Bel Canto Today is a website dedicated to the resurrection of the almost forgotten art of ‘bel canto’. It has been created to support the work of Maestro Vernon Mackie, author of ‘Bel Canto - The Essense of Vocal Art’ and probably the last true exponent of the Old Italian School of Singing known as Bel Canto (beautiful singing).

Mackie studied privately with E.H. Caesari, the world renowned teacher of the ‘Old School’ (and author of 'The Voice of the Mind'), where he met and heard so many of Caesari's disciples. During his time of study with Caesari, co-pupils were Richard Bonynge (the architect of his wife Joan Sutherland's career), Govoni Feroni (Santa Cecilia Academy, Rome), Rosina Raisbeck, David Hughes and fellow New Zealander, John Hauxwell.

Luisa Tetrazzini, Giovanni Inghilleri, Mary Garden and Beniamino Gigli are among the many great singers of the 20th Century who publically acclaimed & endorsed E. Herbert Caesari as the last & only exponent of the Old Italian School. Gigli went so far as to write the “Introductory Lesson” for The Voice of the Mind”.

“Great singing demands a passionate heart and an ice cold head.”

Vernon L Mackie