Meet the Founder

Stefano Baldasseroni

President and Executive Director

Stefano Baldasseroni, who was born and raised in Rome, began studying drums at the age of four, and by his late twenties had recorded and toured the world as a drummer with many renowned pop music artists. He moved to New York City in 2010 and worked as a session drummer while also serving as the Italian diction coach for Opera Repertory Ensemble’s productions at the Manhattan School of Music.

The renowned contralto Dolora Zajick invited Mr. Baldasseroni in 2016 to join the faculty of her Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, where he applies his skills as a drummer to work with the singers on rhythm as well as coaching them in Italian diction.

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 maintains programs in China and Italy.

In 2017 Baldasseroni joined the faculty of the Juilliard School of Music and the Curtis Institute where, in addition to teaching Italian diction classes and coaching singers, he also oversees the Italian language for their opera productions.

In 2021 he joined the music staff at the Metropolitan Opera as diction coach for their productions of Italian operas.