Opera | Vocal

Following a successful residency in spring 2025,  Bel Canto Boot Camp is back for two weeks in May 2026, bringing Canadian and International singers together to explore the beloved Bel Canto repertoire. Led by Rachelle Jonck (co-founder of Bel Canto Boot Camp) and Derrick Goff (Home | My Site), the 2026 edition offers:

• Daily group classes covering the bel canto skill set, the Italian libretto, ornamentation, vocalises

• Daily individual coachings with Rachelle Jonck and Derrick Goff

• Participation in two public concerts

A Maximum of 10-12 Singers will be accepted for this Academy.

Group classes focus on the following topics:

• The Bel Canto Skill Set: We break down the core vocal skills of the bel canto style of singing. These sessions include getting to know historical treatises and exercises that singers used to do in the days of Mozart, Rossini and Verdi. We all try the exercises together and discuss how we can make them part of our daily practice routine.

• The Italian Libretto: We explore the basics of poetic forms used in the classic Italian number opera. These sessions include learning how Italian poetry scans and how that influences the composer and also the performer who brings the score to life. It explains how the syllabification of the poetic line informs text underlay. It also covers phrasal doubling - often excluded or not emphasized enough in modern diction courses.

• Ornamentation from Handel to Verdi: These sessions are designed to help singers learn how to create their own ornamentation and cadenzas. We learn again from the treatise writers how to see the skeleton of a musical phrase and how that skeleton can be fleshed out in different ways.

• The Power of the Vocalise: These sessions introduce singers to the vast world of historical vocalises. Singers used to practice their skill set in vocalises before tackling their repertoire and they continued to practice the same to keep their chops up! We should do the same!