Arias of achievement

Glyndebourne Academy has been offering guidance to young singers who might not otherwise get the chance, as Tom Stewart finds out...

- Tom Stewart

In a bright and airy studio at the University of Chichester, a coach is helping a group of young singers get to grips with an Italian tongue twister. As the students repeat the phrase 'sotto la panca, la capra crepa', the coach shows them how to use their teeth and tongues to produce the 'energised' consonants needed for a convincingly Italian performance. Unlike most (English-speaking) instrumentalists, who can get by with a smattering of musical terms from other languages, opera singers require a detailed understanding of at least Italian, German and French, perhaps adding in some Russian along the way. Then there's breathing, posture and movement - and that's before you consider the music itself.