The Verbier Festival Academy’s Atelier Lyrique stands out among professional training programmes by offering a unique blend of opera role and song repertoire studies in an environment that is both inspiring and supportive. This intensive three-week summer programme gives singers the opportunity to perform on stage and to forge valuable connections within the renowned Verbier Festival.
From our 2026 edition
GIUSEPPE VERDI
La Traviata
Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra
James Gaffigan — Conductor
Ana Oniani — Violetta Valéry
Michael McDermott — Alfredo Germont
David Roy — Giorgio Germont
Marie-Juliette Ghazarian — Flora Bervoix
Fanny Soyer — Annina
Adam Catangui — Gastone
Redmond Sanders — Baron Douphol
Jasurbek Khaydarov — Doctor Grenvil
Yu He — Marquis d’Obigny
Salle des Combins (Verbier), August 2, 2026
atelier lyrique at a glance
- Public and private masterclasses in singing, acting, and text analysis with an exceptional faculty
- Audition masterclasses with conductors, artistic directors, opera directors, and agents
- Private coaching in vocal technique and languages
- Integration with the Academy’s 21C Artist Curriculum, including sessions on international taxation, concert programming, and media training for professional development
- One opera aria recital and two song recitals as part of the Verbier Festival’s Mainstage programme
- Semi-staged opera performance with orchestra
- Collaboration in the Festival’s headline opera production
- Cabaret performance on the UNLTD stage
- Global exposure through medici.tv broadcasts of Verbier Festival operas
- Professional audio recordings of Festival recitals and opera performances
Up to 15 singers from around the world are selected to receive coaching in vocal technique, acting, languages, stagecraft, and audition preparation, delivered through private sessions and public masterclasses. Singers collaborate with leading figures in the world of lyric performance.
opera
Singers from the Atelier Lyrique are invited to perform in a public recital of opera arias and scenes during the Verbier Festival, as well as in a semi-staged production of the opera presented by the Atelier—Das Rheingold by Wagner in 2027—in collaboration with the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra under the direction of James Gaffigan, during the Festival’s final weekend. Singers are also invited to share the stage with renowned artists in the Festival’s headline opera production—Salomé by Strauss. Both operas are broadcast by medici.tv, offering valuable exposure to any young artist.
lied / mélodie
Singers can expect to work on six to eight songs during the masterclasses and will have the opportunity to work on additional repertoire during private coaching sessions. The choice of repertoire is free, but students are encouraged to bring a variety of songs in different languages and styles, including song groups in German, English (British and American) and French, as well as repertoire in other languages of their choice. Singers will perform in a voice and piano recital as part of the Festival’s afternoon Mainstage programme. Singers are also regularly recruited for creative cabaret projects produced by UNLTD, the Festival’s creative laboratory.
programme dates
includes arrival and departure dates
2027
July 11 – August 2, 2027
2028
July 10 – August 1, 2028
how to apply
Applications open on August 20, 2026.
Application materials are available in English only.
guidelinesmentors 2027
Mentors will be announced late September
mentors alumni
In its quest for excellence, the Academy has developed collaborations with some of today’s greatest mentors and coaches.
Thomas Allen
Emma Abbate
Benjamin Appl
Theo Adam
James Baillieu
Barbara Bonney
Tim Carroll
Diego Cossu
Lise Davidsen
Stéphane Degout
Claudio Desderi
Caroline Dowdle
Gian-Carlo del Monaco
Dan Ettinger
Brigitte Fassbaender
John Fisher
Renée Fleming
Barbara Frittoli
James Gaffigan
James Garnon
Véronique Gens
Hàkan Hagegàrd
Thomas Hampson
Gundula Janowitz
Stanislav Kochanovsky
Yannis Kokkos
Vincenzo Milletarì
Jonathan Miller
Alexandre Naoumenko
Ken Noda
Leo Nucci
Sandrine Piau
Elena Pankratova
Dimitri Platanias
Dorothea Röschmann
Franziska Roth
Thomas Quasthoff
Peter Schreier
Andreï Serban
Neil Shicoff
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
Anna Tomowa-Sintow
Roger Vignoles
Anne Sofie von Otter
Susannah Waters
masterclasses
Information for students
Only singers accepted to the Academy’s Atelier Lyrique will perform in the masterclasses. Singers will take part in both opera and song classes, whether or not they have been chosen for a role in the opera studied at the Atelier.
Each student’s masterclass schedule is determined only at the very beginning of the training period, after preliminary coaching sessions with the programme heads.
Information for the public
The masterclass schedule will be announced in autumn 2026.