We are delighted to announce the ‘Beautiful’ Singing in Vienna Symposium and Workshop, a four-day event exploring bel canto singing practices from 1750 to 1900, as part of the Australian Research Council-funded Discovery Project The Shock of the Old: Rediscovering the Sounds of Bel Canto 1700–1900.  

The title’s inspiration draws upon the long nineteenth-century concept of beautiful performance (schöner Vortrag) as elucidated in pedagogical texts such as by Louis Spohr, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, and Carl Reinecke. The Discovery Project investigates the sounds and practices of bel canto by engaging with early recordings alongside historical treatises, working with singers worldwide. In 2023, the project ran a very successful module on early recording emulation. This was followed in July 2024 with two modules exploring 19^th-century bel canto through the teachings of two significant vocal pedagogues: i) Sonifying García: Sounding performing practices elucidated by Manuel García (1805–1906); and, ii) Sonifying Corri: Re-imagining the sounds of bel canto through the singing advice of Domenico Corri (1746–1825). 

The research team and presenters consists of world leaders in bel canto, historically informed performance, practice-led methods, and music science from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney (Australia), Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University (Australia), Western University (Ontario, Canada), and the University of Music and Performing Arts (Vienna, Austria). This event continues the project’s goal to establish an international singing community that will foster and influence change in classical singing.