Jack Li Vigni: Shaping Tomorrow’s Opera Voices

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In the realm of voice education, few names ring as clearly as Jack Li Vigni, a seasoned tenor and distinguished educator.

Brooklyn-born, Li Vigni is currently a faculty member at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He is frequently invited to lead master classes at the Jette Parker Young Artists Program at London’s Royal Opera House, and serves as a guest teacher at Brooklyn College. Many of his students have become winners and finalists in major competitions, including Operalia, Cardiff Singer of the World, and Francisco Viñas, and have joined young artist programs at institutions such as Covent Garden, Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper, Komische Oper Berlin, Theater an der Wien, Oper Frankfurt, and Stuttgart.

One of his most successful students, American tenor Andrew Owens, speaks highly of Li Vigni: “My association with Jack goes back nearly 13 years to our first meeting in my hometown of Philadelphia. I am constantly amazed by his breadth of knowledge regarding the Italian operatic tradition. He also has one of the keenest ears I’ve encountered, able to detect the slightest details and adjust inefficiencies. Any success I’ve had in this challenging career is undoubtedly due to his teaching.”

Li Vigni’s background plays an important role in preserving traditional operatic techniques. His father, the Sicilian spinto tenor Salvatore Lauro Li Vigni, had a successful career and studied with Arturo Melocchi, renowned for teaching Mario Del Monaco and other prominent voices. This method, known as the Melocchi school, emphasizes a lowered larynx with strong vocal cord abduction.

In his formative years, apart from his father’s vocal advice, Jack studied with renowned tenors Carlo Bergonzi and Salvatore Fisichella. He continues to consult with Fisichella who he frequently invites to teach at Mediterranean Opera Studio—a summer festival he founded to nurture emerging singers. The program has featured esteemed conductors like Kamal Khan and Leonardo Catalanotto, and its faculty has included voices of historic importance such as soprano Nelly Miricioiu.

Li Vigni advises singers, “Remember that every voice is unique. Embrace your journey, seek guidance, and let your passion for singing shine through. The ability to communicate through song is a gift that can inspire and connect with others.”

Rooted in Italian tradition, one of the pillars of his teaching philosophy is establishing a strong vocal onset and efficient vocal cord closure to prevent excessive air pressure and vocal strain.

“Appoggiare, in the traditional sense, isn’t about how you breathe,” says Li Vigni. “It’s about leaning the voice onto the pressurized column of breath at the larynx, which is the source of all vibration. The aim is to achieve efficient cord closure for maximum resonance.”