info@accademiadorica.it
Art. 9 – Final Performance and Artistic Terms
Selected candidates will take part in the final performance on 13 August 2026 at the Teatro “G. Spontini” in Maiolati Spontini (AN).
No fee is paid for this performance.
Should additional performances be scheduled at a later stage, participating singers will receive professional fees, the terms of which will be communicated and agreed upon separately.
Art. 10 – Photo, Audio, and Video Materials
Accademia Dorica reserves the right to take photographs and make audio and video recordings during course activities, rehearsals, and the final performance, for documentation, archival, and institutional promotional purposes.
By submitting an application, participants grant permission for their likeness and any recordings to be used for these purposes, without entitlement to compensation, unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Art. 11 – Data Protection
Personal data provided by applicants will be processed by Accademia Dorica APS, registered at Via G. Marconi, 23 – Maiolati Spontini (AN), C.F. 92057130426, solely for purposes relating to the management of the selection process and the organisation of the project, in compliance with applicable data protection legislation.
Art. 12 – Acceptance of Terms
By submitting an application, candidates confirm that they have read and fully accept the terms of this call and agree to abide by the decisions of the organisation and the selection panel.
Art. 13 – Final Provisions
Accademia Dorica reserves the right to amend this call for organisational reasons or in cases of force majeure, and will communicate any such changes promptly through its official channels.
Any matters not expressly covered by this document shall be governed by the organisation’s own determinations.