Behind the Screen with Bel Canto Boot Camp: The Singer’s Process; Opera of our Time with Chanae Curtis

Rachelle Jonck received her musical training at the Conservatory of the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. In her native country she was awarded a FNB/Vita award for her contribution to opera in South Africa and the Nederburg Opera Prize – South Africa’s premier opera award.

Rachelle moved to New York City as Head Vocal Coach and Assistant Conductor of Bel Canto at Caramoor. Her private coaching studio includes established professionals whose careers take them to the largest opera houses of the world, and younger singers still on the verge of a professional career. Her master class topics, while related to her main study field of bel canto, explore the wider application of the bel canto way of singing. rachellejonck.com

Photo: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Derrick Goff is an alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and has returned as member of the MET music staff. He has enjoyed many years of collaboration at Teatro Nuovo, a continuation of the young artist program of Bel Canto at Caramoor, where he is resident as a coach, chorusmaster, and Italian teacher. In addition to his work as a pianist, coach, and conductor, Derrick holds degrees in organ and voice from Westminster Choir College, and is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.

Photo: Jiyang Chen

Missouri-born tenor Steven Tharp’s operatic credits include performances with the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Netherlands Opera, among many other houses. Handel and Mozart are well represented in Mr. Tharp’s repertoire of more than 60 operatic parts, and his keen interest in 18th- and early 19th-century opera has led to many roles in operas of Gluck, Haydn, Scarlatti, Conti, and others. In concert, Mr. Tharp has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra, among others. His concert repertoire includes the Bach, Mozart, Handel, and Haydn masterpieces of the 18th and 19th century and extends to Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, Schönberg’s Gurre-Lieder, the Verdi Requiem, and Britten’s War Requiem. A dedicated song recitalist, Mr. Tharp has appeared at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the 92nd Street Y, Carnegie’s Weill Hall, venues in Europe, Japan, and South America. His interest in musical theater and cabaret led to his appearance in 3 Tenors in Search of an Act in a sold-out run at Don’t Tell Mama in New York. Steven has recorded for Decca, Delos, Newport, Albany and Naxos, earning a Grammy Award nomination. He has also served as stage director for the Manhattan School of Music and for Caramoor. He lives in Columbia, Missouri with his adorable Westie, Hector, and is Associate Professor of Voice at the University of Missouri. 

Roles whilst at the RWCMD include Alice Ford in Falstaff, Lady Billows in Albert Herring and Forester’s Wife/ Mrs Pasek in The Cunning Little Vixen. Other roles include, Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at Central City Opera, Colorado, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte at the Oberlin in Italy Festival, Mimi in La Bohème at the Manhattan School of Music, Flora in a concert performance of La Traviata with Ashland Symphony Orchestra and cover Tatyana in Eugene Onegin for Mid Wales Opera. Roles performed in opera scenes include the Title Role in Anna Bolena and Violetta in La Traviata at the Scuola di belcanto, Italy, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte at the Chautaqua Institution Voice Program, Sister Rose in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking and Sister Margaretta in The Sound of Music for Central City Opera, Adina in L’elisir d’Amore, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus and Zerlina in Don Giovanni at Ashland University. 
 
Chanae has won numerous awards, including the Dame Shirley Bassey Vocal Scholarship, Eileen Price Lieder Prize and Dolan Evans Award while at RWCMD, the Rotary Club Prize in the 2016 ‘Citta di Alcamo’ International Opera Singing Competition in Italy and also in 2016, the prestigious Pathfinder Award sponsored by the Arts Council of England. 
 
Concert highlights include Strauss’ Four Last Songs with the Royal Welsh College Symphony Orchestra at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Strauss’ Morgen for HRH the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace, London and the Te Deum from Verdi’s Four Sacred Pieces with the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.  
 
Chanae made her recital début at St. Martin-in-the-Fields singing works by Samuel Barber and Strauss’ Four Last Songs. She has performed Verdi’s cavatina Ernani, Ernani Involami on BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ and took part in a televised Masterclass with David Pountney as part of the 2017 BBC Cardiff Singer of The World Competition. 
 
Her Oratorio work includes Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Manhattan School of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Fauré Requiem and Bach’s Magnificat with the Ashland Symphony Orchestra and Handel’s Messiah and Seven Last Words of Christ with the Galion Community Orchestra, Ohio. 

Ms. Curtis holds a B.A. of Arts from Ashland University (Ohio), A Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City and has completed the M.A. Opera Course at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama with Distinction (Cardiff, Wales).