Academy
Programme of Excellency for Early Music
Description
Academy Season 4
July 27th – August 17th, 2025
Concerts 2025
Information
Faculty 2025
CVs
Programme of Excellency for Early Music
In cooperation with Hochschule für Musik Mainz and Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz Barock Vokal Akademie offers a unique programme for specialization on the field of Early Music, addressing advanced young singers.
The Barock Vokal Akademie would be pleased to welcome young singers – ideally not older than 30 years of age– whose level of vocal education allows them to deal with matters of stylistic inter-pretation and performance as young professionals. We would like to support young professional singers to develop their skills and introduce them members of the Early Music network. Musical inquisitiveness, enthusiasm and openness to repertoire off beaten tracks is being appreciated.
From around 1600 until well into the 18th century vocal music is based on the so called basso continuo. The singers’ focus on chamber music and their desire for (textual) expressivity gave way to vanity and the lust for excessive use of vocal embellishment and agility at the beginning of the 18th century. However, drama and virtuosity of late baroque and classical music couldn’t have developed without the profound understanding of vocal chamber music and soloistic ensemble singing.
This is our motivation to dedicate the work at BVA to arias from the 18th century and from the early baroque period, to the so-called main repertoire and lesser known pieces in German, Italian and French. We wish to offer insight in special aspects and general principles of baroque performance practice and how to use that knowledge practically. And maybe we can also kindle our participants’ curiosity to dive into the wonderful world of unpublished repertoire.
Academy 27.7.-17.8.2025
The 4th Barock Vokal Akademie features the following three topics:
Bach & Family – sacred music by Johann Sebastian and other Bachs
Bach’s music under the baton of one of his successors: Former Thomaskantor, conductor and baritone Gotthold Schwarz will be leading the concert with sacred music by Bach and family members.
Scarlatti & Friends – vocal chambermusic accompanied by basso continuo
Alessandro de Marchi returns to our programme – this year as patron of our programme and as teacher/conductor, heading the chambermusic week. With pieces by Alessandro Scarlatti, his son Domenico and some of their friends (or competitors) our young participants will again unearth treasures of baroque vocal music.
Handel – Ariodante
Led again by inspiring conductor Paul Goodwin, our summer academy will close with another thrilling opera by George Frederic Handel – the lesser known Ariodante. It’s an opera full of colourful and virtuoso music challenging and rewarding!
We offer individual vocal coaching, lessons in vocal embellishment including cadenzas, recitative, round tables, performance training, baroque dance, auditions before agencies and concert organizators.
And last but not least the participants can enjoy interesting lectures from our musicological colleagues.
Concerts 2025
Saturday, 2.8.2025
Bach & Family
Sacred music from Johann Sebastian and his relatives
Sunday, 10.8.2025
Bach & Family
Sacred music from Johann Sebastian and his relatives
Sunday, 17.8.2025
Georg Friedrich Händel – Ariodante
Semi-staged presentation of the opera seria
As soon as we can provide proper information for the concerts, we will create links to Eventbrite and generate QR-codes. Through these QR-codes You can then access the reservation pages.
Please note that there is free access to our concerts and You are free to chose Your seat. Registration via Eventbrite is solely for organisational purposes (number of seats). Thank You for Your understanding!
BVA 2023 – Impressions
Faculty of Barock Vokal Akademie 2025
Prof. Dr. Karl Böhmer (musicology, Bach and Händel)
teaches at the HfM Mainz stylistics of the 18th century. His favourite research topics are the 18th century and Bach, Handel, Alessandro Scarlatti and Mozart as well as opera seria and oratorio. He has published two books (“Mozart in Mainz”, “Händel in Rom”) and various essays in congress reports and musicological journals.
>>Karl Böhmer
Daniele Boccaccio (harpsichord, language coach Italian)
works as harpsichordist, organ player and conductor. He performs as soloist as well as continuo player with chamber music groups and orchestras. And besides teaching, he edits musical manuscripts.
>>www.danieleboccaccio.it
Alessandro de Marchi (conductor; chamber music programme: Non solo io)
succeded René Jacobs as long-time director of the Innsbrucker Festwochen and founded the biggest singing competition for Baroque singing in Europe, the Cesti-competition. An internationally renowned conductor he is a regular guest at La Fenice, La Scala, Théatre de la Monnaie, all three Berlin opera houses et al. and works with the most distinguished orchestras, baroque and non-baroque.
>>www.alessandro-de-marchi.net
Paul Goodwin (conductor, Handel: Alcina)
Paul Goodwin started out as Baroque oboist, working with the leading Baroque orchestras, before turning to conducting. He is enjoying a distinguished career as conductor of Baroque bands and symphonic orchestras and has held positions as artistic director of prestigeous festivals like the Carmel Bach Festival. He also is a dedicated teacher and commits himself to educational programmes.
>>www.paulgoodwinconductor.com
Prof. Elisabeth Scholl (vocal coach, artistic director of BVA)
is a soprano with musicological background and specialization in Baroque singing. She has acquired expertise on the field of Baroque opera, oratorio and cantata throughout her extensive work with conductors and ensembles specialized in historic performance practice.
www.elisabethscholl.com
Gotthold Schwarz (conductor, Bach & Friends)
CV to follow
Markus Stein (harpsichord, chamber music, managing director of BVA)
teaches basso continuo at the HfM Mainz and is a sought-after accompanist for singers and chamber musicians, as well on the organ as on the harpsichord. He’s one of the relevant minds behind the telemann-project.
https://www.cembalist-markus-stein.de
Nicolas Tamagna (vocal coach)
CV to follow
List of faculty to be completed.
Contact
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