“Good diction is about the merging of the right sound with the right rhythm. The perfect formula for effective expression”
-Stefano Baldasseroni
Born in Rome, Stefano Baldasseroni began studying drums at age 4, and by his late 20s had recorded and toured the world as a drummer with many renowned pop music artists. He moved to New York in 2010 and worked as a session drummer while also serving as an Italian diction coach for Opera Repertory Ensemble’s productions at the Manhattan School of Music. In 2012 he was the Italian coach for productions of Suor Angelica and Orlando at the summer program Opera Siena.
Dolora Zajick invited him in 2016 to join the faculty of her Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, where he uses his skills as a drummer to work with the singers on rhythm as well as Italian. Mr. Baldasseroni has been the diction coach at the Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Yale University, Rice University, and Bard College. He also teaches at the Georg Solti Accademia, which has programs in China and Italy.
In 2017, Baldasseroni joined the faculty of Juilliard and the Curtis Institute where, in addition to teaching Italian diction classes and coaching singers, he oversees the Italian for their opera productions. He also coaches Italian diction for the productions of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.