Carlo Francis-Arduh's response to when Rebecca emailed him about complaints about previous years and a consumer protection message placed on his website. The consumer protection message was ordered to be placed by request of the Italian equivalent of the Better Business Bureau. He mentions in his response that he had current students who would be willing to vouch for his program. Upon arriving at the school, those students mentioned revealed that he had, in fact, asked them to write testimonials and they had politely refused. His current website does not feature any testimonials of recent students.

From:CDM bciso@texnet.it
Subject : Re: Summer Program in Florence
Date : Fri, 19 Apr 2002 09:53:43 -0700

Dear Ms. Claudy[sic]:

Yes, I have no problem explaining the message attached to my home page. I have inserted the message after a request from the Consumer Protection Board request. (this is not a government agency) I am sorry that this past problem may affect any of the future students at BCISO, and perhaps, precludes them for obtaining an oportunity that could have proved beneficial to them.

Unfortunatelly, last year a teacher with three of her students from the USA attended the summer program. After the second day of attendance, the manipulation of this teacher on her own students was very obvious, as soon as I call this to their attention, she reacted very violently towards me and my coleagues. Insults and physical agression was part of her reaction. I had no choice but to expell her from the program. We, the school as well as personally follow suit and took her to court. In the mean time, before leaving Italy, this woman did all the damage you can possibly imagine, such as the one we see the results at my home page. This desicion has been appealed and the court proceedings continue against her and the university that sent her.There are actually in attendance two of my students that participated at this infortunate events last year, and if you wish to contact them I will be more than happy to provide you with their e-mails. I have already spoke to them about this aspect and they are more than willing to help clarify the situation and clear my name.

What the anouncement does not clarify, and these is one of the reasons for the appeal, is the fact that these people left the program after the second day of attendance, thus, in a very poor position to evaluate any of the program offerings as as well as to condem a school that has been in business in the last six years.

The rest of the students that remainded in the summer school, benefit from the course. After being put in the open, this lady, promised me to destroy me and harm me in any way she could. This becomed a personal and totally an unjust personal vengance. The message has to be at my home page until the 19th of May and then it will be deleted. Therefore, you can see that if the allegations were at all true, the penalty for such wrongs, if there were any at all, would have been much serious.

I am sorry, really sorry , that something so unjust as the experience these people put me through, as well as to my colleagues, has affected or can affect your desicion to attend my program. It is also a pitty that open minded and serious students would miss an opportunity that others couldn't afford.

If you decide not to attend, I understand, and again, I appologize for the inconvenience. Nevertheless, after the 19th, Bel Canto Italia becomes part of a new program and a new school, the Florence School of Opera and Visual Arts. You will find new information at http://www.florencearts.org

when the new information and home page will be uploaded some time next week. Please feel free to coment or ask me all the questions you like. Our program continues to be offered and it will be implemented as it has been offered in our home page. [Website Editor's note: The 2002 program did not occur as it had been offered on the homepage. You can view an archived copy of BISCO's old webpage and also view testimonials of how the program actually occured in the Experiences 2002 section of this site.]

With kind regards,
Maestro Carlos Della Mora