The Verbier Festival Academy’s Atelier Lyrique offers outstanding young singers three weeks of intensive training at the heart of the Festival, combining vocal work, interpretation, languages, stagecraft and professional development. Singers work alongside leading figures in opera and art song and benefit from numerous opportunities to perform on the stages of the Verbier Festival.
2027 applications
Applications for the 2027 Atelier Lyrique are now open.
Programme dates: 11 July – 2 August 2027
Age: 20 to 32 as of 1 July 2027
Deadline: 15 October 2026
Atelier Lyrique on stage
GIUSEPPE VERDI
La traviata
Salle des Combins, Verbier · 2 August 2026
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
Atelier Lyrique at a glance
- Intensive training in opera and art song, combining vocal work, interpretation, languages and stage presence
- Public and private masterclasses with singers, conductors, coaches and other leading figures from the opera world
- Individual coaching in vocal technique, interpretation, languages and audition preparation
- Opera study and performance with orchestra; in 2027, Wagner’s Das Rheingold, with the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra conducted by James Gaffigan
- Song recitals as part of the Verbier Festival’s Mainstage programme
- A musical and theatrical show on the UNLTD stage
- Preparation for professional life: auditions, career development and meetings with industry professionals
- Professional audio and video recordings of selected recitals and performances
- International visibility through the broadcast of selected performances on medici.tv
- Training fully funded by the Verbier Festival
- Accommodation and daily lunch provided by the Verbier Festival
- Tickets for Festival concerts, subject to availability
- Working language: English
Up to 15 young singers from around the world are selected each year to take part in the Atelier Lyrique. Over three weeks, they explore the programme’s two main pillars — opera and art song — through intensive training, coaching and stage experience.
Opera
Opera work combines vocal technique, interpretation, stagecraft, language coaching and musical preparation. Singers perform in a public recital of opera arias and scenes and take part in the Atelier Lyrique production. In 2027, they will work on Wagner’s Das Rheingold, presented with the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra under the direction of James Gaffigan.
Lied / Mélodie
Work on Lied and mélodie enables singers to deepen their relationship with text, language and interpretation, as well as their collaboration with the piano. Masterclasses, individual coaching and language coaching support repertoire preparation. In 2027, particular attention will be given to German Lied, building on the focus on German-language repertoire throughout the Atelier. This work will culminate in public recitals as part of the Verbier Festival’s Mainstage programme.
Masterclasses
The individual schedule for masterclasses and coaching sessions is set at the beginning of the Atelier Lyrique, after the first working sessions, in order to meet each singer’s needs.
2027 Mentors
James Baillieu
Head of Song
Caroline Dowdle
Head of Opera
Tim Carroll
Stage Interpretation & Text Work
James Gaffigan
Conductor
Ken Noda
Vocal Coach
Additional mentors will be announced soon.
They have taught at the Atelier Lyrique
Over the years, leading figures from the opera world have shared their experience with the Atelier Lyrique’s young singers.
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
Ethical Charter
The Verbier Festival is committed to providing a training and working environment based on respect, dignity, equality and safety for all. All participants are required to adhere to the principles of the Festival’s Ethical Charter, which prohibits all forms of violence, harassment and discrimination and encourages responsibility, collaboration and mutual respect.