In addition to its core faculty of opera industry professionals, Canto Vocal Programs makes it a point to provide its students with instruction and feedback from industry professionals from outside of the program. This week, they were treated to coachings and a masterclass by Ken Weiss, a coach, pianist, and conductor who trains singers and pianists in the Washington National Opera Doming-Cafritz young artist program. The public was invited to attend the masterclass, and got to see the great work being done.
Weiss opened the class by sharing his philosophy on masterclasses, that the point of them is that students see how much they can learn from colleagues and identify skills that that they themselves can use. As an audience member, I was impressed by how he treated each singer professionally and gently, and always with a good sense of humor, lightheartedness, and ease and efficiency of communication. In an industry where there are plenty of environments that can tear singers down, it was refreshing to say the least that Canto brings in coaches like Weiss who are more than personable. It’s a testament to their commitment to creating a happy place for singers to hone their craft.
Ken Weiss
Mezzo-soprano Reyna Sawtell was the first student of four selected for this class to sing, and brought a beautiful rendition of Donizetti’s “All’afflitto” from Roberto Devereux that was made even more beautiful by the end of her time with Weiss. After Sawtell sang through the entire piece with pianist and Canto core faculty member Liora Maurer, Weiss talked a bit about the dramatic situation at the point in the opera where the aria appears, then started to work with Sawtell on diction. Here both the singer and the audience got to participate, as Weiss asked both her and us to try some of the different sounds, such as doubling certain consonants. It was this technical work, combined with the invitation to the audience to participate, that emphasized and supported Weiss’s assertion about colleagues learning from each other.
Ken Weiss and Andres Groza
While the work from singer to singer in this masterclass was cumulative, Weiss had something unique to say to and about each one. Baritone Yichuan Lyu offered a lovely “Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen” from Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, which prompted information about the composer’s history as a film composer. Not only was this an interesting fact to share, but it implied the depth of knowledge that a performer needs to have when performing a work. For this aria, too, there was work on and discussion of German diction, especially as it concerns audience expectations. Soprano Rachel Pépin’s fiery rendition of “Tutto nel cor mi sento” from Mozart’s Idomeneo offered an opportunity to address efficiency in technique with florid passages as well as how to handle repetition. Finally, bass Andres Groza’s delightful singing of “Vi ravviso” from Bellini’s La sonnambula provided the icing on the cake of the class in particular by its discussion of cadenzas and how to handle them. And like a good cadenza provides a satisfying ending to an aria, this felt like the right piece and discussion to end the class.
All in all, I really appreciated how both this masterclass and the Canto faculty masterclass did not attempt to address vocal technique, which is something that must be built over time and through long-term consistent study, but rather focused on language, music, and physicality instead. These are tools that every singer needs in addition to their technique, and by opening these classes for public attendance, other singers who are not part of the program can learn and share in the performance tools that are being applied. Perhaps even better, attendees who are not musicians can learn to appreciate everything that goes into a performance, and enjoy the next show they attend all the more. Beyond that, these were downright enjoyable performances very much worth the price of admission. Bravi tutti!
Maggie Ramsey
Midsummer Opera – Masterclass by Ken Weiss
Singers and Faculty:
Mezzo-Soprano – Reyna Sawtell; Baritone – Yichuan Lyu; Soprano – Rachel Pépin; Bass – Andres Groza
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Washington National Opera Coach Ken Weiss Holds Masterclass With Canto Virginia
In addition to its core faculty of opera industry professionals, Canto Vocal Programs makes it a point to provide its students with instruction and feedback from industry professionals from outside of the program. This week, they were treated to coachings and a masterclass by Ken Weiss, a coach, pianist, and conductor who trains singers and pianists in the Washington National Opera Doming-Cafritz young artist program. The public was invited to attend the masterclass, and got to see the great work being done.
Weiss opened the class by sharing his philosophy on masterclasses, that the point of them is that students see how much they can learn from colleagues and identify skills that that they themselves can use. As an audience member, I was impressed by how he treated each singer professionally and gently, and always with a good sense of humor, lightheartedness, and ease and efficiency of communication. In an industry where there are plenty of environments that can tear singers down, it was refreshing to say the least that Canto brings in coaches like Weiss who are more than personable. It’s a testament to their commitment to creating a happy place for singers to hone their craft.
Mezzo-soprano Reyna Sawtell was the first student of four selected for this class to sing, and brought a beautiful rendition of Donizetti’s “All’afflitto” from Roberto Devereux that was made even more beautiful by the end of her time with Weiss. After Sawtell sang through the entire piece with pianist and Canto core faculty member Liora Maurer, Weiss talked a bit about the dramatic situation at the point in the opera where the aria appears, then started to work with Sawtell on diction. Here both the singer and the audience got to participate, as Weiss asked both her and us to try some of the different sounds, such as doubling certain consonants. It was this technical work, combined with the invitation to the audience to participate, that emphasized and supported Weiss’s assertion about colleagues learning from each other.
While the work from singer to singer in this masterclass was cumulative, Weiss had something unique to say to and about each one. Baritone Yichuan Lyu offered a lovely “Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen” from Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, which prompted information about the composer’s history as a film composer. Not only was this an interesting fact to share, but it implied the depth of knowledge that a performer needs to have when performing a work. For this aria, too, there was work on and discussion of German diction, especially as it concerns audience expectations. Soprano Rachel Pépin’s fiery rendition of “Tutto nel cor mi sento” from Mozart’s Idomeneo offered an opportunity to address efficiency in technique with florid passages as well as how to handle repetition. Finally, bass Andres Groza’s delightful singing of “Vi ravviso” from Bellini’s La sonnambula provided the icing on the cake of the class in particular by its discussion of cadenzas and how to handle them. And like a good cadenza provides a satisfying ending to an aria, this felt like the right piece and discussion to end the class.
All in all, I really appreciated how both this masterclass and the Canto faculty masterclass did not attempt to address vocal technique, which is something that must be built over time and through long-term consistent study, but rather focused on language, music, and physicality instead. These are tools that every singer needs in addition to their technique, and by opening these classes for public attendance, other singers who are not part of the program can learn and share in the performance tools that are being applied. Perhaps even better, attendees who are not musicians can learn to appreciate everything that goes into a performance, and enjoy the next show they attend all the more. Beyond that, these were downright enjoyable performances very much worth the price of admission. Bravi tutti!
Maggie Ramsey
Midsummer Opera – Masterclass by Ken Weiss
Singers and Faculty:
Mezzo-Soprano – Reyna Sawtell; Baritone – Yichuan Lyu; Soprano – Rachel Pépin; Bass – Andres Groza
Coach – Ken Weiss
Sterling, VA, July 21, 2025
Top image: Ken Weiss and Reyna Sawtell
All photos by Matt Hardy