Baroque Academy Opera Project

Il trionfo dell'onore by Alessandro Scarlatti

June 29, 2024-July 6, 2024

Union College
807 Union Street
Schenectady, NY 12308
United States

Tuition:

$710

Co-directed by Jason McStoots and Alessandro Quarta

Baroque Academy at the Amherst Early Music offers a unique opportunity for music students, advanced amateurs, and young starting professionals to explore music in the 17th and 18th centuries. Students work closely with internationally renowned faculty members to expand their knowledge of Baroque style, technique, ornamentation, and repertoire.

The 2024 Baroque Academy will be held at Union College in Schenectady, NY, June 29 -July 6, 2024. Opera singers should plan to begin rehearsing the afternoon of Saturday, June 29. (The Festival week runs June 30 - July 7.)

Pitch is A=415.
Audition due date: April 1, 2024 for singers.
Tuition: $710.

The Opera Project at the 2024 Amherst Early Music Festival will be Il trionfo dell'onore, by Alessandro Scarlatti. Co-directed by Jason McStoots and Alessandro Quarta, with Lawrence Rosenwald, texts, Dorothy Olsson, historical dance, Ronnie Snader, costumes, and Paul Guttry, sets and props.

Perform a role in our fully staged production with Baroque orchestra and historical dance. Sessions on period acting and performance techniques. Master class and coachings. Performance Friday, July 5, 2024. Audition by April 1, 2024 (singers), April 15, 2024 (instrumentalists).

Baroque Opera Project Daily Schedule: 9:00-10:30 Master class, 11:00-12:15 staging rehearsal, 1:30-3:00 musical rehearsal, 3:30 to 5:30 tutti rehearsal with orchestra. Opera dress rehearsal: Thursday evening, July 6 , after the Faculty Concert.

Il trionfo dell'onore by Alessandro Scarlatti

Il trionfo dell'onore (The Triumph of Honour) is an operatic 'commedia' in three acts by the Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti, with a libretto by Francesco Antonio Tullio [it]. It was first performed at the Teatro dei Fiorentini, Naples, on 26 November 1718. It is Scarlatti's only known comic opera.'

Opera Plot

Il trionofo dell'onore of Alessandro Scarlatti is very much in storyline akin to Don Giovanni. Like Don Giovanni, the story centers around a dissolute young man, Ricardo Albenori, and his older male side-kick, Captain Rodimarte Bombarda. They arrive in the Italian city of Pisa after fleeing trouble with the law and with their romantic entanglements in Lucca. They are fleeing to Ricardo's Uncle's house - Flaminio Castravacca. In Lucca, Ricardo has seduced Leonora Dorini, and then thrown her over for another conquest, Doralice Rosetti. He was close to completing his seduction of Doralice when he had to flee Lucca. Both women follow Ricardo to Pisa, and take refuge with Doralice's Aunt, Cornelia Buffacci. Unbeknownst to their various kin, Flaminio and Cornelia are married, they also have a servant girl, Rosina Caruccia. Later on, Leonora's Brother, Erminio Dorini, himself in love with Doralice, shows up. He has been away, nearby, on business. He passes through Pisa and learns of the situation. The quartet of mixed-up young lovers have various interactions, much like Don Giovanni. The two woman lament their situation together, Riccardo and Rodimarte interact with both and with Rosina and get comical relationship advice from the older couple and their saucy servant. Rodimarte falls in love with Rosina himself. Ricardo makes plans to run away with Doralice, but is thwarted by Erminio. The interactions culminate in a duel between Ricardo and Erminio. Ricardo is wounded and repents his dissolute life and accepts his marriage to Leonora. Here, unlike Don Giovanni, there is a happy ending! No Ghost or dead dad, no dragging off to hell..the cad gets his comeuppance and settles down to married life.

Cast of Characters

Riccardo Albenori, a dissolute young man
Leonora Dorini, of Lucca, sister of Erminio
Doralice Rosetti, of Lucca, niece of Cornelia
Erminio Dorini, of Lucca, brother of Leonora
Flaminio Castravacca, of Pisa, uncle of Riccardo, betrothed to Cornelia
Cornelia Buffacci, of Pisa, aunt of Doralice, betrothed to Flaminio
Rosina Caruccia, of Pisa, servant of Flaminio and Cornelia
Capitan Rodimarte Bombarda, companion of Riccardo, falls in love with Rosina

Audition Due date

April 1, 2024

Faculty

Jason

McStoots*

Co-director

Alessandro

Quarta*

Co-director

Lawrence

Rosenwald

Voice

Aaron

Sheehan *

Voice

Where

View larger map

Festival FAQs

TRAVEL
Union College
807 Union Street, Schenectady, NY 12308
Close to a major airport (15+ minutes from Albany International Airport), accessible by Amtrak (station is 1 mile from Union College) and Megabus, Union College is 3 hours away by car from NYC and Boston, and 4 hours from Montreal.

