Masterclasses
PROTO-FEST TRAINING
Proto-fest has been firmly committed to training since its very first edition. This is why the festival’s general programme of activities includes masterclasses in small groups for bandonean, violin, viola, chamber music, and choral and orchestral voice and performance. The teaching staff will include renowned names such as violinist Rivka Golani (professor at the Trinity College London); bandoneon player and composer Marcelo Mercadante (collaborator with artists such as Joan Manuel Serrat, Miguel Poveda and Sílvia Pérez Cruz); counter tenor and pianist Jordi Domènech (having performed at the Liceu and specialising in baroque music); choir and orchestra conductor Francesc Valldecabres (professor at the Professional Conservatory of Catarroja and conductor of Orfeó Universitari de València); and Mireia Andreu, stage manager and theatre professor.
BANDONEAN AND TANGO ENSEMBLE MASTERCLASSwith Marcelo Mercadante
30 July to 2 August10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.Price: €150 (classes) / €250 (classes + accommodation)
Marcelo Mercadante is a bandoneon player and composer. Trained in Buenos Aires and Paris, he currently resides in Barcelona where he has prompted different musical projects and has published twelve recordings. He has collaborated with artists such as Joan Manuel Serrat, Miguel Poveda, Sílvia Pérez Cruz and Joaquín Sabina, among others. Alongside this, he teaches in the south of France. The course will end with a concert by all the students as part of the Proto-fest 2025 programme.
OPERA STUDIO, BAROQUE OPERA MASTERCLASS with Jordi Domènech
24 to 28 July10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.Price: €190 (classes) / €290 (classes + accommodation)
Proto-fest is taking a step forwards by proposing an unprecedented initiative: a five-day workshop on baroque arias and duets by authors such as Georg Friedrich Händel, Henry Purcell, Niccolò Porpora, José de Nebra and Antonio Vivaldi. The course includes musical and theatrical training, rehearsals of recitatives and arias with Jordi Domènech, and staging directed by Mireia Andreu, stage manager and theatre professor. The workshop will end with a staged function accompanied by instruments, as part of the Proto-fest 2025 programme. This will be accompanied on the harpsichord by Josep Mateu. Pianist and singer Jordi Domènech has performed with the main choirs and orchestras of Catalonia, and with renowned baroque orchestras from Spain and Europe. He has taken part in important international festivals, and has specialised in baroque music as a counter tenor, playing the main roles in many different operas. To take part in this masterclass, you must choose two baroque opera arias with their preceding recitative (where applicable) or one aria and one duet. All works must be written for string orchestra or for continuo solo, and must be known by heart. Depending on the repertoire proposed by the students, the workshop director may suggest changes, propose new works and coordinate the duet performances. You can contact Jordi Domènech directly by email at domenechjordi222@gmail.com with any queries regarding the repertoire. A link to a musical video recording and a brief CV of the student must be sent when completing the pre-enrolment form.
MOZART’S REQUIEM, CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA MASTERCLASSwith Francesc Valldecabres
28 July to 1 August10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.Price: €50
Francesc Valldecabres has an extensive career as a conductor of ensembles in the Autonomous Region of Valencia and throughout Europe. He has been the musical director of stage performances and the head of programming of cycles, festivals and concerts in different parts of Spain, and has recorded around fifteen albums dedicated to the musical heritage of Valencia. He is currently the conductor of Música Trobada and of Orfeó Universitari de València, and is a professor at the Professional Conservatory of Catarroja.This masterclass is designed for both professional and amateur choirs and for individual singers. Professor and orchestra conductor Francesc Valldecabres will head this choir and orchestra masterclass, which will focus on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor, K. 626.The masterclass will end with a participatory choral concert as part of the Proto-fest 2025programme, with staging directed by Mireia Andreu, stage manager and theatre professor. An intensive preparatory rehearsal with all the singers will take place during the second weekend of July —Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th. To take part, prior experience in choirs and/or vocal training will be a plus.
