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Madelyn Hasebein, Soprano
"I am beyond grateful to have participated in the Lucca Bel Canto Institute! Everything from the secluded and peaceful environment, the delicious food, the company and camaraderie with other musicians, and the structure of the program encouraged my growth as an artist from a technical, emotional, and spiritual perspective. Julia and Ferdinand are the most thoughtful instructors with whom I’ve ever worked, and they make an excellent team for training singers. I had so many moments of mental and physical transformation, and by the end of one week I’ve become a completely different singer ready to embark on a full time performance career. If you are thinking about participating in Lucca Bel Canto - do it! It just might change your life, like it changed mine."
"As someone who sees the significance of and is passionate about well-rounded pedagogy, Lucca Bel Canto is the program in which I found stability and support in my education as well as encouragement in my career. My first year of Lucca Bel Canto significantly changed my understanding of what is possible, and my second year helped solidify my potential as well as provided direction forward. I cannot wait to see what the third year (and beyond) has in store!”
Lucca Bel Canto Institute invites you to create intentional time for yourself and your voice—away from the pressure of the stage, the industry, and the noise of daily life. Join us in August 2025 at Il Monastero dell’Angelo, a former monastery nestled in the hills outside Lucca, Italy, for a 9-day retreat focused entirely on vocal growth and artistic depth.
At Lucca, each singer receives a minimum of three individual sessions per day—an unparalleled level of attention designed to catalyze meaningful, lasting progress. You’ll work intensively on the pillars of Bel Canto singing, with special emphasis on posture, appoggio, portamento, legato, messa di voce, registration, and vowel balance. Whether you're untangling long-held tension patterns or fine-tuning the nuance of line and color, our goal is the same: to help you access your voice at its most efficient, expressive, and aligned.
This is not a group technique course. Lucca is structured for depth. It’s for serious singers—whether you’re performing internationally, in a career transition, or laying the groundwork for professional training. What unites participants is not level, but commitment.
We strive for an egalitarian environment—not in the sense that everyone is at the same point, but in the belief that every singer, regardless of where they are on their path, deserves respect, time, and excellent instruction. At Lucca, seasoned professionals and emerging artists learn side by side. This diversity strengthens the learning environment and builds a rare sense of artistic trust.
This retreat may be right for you if:
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You're mid-career and noticing that certain aspects of your technique need recalibration
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You're changing fach and need intensive, supportive space to adjust
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You’re feeling vocally stuck and want to break through to the next level
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Things are working well, and you want to refine and go deeper
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You're a committed classical singer at the beginning of your journey, ready to work
Because of the intensity and focus of the program, we keep enrollment extremely limited. Instead of auditions, we hold informal interviews—not to judge what you sound like, but to understand who you are, where you're coming from, and what you hope to accomplish.
We’re building something rare: a space for serious, individual work—without ego, without competition. Just you, your voice, and the time to do the work that matters.
We hope you’ll join us.
Julia Radosz
Founder, Lucca Bel Canto Institute
A Day in the Life
The Lucca Bel Canto Institute is a sanctuary away from the demands of daily life. For one week, we come together as a family- singing, learning, eating, communing and working together. We wake up in the morning in the beautiful hills of Lucca, and join our colleagues for a lovely breakfast and fellowship. Then we all congregate for a group physical and vocal warm-up. After breakfast, we commence with our masterclasses. These masterclass sessions will be divided into both technique and repertoire sessions, which are open, private voice lessons, but intended for every participant to be present. During these sessions, we will focus on what the individual needs to refine their technique in the most significant way. Each approach is tailor-made, yet deeply-rooted in the principles of Bel Canto vocal technique. In this way, we learn not only by doing, but by watching and immersing ourselves in problem-solving and strategy. By supporting our colleagues, we learn to a greater extent, and vice-versa.
In addition to the 2 voice lessons daily, singers will also have individual coachings each day where musical elements & style will be addressed. There is no other program that gives you 3 private sessions a day, and we are proud of that standard we continue to uphold. We will also hold in depth discussions which will include everything from vocal technique to mindset as we navigate our way through life as a singing artist. During our evening dinners, we will have impromptu concerts, which is a way of sharing and collaborating with each other during this restorative time. We hope to build a supportive community during this week that will invigorate the mind, body, and spirit and provide renewed direction as you move towards your musical goals.
Topics to be addressed
POSTURE
The optimal handling of the body in space for ideal sound production. Alignment of the head, neck, shoulders, and spine will be assessed for each individual.
Appoggio
The leaning or “supporting” of the voice, and the appropriate use of the body muscles in assisting this process. This form of breath support stems directly from Bel Canto technique.
