Navigating Health Setbacks and Careers Challenges for Female Singers: An interview with Capucine Chiaudani

I reinvented myself by focusing on solutions, not on the limitations.
alice

Author:

by Alice Lechner

INTRODUCTION

Capucine Chiaudani is an esteemed Italian soprano and voice professor with over 30 years of experience on global opera stages. Based in Zurich, she shares her expertise in Belcanto technique both in the classroom and online, inspiring singers worldwide. In this interview, we explore her journey and insights into opera and vocal training.

BIOGRAPHY

Capucine Chiaudani is a distinguished Italian dramatic soprano and dedicated voice professor based in Zurich, Switzerland, where she serves as a faculty member at Kalaidos University. With a career spanning over three decades, Chiaudani has become one of the leading voices in the opera world, performing on prestigious stages across Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Her extensive repertoire includes iconic roles such as Tosca, La Bohème, La Forza del Destino, Medea, Otello, Fedra, Falstaff, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Hänsel und Gretel, and Maria de Buenos Aires, to name just a few. Her exceptional voice, dramatic depth, and versatility have made her a sought-after artist in the opera world. Chiaudani’s vocal technique is grounded in the principles of Belcanto, which she actively promotes both in her performances and teaching. A passionate advocate for the Italian vocal tradition, she is committed to ensuring that this rich heritage is carried forward by singers of all generations. In addition to her acclaimed performance career, Chiaudani is a highly regarded voice professor and masterclass instructor. She is regularly invited to teach at prestigious institutions such as the Liceu Conservatory in Barcelona, the Frankfurt University of the Arts, University of the Arts Bern, Swiss Opernstudio Biel, Lyric Opera Studio Weimar, and the Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy in New York. She has also led masterclasses at institutions worldwide, including the M Institute for the Arts in Washington and the Teatro Maestranza in Seville. Chiaudani’s pedagogical approach is rooted in her desire to help singers of all levels develop their full potential, both vocally and as performers. She combines over 30 years of performance experience with a deep understanding of vocal technique, biomechanics, and the voice-body connection, offering students clear, replicable methods that lead to reliable and sustainable vocal results. Her focus on developing singers into confident, conscious “athletes of the voice” provides a comprehensive framework for singers to become the best version of themselves. Chiaudani has made significant contributions to the opera world, including the world premiere recording of Fedra by Simon Mayr, released by Oehms Classics. This landmark recording highlights her commitment to preserving and sharing lesser-known operatic works. In addition to her in-person work, Chiaudani is highly active on social media, where she uses her platforms to spread the principles of Belcanto worldwide and to inspire and educate singers globally. Her online presence includes a wealth of resources for singers, from vocal coaching to courses and instructional content, available through her website. Capucine Chiaudani’s mission is to empower every singer to unlock their full potential, ensuring that each voice reaches its greatest possible expression. With a focus on technique, artistry, and the development of performance skills, she offers a supportive, structured approach to vocal training that makes opera accessible to all.

You can contact Capucine at any time at the following email address: capucinechiaudanibelcanto@gmail.com, and in addition, you can visit the link of the Belcanto4her Practice Room on www.capucinechiaudani.com or here: https://www.capucinechiaudani.com/belcanto4her-practice-room-sales-page

Check Capucine's complete vocal technique course "Fundamentals for Conscious Athletes of the Voice" on www.capucinechiaudani or here: https://www.capucinechiaudani.com/home-page-2024/fundamentals-for-conscious-athletes-of-the-voice/

What do Ladies get in the Belcanto4her Practice Room?
1. Practice room twice a month, on saturday and/or sunday;
2. Gift: replays of last 6 Practice;
3. Cheap affordable subscription;
4. the chance to develop or re-discover your true voice;
5. Vocal technique tips;
6. Coaching on repertoire, vocal technique, diction, style, interpretation;
7. Active and/or passive participation;
8. Replays of the practice rooms if you can not attend;
9. Exclusive discounts on my other courses;
10. Supportive musical Ladies Community;
11. Any level: from beginners to advanced & professionals who want to refresh their know-how; & 12. Affiliation program - Infos & subscription: https://www.capucinechiaudani.com/belcanto4her-practice-room-sales-page

 

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INTERVIEW

Dear Capucine, I really love the concept you’ve brought up. Addressing the unique challenges women face in the industry, particularly from a health and career management perspective, is such an important and often overlooked conversation. To begin, I would like to bring your story to the readers’ attention. Could you briefly share your experience and how […]

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Alice Lechner

Alice Lechner

Alice Lechner comes from a music-loving family. Her first encounter with the opera universe was at the tender age of six. The grandeur of the stage productions and costumes, the backstage chatter, and last, but definitely not least, the music left her in awe, beginning with Mozart’s Don Giovanni. The overall feeling that opera awakens in anyone who gets a glimpse into this part of artistic eternity, that each and every day passes the test of time, was what drew her to stay and be a part of this world. The Opera House of Brașov became her second home, and the people who worked there were her second family.

