FAQ

_{How many students will be accepted?}

To each one of the three sessions, a total of twelve participants (including singers and pianists) will be accepted. This number was determined in order to provide a maximum amount of one-to-one instruction to each participant, and guarantee the best individual attention possible.

_{I am a member of an established singer/pianist duo. Can both of us participate?}

Sure, provided that both of you are accepted following your respective auditions. However, even in such event, each pianist will be assigned to play for a total of three participating singers. Therefore, pianists who apply together with a specific singer as a duo, while indeed being able to study together with the singer of their choice, will be nonetheless working with two additional singers.

_{Is the Sankt Goar International Music Festival and Academy a so-called "pay-to-sing" program?}

No. We do not focus on the public performance aspect of the program, but rather, while still providing performance opportunities, we focus our efforts on the learning experience of a summer program.

Students are encouraged to learn new repertoire which is suitable for their individual, present skills and afinities (something which can hardly be accomplished if performing a fully staged opera or even operatic scenes), and work on it in detail, rather than being drilled on a set number of pieces designed with the exclusive goal of performing for a local audience. The Sankt Goar Summer Academy is a program designed to complement the standard, required curriculum of most universities and conservatories.

_{How does the Sankt Goar International Music Festival and Academy compare with other programs?}

We offer more hours of instructions than most other programs. Furthermore, the cost of attending a three-week session is lower than taking a graduate-level, 3-credit hour voice class in many American music schools and which only amounts to a fraction of the number of hours of individual instruction offered by the Sankt Goar International Music Festival and Academy.

_{Are master classes open to the public?}

Yes. Are individual lessons open to the public? No. Subject to the respective student's consent, individual lessons may be observed exclusively by other participating members of the academy.

_{Will I get to perform with an orchestra?}

No. While a small number of works from the art song genre were originally composed for voice and orchestra, the overwhelming majority of art songs were originally composed for voice and piano, and as such, will be correspondingly studied and performed in the academy.

_{What type of instruments should I expect?}

The small recital venue, located in the ground floor of the villa, features a grand piano. All other rooms feature upright pianos. All pianos are in excellent condition (as opposed to what is usually the case in many other programs whose instruments are sometimes in a ruinous condition).

_{Will instruction take place in English or in German?}

In order to guarantee a greater degree of immersion in the target language, the morning German language lessons will be conducted in German. Individual, private music instruction will be, however, taught in English.

_{What type of accommodation should I expect?}

The SGIMFA villa is NOT a dorm. It is a privately owned mansion. You will be expected to behave and respect the integrity of the premises accordingly.

All students are lodged in double-rooms. You will have only one roommate of your own gender. Restroom/showers are also gender specific. At the Sankt Goar International Music Festival and Academy we strive to avoid any unpleasant surprises and to make your stay an enjoyable and enriching one.

_{What type of meals should I expect?}

You should expect a typical, simple European breakfast (cereal, toast, fruit, coffee, tea, milk, juice) and a good-quality catered meal during weekdays. While neither dinner nor meals over the weekend are provided, you will have at your disposal a large communal kitchen with all the appliances and facilities needed to prepare dinner for yourself. Should you wish to eat out, there are plenty of affordable restaurants within walking distance.