Hear what our students are saying
““The festival exceeded my expectations and I will have special memories forever of this time”. ”
““The quality of instruction is consistently high, you can’t get a better education or training in this repertoire” ”
““I loved the atmosphere of the course. We are connected, sharing, helping each other out, supporting each other emotionally.” ”
“My experience at the Barcelona Festival of Song opened up a whole new world of art song that is immediate, engaging and inspired. The two weeks we spent in Barcelona was vivid and intense. You will work very hard, but you will be guided by leaders who are knowledgeable and supportive. I felt surrounded by love, which is only appropriate because the intimate form of the art song enables the singer to express the deepest secrets of the heart.”
““My time at Barcelona Festival of Song was one of incredible growth and discovery. Barcelona, its music and its people will always be in my heart. I learned so much from the faculty and made lifelong friends. I use the skills I gained during the Festival in my career today and I am now even more connected to this beloved repertoire, which makes me feel at home wherever my travels take me.””
““Patricia’s summer course is an important and much-needed gift to the growing world of Spanish and Latin American vocal music literature. I learned much new non-Mexican repertoire, worked on both South American and Spanish song, and loved my lessons in Catalan and Portuguese, the latter of which is offered in no other vocal program. Every day was packed full of 14 hours of musical things to do. The program is truly worth its weight in gold. Additionally, Patricia has an indefatigable spirit and is a joy to work with. Her books are also a valuable addition to any vocal music department, especially because so many Latin American songs are unpublished, out of print or otherwise unavailable. I cannot recommend her enough!” ”
““The BFOS was a great experience overall. Not only did we get to live in an exciting city like Barcelona, but the amount of learning was much more than I anticipated. After an intensive month, I left feeling fulfilled and curious to keep researching this repertoire; I learned about so many amazing composers, styles and works in the Latin-American and Spanish cultures that I had never even heard of, and I worked on such beautiful repertoire, that I am still going through the process of discovering it all for myself, three years later. Being a Latina and also Spanish/Latin-American Literature Major, when I started studying music I always felt the need to research and learn more of L-A and Spanish music, and I often felt that there wasn’t enough music available for me. After attending BFOS, all of that changed. I have included many of these pieces in my recitals; I have even sung full recitals just from the repertoire I sung, or heard, at the BFOS... and I still have tons of music to go through. If you enjoy singing “non-standard” music that is just as beautiful and musically interesting as any French, Italian or German art song, BFOS gives you the tools to get started and, if you’re anything like me, afterwards you’ll be hooked! In addition to all the amazing music, the teachers (Patricia, Stella, etc) were incredibly helpful and kind, the accompanists were super talented (Mark and Andres) and, we had lots of fun as a group... and in the end, I even made amazing friends for life... I hope I can be back to BFOS soon!” ”
““This course not only gave me a new repertoire to take back to my own students, but it also allowed me to reconnect with my own background” ”
““Each teacher has inspired me in new ways, expanding my repertoire – I would highly recommend this course.” ”
““An intense learning experience””
““These are art songs that touch you. I felt more comfortable on stage, more expressive. This course will add to your artistry.””
““I now have a new commitment – learning this repertoire and taking this music back home, and making it known” ”
““I have seen I lot of improvement in myself, in my confidence and my interpretation on stage.” ”
““You not only learn a great repertoire, but you get to work with passionate, very intelligent, intellectual people, which is a rare thing.””
““Life-changing. Do it!” ”