Phonation
The coordination of the vocal cords towards optimum closure and function. Proper onset and offset techniques will be analyzed and refined.
Registration
The building and balancing of the registers of the voice as well as the navigation throughout the range of the instrument. Accompanying this topic will be the practice and refinement of the messa di voce.
Articulation
The technique that allows the freedom of the tongue, jaw, facial muscles and lips to produce the requisite sounds of singing both in consonant production and vowels.
INTERPRETATION
The art of combining technique, musicality, and dramatic intent to create a riveting, unique performance suited to each individual.
Julia Radosz
Master Teacher
Founder of Lucca Bel Canto Institute
Julia Radosz is a renowned voice teacher and spinto soprano, known for her highly specialized work with classical singers. As the founder of Voice With Julia, she has spent nearly two decades helping performers—from developing professionals to international artists—solve deep technical challenges and reclaim ease, brilliance, and confidence in their singing. Her clients have performed with La Scala, The Metropolitan Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper, San Francisco Opera, Finnish National Opera, and Staatsoper Hamburg, among others. She is widely recognized for her expertise in rehabilitative technique, including tongue-tie and myofunctional therapy for singers, whistle voice function, respiratory retraining, and restoring head voice and thin-edge vocal fold function. Her approach blends functional anatomy, acoustic strategy, and psychological clarity to produce lasting results.
In addition to her teaching, Julia maintains an active performing career. Upcoming engagements include Anna Sørensen in Silent Night with Opera Orlando, the world premiere of a new song cycle by Ľubica Čekovská at the Bratislava Music Festival, and a solo performance at Prague’s historic Smetana Hall with the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
Praised for her “illustrious and flowing voice” (Kansas City Metropolis) and her “astonishing performance, brilliant soprano and thrilling embellishments” (Voce di Meche), Julia has appeared as Amelia in Un ballo in maschera (Croatian National Theater Split), Mimi and Musetta in La Bohème (including 18 performances across France and Spain), Marietta/Marie in Die tote Stadt (National Moravian-Silesian Theater), and in concerts with Maryland Opera, Rhode Island Philharmonic, and more.
Other repertoire includes Madama Butterfly, Donna Elvira, Antonia, Fiordiligi, and Susannah. Prior to her fach change, she sang lighter roles such as Adina, Lauretta, Susanna, Violetta, and Gilda. She has also premiered leading roles in contemporary operas including Haim Elisha’s A Certain Quiet, Debussy’s La Chute de la Maison Usher, and Kirke Mechem’s The Rivals—for which she was praised by The New York Times and BroadwayWorld.
Julia holds degrees from Westminster Choir College (B.M.) and The University of Texas at Austin (M.M. in Opera Performance) and is currently completing her Doctor of Musical Arts at the Akadémia umení v Banskej Bystrici. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, she is based in Bratislava and teaches both in-person and online through Voice With Julia.
Additional Faculty
Institute Details
A vocal retreat focused on Bel Canto in the birth city of Puccini
The monastery is booked for your accommodation the evening of the 16th and inclusive of the 24th. Please plan to arrive in Lucca on the 16th before 5pm, and depart Lucca on the 25th. You will be transported to/from the monastery either from Lucca Train Station or Pisa Airport on August 16 and August 25. Nearest airports include Pisa, Florence, and Bologna, but Milan and Rome may also be used with a slightly longer train ride.
Accommodations are in a single room, with shared bathroom. We can allow spouses/partners to join participants for a room/board rate. For more information, contact us directly. Meals are a gourmet experience in Lucca, with much of the ingredients being grown right on the monastery! We can also accommodate most dietary restrictions (vegan, lactose intolerant, vegetarian, etc.)
The program fee covers accommodation, all meals, transportation to and from Lucca Train Station or Pisa Airport, coaching, masterclasses, staff pianists, and facilities. There are no additional charges after you arrive in Lucca.
Total cost of program is €3600 and due in full prior to your arrival in Lucca.
There are a few partial scholarships available. If you are interested in the program, please apply, and let us know what financial assistance you might need, and we can discuss ways to make the program accessible.
Application
Please complete the form below and we will be in contact with you from info@luccabelcanto.com in order to set up a call. (Please add info@luccabelcanto.com to your trusted senders so the email doesn't go to spam.) In this call, we will get to know you, answer your questions, and together you can determine if the program is a good fit for your needs.
Get to Know Us
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you have. We are available by email at: info@luccabelcanto.com.
You can also contact us Monday-Friday 10:00-17:00 CEST at +1-609-439-7850 or +43 660 689 7844