The Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo begins training new musical talents

The 15 selected singers and 15 vocal coaches will complete their training at the Centre between April and June and again between September and December. The selected artists, from various countries, are in some cases foreigners who have chosen to settle in the Valencian Community. At the end of the course, nine pianists and nine singers, having successfully completed their training, will have the opportunity to join the artistic activities programmed for the upcoming season at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.
The Centre de Perfeccionament, along with those in Los Angeles and Washington, is the third center sponsored by Plácido Domingo for the promotion of young talent. The Spanish tenor is also the driving force behind the international Operalia competition, which since 1993 has brought together promising young opera singers with the aim of discovering and supporting the most outstanding careers. The 2006 edition of the competition was held at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.

The center's primary objective is to provide young singers and musicians with training that reflects the current professional realities of the opera world. The center's artistic director is the Italian maestro Alberto Zedda, whose work as a conductor, music organizer, philologist, and teacher makes him a leading authority and a guarantee of a comprehensive understanding of training and the artistic profession in the world of theater and music. His extensive career as a conductor in major theaters in Italy, Spain, the United States, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Israel is complemented by broad experience in teaching and research. Among his many works, he is the author of the critical revision of Gioachino Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, which paved the way for subsequent critical editions of the Italian operatic repertoire. He is currently the director of the Accademia Rossiniana and the artistic director of the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro.

Project Sipario

Within its transnational vocation, the Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo will develop international projects financed by the European Social Fund, which will allow the Valencian center to be linked with other training centers in Europe.

In this regard, the Generalitat already signed an agreement on May 9, 2008 with the governments of the Italian regions of Lazio, Marche, Veneto and Umbria with the aim of promoting a training and exchange offer between students of these cities in different theaters and artistic realities.