Online Diction Coaching

You’ve invested countless hours refining your vocal technique and your repertoire. Whether it is for a recital, an audition, or an opera performance, when the lyrics are not in your native tongue, a diction coach will put the finishing touches on your preparation by:

• Correcting your pronunciation
• Exploring the meaning of each sung line and helping you shape your sound to match it (with breaks, connected phrases, volume and expression)
• Boosting your confidence in your mastery of the work

Opera Viva! offers online diction coaching in several languages

Connect with our world-class faculty for real-time online coaching sessions for Italian, French, German and Czech diction

Prior to the start of his teaching career, Dr. Adams performed and studied in Italy at l’Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and in German and Austrian theaters. He sang extensively as a concert singer, particularly the evangelist roles in the two passions of J.S. Bach. Contemporary music also figured in his performing career, including several premieres. He sang works of Elliott Carter, John Corigliano, and Sir Michael Tippett in their presence. As a recitalist, Dr. Adams performed a broad repertoire focusing primarily on Czech art song. He recorded an album of the songs of Smetana and Dvořák.

Dr. Adams was the administrative head of the Performance Studies Division at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati for several years. He was also the artistic director of CCM’s Italian summer program Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca, and its successor CCM/Spoleto from 2004 to 2011. He is the author of two books: A Handbook of Diction for Singers published by Oxford University Press, and The Song and Duet Texts of Antonín Dvořák, published by Leyerle Publications. Former students of his are singing and teaching nationally and internationally, including finalists in the Metropolitan Opera auditions.

Gerardo was principal coach for Houston Grand Opera’s 2014 production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, their 2015 production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, and their productions of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore and Gounod’s Faust. In 2017-2018 Gerardo was the vocal coach at Malta’s Teatru Manoel for Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni.  Among the famous artists with whom he has collaborated are Katia Ricciarelli, Cecilia Gasdia, June Anderson, Daniela Mazzucato, Fabio Armiliato, Marina De Liso, Giovanna Casolla, Dimitra Theodossiou, Alessandro Corbelli, Nuccia Focile, Luciana D’Intino, Piero Giuliacci, Jessica Pratt, Franco Vassallo, Mara Zampieri, Walter Fraccaro, Riccardo Zanellato, and Bruno De Simone.

Gerardo has recorded three albums of his own composition: Con le Mie Mani (2010), Rosso Vivo, con Fuoco (2012) and Acquamadre (2016). All were produced by Enterprise8 Records and are available online and on the most popular streaming services. Rosso Vivo was awarded Disc of the Month in April 2013 by Audiophile Sound Magazine.