Voice with Sophia Mintas
Sophia Mintas teaches her voice students the basics of bel canto, which means ‘beautiful singing’ in Italian. Her students learn how to keep their voice free, how to get their natural sound, proper breathing techniques, and how to protect and develop their voice. As appropriate to the student, she teaches sight-singing. She has also worked with students who damaged their voices in the past and helped them recover their voices. She works with different genres depending on the interests, goals, and strengths of her students and guides them in mastering repertoire. Sophia Mintas has performed in Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Oderzo, Feltre, and Bologna in Italy, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, and at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City. She graduated from the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University (B.A., Vocal Performance). She studied opera with Claudia Pinza (now deceased) at the Ezio Pinza Council of American Singers of Opera Summer Program in Oderzo, Italy(EPCASO) and continued her voice training at Duquesne University with Claudia Pinza (the daughter of Ezio Pinza) and Xiu-ru Liu (who was invited by Beverly Sills to come to the U.S. to study opera). After graduation, Ms. Mintas traveled to Cuernavaca and Mexico City, Mexico, to study with Mayda Prado (a student of Maria Callas) at the Estudio para el Bel Canto Nuestro Circulo: “La Dinastia del Bel Canto”. She returned to Cuernavaca the following year to study with Mayda Prado, as a vocal student in the Programa Diplomado en Canto at Centro Morelense de las Artes ( CMA ) , Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
At the International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia ( ISOFOM ) 2020 , Ms. Mintas prepared the roles of the Countess and Marcellina in Mozart’s THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO. She also prepared the role of Tatyana from Tchaikovsky’s opera EUGENE ONEGIN, coached by Ghenady Meirson, Founder and Music Director of the Russian Opera Workshop. At the CMA , she performed Giuseppe Verdi’s Duet from his opera AIDA “ Fu la sorte dell’armi a’tuoi funesta ” [Aida - Sophia Mintas); b) Christoph Willibald von Gluck’s Trio from his opera ORFEO ET EURIDICE:“Divo amore” and Giuseppe Verdi’s Quartet from his opera LA FORZA DEL DESTINO “SCENA E TERZETTO FINALE” at The State of Morelos Government and Ministry of Tourism & Culture concert through the Morelense Center for the Arts (CMA) Estudio Lirico del CMA (https://youtu.be/eflcPgUFSUY). In addition, she performed “Les temps de lilas” (by Ernest Chausson) and “Il est doux, il est bon” (from HÉRODIADE by Jules Massenet) at the CENTRO MORELENSE de las ARTES(CMA). In Bologna, Italy, Ms. Mintas studied opera at the Bologna International Opera Academy ( BIOA ) and participated in the Fiorenza Cossotto International Voice Competition. And, in New York City, she studied opera at the Metropolitan International Music Festival ( MIMF ) Summer Institute for Intensive Role Study(SIFIRS) with Sharon Chang, Wei-En Hsu, and William Barto Jones. In 2019, she was The Friedrich and Virginia Schorr Memorial Award (University Division) Art Song Semifinalist in The American Prize in Vocal Performance 2019 Competition.
Sophia Mintas teaches sight-reading to her piano students, proper technique, and how to master practicing and mastering a piece quickly and efficiently. Her experience as a piano tuner has honed her ability to detect intervals quickly and to exercise the ‘perfect pitch’ muscle. Sophia Mintas makes sure her Violin students are prepared for their audition, concert, or performance. She works on technique, rhythm and shows them how to self-correct. One of her students is a member of the Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (PYPO). Since orchestra members have to learn everything quickly, she helps them with technique and shows them how to notate their music in order to maximize their practice time and make sure they are fully prepared for performing.
For scheduling call Karen Jardine 724-825-8579 or Jim Dofka 304-281-6599
At the International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia ( ISOFOM ) 2020 , Ms. Mintas prepared the roles of the Countess and Marcellina in Mozart’s THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO. She also prepared the role of Tatyana from Tchaikovsky’s opera EUGENE ONEGIN, coached by Ghenady Meirson, Founder and Music Director of the Russian Opera Workshop. At the CMA , she performed Giuseppe Verdi’s Duet from his opera AIDA “ Fu la sorte dell’armi a’tuoi funesta ” [Aida - Sophia Mintas); b) Christoph Willibald von Gluck’s Trio from his opera ORFEO ET EURIDICE:“Divo amore” and Giuseppe Verdi’s Quartet from his opera LA FORZA DEL DESTINO “SCENA E TERZETTO FINALE” at The State of Morelos Government and Ministry of Tourism & Culture concert through the Morelense Center for the Arts (CMA) Estudio Lirico del CMA (https://youtu.be/eflcPgUFSUY). In addition, she performed “Les temps de lilas” (by Ernest Chausson) and “Il est doux, il est bon” (from HÉRODIADE by Jules Massenet) at the CENTRO MORELENSE de las ARTES(CMA). In Bologna, Italy, Ms. Mintas studied opera at the Bologna International Opera Academy ( BIOA ) and participated in the Fiorenza Cossotto International Voice Competition. And, in New York City, she studied opera at the Metropolitan International Music Festival ( MIMF ) Summer Institute for Intensive Role Study(SIFIRS) with Sharon Chang, Wei-En Hsu, and William Barto Jones. In 2019, she was The Friedrich and Virginia Schorr Memorial Award (University Division) Art Song Semifinalist in The American Prize in Vocal Performance 2019 Competition.
Sophia Mintas teaches sight-reading to her piano students, proper technique, and how to master practicing and mastering a piece quickly and efficiently. Her experience as a piano tuner has honed her ability to detect intervals quickly and to exercise the ‘perfect pitch’ muscle. Sophia Mintas makes sure her Violin students are prepared for their audition, concert, or performance. She works on technique, rhythm and shows them how to self-correct. One of her students is a member of the Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (PYPO). Since orchestra members have to learn everything quickly, she helps them with technique and shows them how to notate their music in order to maximize their practice time and make sure they are fully prepared for performing.
For scheduling call Karen Jardine 724-825-8579 or Jim Dofka 304-281-6599
