"I think the project is very worthwhile; we who know and practice ‘tradition’ must keep it going, especially the teachers and coaches. Otherwise, it’s fast becoming a dying art."

"I would like to lend my support to Bel Canto Institute. It is very necessary to have such training available to young artists of the future."

"The Bel Canto Institute is an innovative, interesting approach to a much neglected area of performance."

"I had such a wonderful experience at the Bel Canto Institute. I learned so much and grew tremendously. Between the excellent coachings and Italian instruction, you really do offer an amazing program. I truly came back a different singer."

"Participating in the Bel Canto Institute was a turning point in the way I think about myself as a singer and in the way I approach technique and learning roles. The small number of participants and the range of ages made a close-knit and supportive group. They were of the highest professional level...these people know what they are talking about! Master classes, dealing with performance practices, ornamentation, and expressive markings were a nice mix of singer participation and listening to recordings of the greats. The amount of individual attention from the coaches and language faculty is, I think, its biggest advantage. I can say with complete certainty that Bel Canto Institute has something to offer singers at every level."

"Bel Canto Institute is a truly nurturing experience for a growing singer. There was a wonderful sense of community among the singers. I greatly improved my language skills with Italian classes in the mornings. The combination of private coachings (with knowledgeable and accomplished coaches) and master classes was quite inspiring and enabled me to grasp a lot of information in a rather short amount of time. I learned a great deal in those three weeks about the bel canto era."

"When I went to Italy the following summer, it was my experience at the Bel Canto Institute that had given me my basic survival skills. The daily coaching at Bel canto Institute was invaluable and is perhaps its biggest selling point. The quality was exceptional. I completed two whole roles which made me feel that my money was well spent."

"Everything in singing is lineage. Excellent singers have influences that read like the ‘begat's’ in the Old Testament. Bel Canto Institute appealed to me as an opportunity to share in the lineage of the great Italian coach, Luigi Ricci, in whose memory the program is dedicated. I studied with the great basso Giorgio Tozzi whose vocal heritage was the Italian school, and then with Tito Gobbi in Italy, who always spoke of Ricci! Lineage! You get it at the Bel Canto Institute. Each coach is a treasure of knowledge, experience, and lineage to the "real" art of singing. Individuals work at their own level, from college age students to professionals. For me it was a feast——coachings every day, language immersion, lectures. As with any program, you get what you bring to it. But this program is the best!"