MEALS
The meal card is $178 and covers one week of meals starting with dinner on Sunday, June 30, (July 7 for second week) thru breakfast on Sunday, July 7, (July 14 for second week) .A la carte meal prices are $6.75 / $9.50 / $10.50 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

ROOMS
All standard rooms are air-conditioned with private baths. Budget rate housing is not air-conditioned, with hall baths. Basic linens (sheets, pillow, and towels) are included with all housing. Beds are twin, extra long.

Baroque Academy Audition Information

To apply for Baroque Academy, please submit the following through our audition portal. Due dates are April 1, 2024 for singers, and April 15, 2024 for instrumentalists.

$30 registration fee
Your resume or a brief description (one or two paragraphs) summarizing your musical background and experience, including formal and informal training and education.
10-15 minutes of music showing your technique, expression, and understanding of Baroque style. The piece need not be accompanied. Please include composer and title information with your submission.
Singers auditioning for the Baroque Opera Project will need to submit a head shot and a brief physical description: hair color, eye color, height, and weight. Photographs are accepted in any standard form. This information is required to be considered for a role in the opera.

Scholarships & Work-Study

Work-Study

All participants are welcome to apply for tuition assistance through AEM's Work-Study program. Please fill out the work study application form to apply. Notice of awards will be sent in late May. Questions about Work-Study can be sent to Click here to show mail address.

AEM Scholarships

To apply for all AEM scholarships, including the Washington McClain Scholarship, please fill out this form.

The Washington McClain Scholarship Fund honors the memory of Baroque oboist and Amherst Early Music faculty member Washington McClain. It will fund scholarships for students who have historically been underrepresented in the early music field, including African-American, Latinx, and others. Awards will cover tuition, room and board, and travel and may be used for any in-person AEM event, particularly the Amherst Early Music Festival.

In addition to scholarships, AEM offers work study tuition to all of our workshops, and the Amherst Early Music Festival. Work study is an option for students of any age.

Other Organizations

American Recorder Society offers scholarships to recorder players for Weekend Workshops as well as Summer Festivals. Any ARS member who needs financial assistance to attend a weekend or week-long workshop may apply for this scholarship. Deadline: May 15.

Lute Society of America scholarships include full tuition, room & board, and some travel. Due Date May 1.

Early Music America offers scholarships to help students attend early music and historical performance workshops in North America. Applications due April 1.

Viola da Gamba Society of America offers Grants-in-Aid to its members to attend Workshops and Masterclasses.

The Historical Keyboard Society of North America has established the Funaro Fund Award to support its members to offset the cost of traveling to an early keyboard event.

COVID-19 Policy

The COVID virus is still with us, though happily most people will only get mildly sick if infected. The Festival is a congregate living environment, with a population ranging in age from 1 to 90+ where we live, play music and dance together for several days. Our main approach to preventing Covid will be testing, and, like last year, we need everyone to test and to let us know if they experience symptoms.

Rapid testing is required to attend the Festival for all participants, faculty, and staff. Take an at-home COVID test the day before arrival at Union College, and a second test the morning of arrival. Two-week students take a third test on Saturday July 6. Send a photo of your tests to Click here to show mail address before you arrive on campus. Bring extra tests in case you develop symptoms during the week. (visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.htm… see a list of symptoms)

Masking is optional. Masking decisions are personal and will be respected.

Vaccinations and boosters are encouraged but not required. Anyone with symptoms, or feeling unwell should notify us immediately, and not attend any classes or events. Self evaluation: Before coming to the Festival if you are experiencing symptoms that may indicate Covid, regardless of test results, DO NOT COME. Notify us right away. Anyone who tests positive for Covid at the Festival will be moved to a room in an isolated wing, and have cafeteria meals delivered, or could leave campus.

If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID before arrival, please do not come to the Festival until your symptoms abate and you have tested negative twice over two days. f you begin to experience symptoms of COVID while at the Festival we will ask you to isolate or leave campus until your symptoms abate and you have tested negative twice over two days

(Updated May 22, 2024)