Masterclass Gesang - Bourgogne

A Masterclass for singers
09 – 16 August 2025

About us

The 13th century Château de Ratilly lies nestled deep in the green the heart of Burgundy, far from urban hustle and noise, yet easily reachable from Paris.

Lovingly managed by the Pierlot siblings, this ancient castle offers a unique atmosphere for our masterclass: with space for concentrated work, plenty of elbow room for practice, and the beautiful natural surroundings to recharge in your free time.

And of course, magnificent meals and fine wine are on offer.

This masterclass is for
Students of classical singing of all vocal types
Professional classical singers
Students interested in preparing for formal study and admission exams

The number of participants is limited to 12.

 

Masterclass Château de Ratilly (Bourgogne)

09 – 16 August 2025

Final concert: 15 August, 2025 6pm

Ratilly 4

Lecturers

Carola Guber

Prof. Carola Guber, Mezzosoprano

Classical singing, opera, operetta, oratorio, art song, vocal technique, artistic interpretation,
Evaluation and recommendations on audition repertoire, general repertoire

Instruction languages: german and english
Website>>

Françoise Tillard

Françoise Tillard, Pianist

Coaching, artistic interpretation, lyric diction – with emphasis on french mélodie & literature


Instruction languages: french, german and english
Website>>

Elke Blase

Elke Blase, Physiotherapist

Singer-specific bodywork , breathing, posture



Instruction languages: german and english
Website>>

Course content

Daily morning warm ups with Elke Blase

– Vocal lessons

– Coaching and accompaniment

Physical therapy (bodywork combined with personal practical application to voice lesson, if desired)

Evening cool-down session after the Feldenkrais Method with Carola Guber

The combination of voice lessons and bodywork will be specifically accomodated to the participants’ needs in consultation with the faculty.

Required repertoire

Classical vocal works from opera operetta, oratorio, art song and concert arias
2-4 arias from opera or oratorio

A total of 6 art songs – must include 2 french and two german

After consultation, a deviation or addition is of course possible.

Physio 2
Physio 1

"The whole body is the instrument"

At one time or another we’ve all heard that “singing is aperformance sport” – it’s the truth.

Singers at work, but also students in training use their „instrument“, i.e. their voice, many hours a day. Sometimes unnoticed, auxiliary tensions creep in, which manifest themselves over time and singing is no longer as effortless as it could be and one wishes for more agility and flexibility.

In addition to the singing lessons with Carola Guber and the accompaniment lessons with Francoise Tillard, the physiotherapist Elke Blase is also part of the team this year, who specializes in working with singers. Singers are the only musicians with an internal instrument. The idea for this course arose from the 10 years of experience in the collaboration between Carola Guber and Elke Blase in singing lessons at the University of Music and Theater in Leipzig.

It is our concern to work on the optimization of singing technique and the functional processes of singing through our joint, complementary work. Together, efficient, individual solutions are found, which can then be further developed independently and individually by the singer and integrated into the singing technique, so that the work will ultimately lead to a reliable, stable increase in performance with greater ease. Good vocal technique is the basis for freedom of sound and expression.

We look forward to a wonderful course!

For questions you can use our contact form.

Ratilly 5

Registration and course fee

Course Fees:
Large single room: €1,170
Small single room: €1,100
Room shared by 2 or 3: €1,030

Registration: parole.et.musique@neuf.fr

Details:
Course fee: €550
A deposit of €150 is required within 14 days for a binding registration.

Large single room: €620
Small single room: €550
Room shared by 2 or 3: €480

During the six days of the course, each participant will have four individual 45-minute lessons with Carola Guber, four individual 45-minute lessons with Françoise Tillard, as well as group and individual lessons with Elke Blase.

Additionally, there is a morning warm-up with Elke Blase, as well as group Feldenkrais sessions specific to singing, led by Carola Guber.

This fee includes full board, with vegetarian/vegan options available upon request.

Room reservations:
Jean Pierlot: jeanpierlot@orange.fr
www.chateauderatilly.fr

Logo Website rot

Contact