Most days will begin with an Italian class, taught by a local Italian teacher, guiding the students on basic Italian and uncovering the hot spots in the town of Breno.
Next the students will join a group class, connecting body, mind and spirit. Each singer will have the opportunity to come together and feel energized by one another. Introducing a new topic every day to allow for freedom of body and voice, mentor Maghan McPhee will guide the class from meditation, to breath techniques, performance anxiety strategies, to gentle vocal warm-ups and all in between.
The group class is followed by a masterclass, where each singer will have the opportunity to perform with our esteemed pianists.
After a scrumptious home-made lunch made by the sisters of the convent, the students break-up into rehearsal rooms to practice and receive coachings on a daily basis. Solo repertoire will be worked out two months prior. Maghan McPhee will meet over Zoom in the month of May to discuss repertoire and the goals of each student. Ensembles will be assigned a month before BIIMA begins.
At the 7th bell, we all reconvene for a home-made Italian dinner, followed by a night out for vino or gelato!
The students’ hard work will be showcased at a gala concert at the end of the program. There will also be two days off where planned excursions will be offered.
“When I signed up to be a part of BIIMA, I went with the simple goal of working on new music to flesh out my audition repertoire. At the end of the program two weeks later, I left Italy with something I hadn’t realized I had lost: simple, profound joy in making music. BIIMA is called a vocal intensive for a reason—I was asked to work hard, and I was challenged as an artist and as a vocalist. But Maghan, Carl, and Christina have created a remarkable learning environment where you feel supported in every aspect of your journey. When they say they meet you where you’re at, it’s not a pithy marketing line—it’s a promise from three accomplished artists who genuinely care about the learning and well-being of the students they teach.” Sarah Nearing BIIMA 2022