Since then, Alice has devoted her spare time to maximising her musical knowledge through instrumental studies, studying both piano and violin for a short time. In the following years, her number one passion stepped out of the limelight and graciously gave way to Law Studies.
Since 2018 she has been studying Law at “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University in Iași.

Her passion for opera, even if it is no longer her top professional priority in terms of career, it has most definitely become her priority during her free time. Wanting to experience the best of both worlds and extend her musical horizons, she regularly attends opera performances throughout Romania and abroad.
With OPERA Charm Magazine, Alice aims to nurture her creative side to help it flourish and bloom and to discover, alongside the magazine’s readers, the fascinatingly complex world of opera.

Currently, she is an LL.M. in Business Law at “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University in Iași.

Oana Zamfir

Oana Zamfir is a second year MA student at the “George Enescu” National University of Arts, at the Department of Musicology.

She studied violin for 12 years at the “Stefan Luchian” High School of Art in Botosani, later focusing on the theoretical aspects of music. In 2019 she completed her bachelor studies in Musicology as a student of the National Academy of Music “Gheorghe Dima” in Cluj-Napoca. Her research during 2018-2019 brought to the forefront elements of the archaic ritual within works of composers who activated during the communist period, giving her the opportunity to start a research internship at the “Carl von Ossietzky” University in Germany. In this context, she recorded conversations with members of the Sophie Drinker Institute in Bremen, and had access to documents directly from the Myriam Marbé archive.

Since 2019 she has been a teacher of Music Education and Theoretical Music Studies, making full use of interactive methods in the musical training of students and working, at the same time, with the children’s choir founded in the first year of her activity.

Her interests include pursuing a degree in interior design in 2020.

Alexandru Suciu

Alexandru Suciu inherited his passion for art growing up in a family of several generations of musicians. He began his musical studies at the “Augustin Bena” School of Music in Cluj, where he studied piano and guitar. Even though his main study direction was philological, his passion for music prevailed. He began his academical journey at the Faculty of Letters of the “Babeș-Bolyai” University, studying Comparative literature and English. He continued by studying Opera Singing at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Music Academy. He also graduated the Musical Education section, followed by Artistic Directing at the Musical Performing Arts department.

His multidisciplinary education opened the doors towards research, which is seen both through his participation in national and international conferences and symposia, such as the Salzburg Easter School PhD-forum, organized by the Salzburg Universität or the Silesian Meeting of Young Scholars, organized by the Institute of English at the University of Silesia, as well as the collaboration with Opera Charm Magazine.

During his student years, he won several prizes, including the Grand Prize at the “Paul Constantinescu” National Musical Interpretation Competition, the Romanian Composers and Musicologists’ Union Prize at the same competition, the First Prize and the Schubert Prize at the “Ada Ulubeanu” Competition.

He further developed his artistic skills by specializing in courses and masterclasses held by personalities such as Vittorio Terranova, Giuseppe Sabbatini, Marian Pop, Ines Salazar, Riccardo Zanellato, Paolo Bosisio, Valentina Farcaș and Manuel Lange in contexts such as the Internationale Sommerakademie für Operngesang Deutschlandsberg, Corso Internazionale di Canto Lirico I.M.C. Licata or the Europäische Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst Montepulciano. Besides his activity on-stage, he currently teaches Opera Singing Didactics, and Pedagogical Practice within the Department for Teacher Education and Training at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Music Academy.

Cristina Fieraru

Cristina is a 24 year-old Romanian soprano & a student at the National University of Music Bucharest, where she pursues the MA program in Vocal Performance.

She made her debut in Pamina from “Die Zauberflöte” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at only 19 years old at the Bucharest National Opera House, as a member of the Ludovic Spiess Experimental Opera Studio. Over the years she made her debut in roles such as Contessa d’Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Mimì & Musetta (La Bohème), Alice Ford (Falstaff), Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte) in her university’s opera productions.
Her passion and experience extends in the field of choral music, too.

She has been part of our dream team since the fall of 2021. For a good period of time she took care of OPERA Charm’s social media and took you on the monthly journey through the history of opera through our Legends rubric – and a few times through the Theaters around the World rubric.

Her little soul rubric – from 2021 to present – is definitely the Conductors of the Future, where, every month, she gives you the chance to meet a young star of the world of conducting and, of course, to find out what’s the most charming feature of opera in these artists’ views.

BIANCA L. NICA

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