Claude Corbeil instructed the masterclass, “Freedom of Expression” last Saturday at the Bezanson Recital Hall. The class, open to all and any interested University of Massachusetts students, was headed by Corbeil, who was accompanied by pianist Ludmila Krasin.

Corbeil has had a career filled with much praise and recognition. Music has been a constant in his life since his early childhood days, having been trained by his father for years and notably starring in his first opera at the age of 17. His career has spanned decades and he has overcome numerous challenges. Corbeil’s years of experience and knowledge about music come from a deep passion for the subject and a great handle on it as well. When asked about how he wants to help any of his students, his simple response was, “I am here to inspire.”

Corbeil is a performer that likes to command the stage. He has no shortage of wit and charm. “I like to be vivacious on stage,” he said, an accurate description of his stage persona. Those words came to life during the masterclass when, in his attempts to get the pupils to loosen up, Corbeil waltzed with them across the stage. When all the students were struggling to put an intense emphasis on the words they were singing, he urged them to say, “Claude, I hate you!” with all the meaning they could muster.

“Good evening everybody. This is a cool place!” Corbeil said, welcoming students to the program. There were six pupils in attendance. All of them had different voices with different pitches and quirks, but all absolutely lovely. These were voices loaded with talent and beauty.

Each student got up on stage and performed one piece, each different from each other. After a student performed, Corbeil took to the stage to instruct them. Each of the students were truly talented individuals and Corbeil was there to help them work out their quirks. Corbeil helped fine-tune the goods that each and every one of the skills that the performers came into the event with.

Up first was Maki Matsui, who has an angelic voice. What Corbeil tried to do with her, as he did with the subsequent pupils, was to get her to loosen up and use her words. Throughout the night he put a heavy emphasis on singing with words and not with voice. As he exclaimed during his instruction of Matsui, “Don’t hold back on the words!” He went on to say that singers sometimes put too much pressure on themselves to just sing. It’s all supposed to be natural and, above all, they should enjoy themselves, he said.

If there was one thing that Corbeil wanted the pupils and the audience to take out of the class it was that even when one is singing the world’s most dramatic song, on the inside he or she should be smiling and enjoying every second of what her or she is doing. This was the main point of his instruction to Samantha Gambaccini. Gambaccini, who has a very strong voice, struggled a bit with being able to fully relax throughout her performance. By the end of her work with Corbeil, there was a notable difference in her performance. Corbeil’s cues helped her relax more while on stage.

With all the other pupils, the message was the same: loosen up. As Corbeil put it, “If you don’t breathe before you sing, you’re going to die.” The sentiment is humorous when said but true in its underlying meaning: relax and let go.

Corbeil’s primary message to the students was to show their heart and sing from their soul. “You have to give us the goods,” he said to Benjiman Durfee who, after some coaching, delivered a rendition of his piece that left the audience in an uproar. Durfee had broken his restrictions down and in return was able to amaze the audience.

As a teacher, Corbeil wants to show students how to enjoy their passion. All throughout his career that is what he has done – wholeheartedly enjoy his passion. When asked why he chose music, he simply responded, “Music chose me.” As an instructor, what he hopes to do is inspire the youth around him to delight in music as much as he does.

“Freedom of Expression” lived up to its name in every way. The class was tailored to teach its students to let go. It was for them to learn to express who they were and how to use their voice as a tool in this process. As Corbeil so eloquently put it: “You have to be nuts to be an artist. You have to be out there.”

Thalia Pena can be reached at [email protected].