Corradina was born in Rome, Italy, on January 24th, 1944, where she grew up as part of a large and loving family living in the outskirts of the city. As a young adult, she graduated from the Montessori Institute in Rome, and maintained a passion for the Montessori philosophy of child rearing and education. For a period of time, she aspired to pursue a career in pediatric medicine, and in 1965 moved to the United States, beginning her studies at Columbia University. She spent her early years in New York serving as an au pair for an Italian family living in Manhattan. It was here that, by chance she met Maurice Szykman, who she married in 1968. They remained devoted to one another for nearly 54 years of marriage until Maurice’s passing last year.
Corradina transitioned to a new career in academia, serving as an instructor in Italian language and literature. So that she could place her priority on starting a family and pursuing advanced education of her own, her early career consisted of a series of teaching positions that enabled her to work part time at such institutions as John Jay College for Criminal Justice, Queens College, Hofstra University, C.W. Post Long Island University, and Columbia University. Pursuing higher education, she received her BA from Columbia University, where she won the Medaglia d’Oro Award, her MA from Queens College, and her MPh and PhD from Columbia University. Her dissertation was published as a book, The Boccaccian Novella: The Creation and Waning of a Genre, in 1990.
She found her greatest passion when she joined the faculty at the Juilliard School in 1984. She taught Italian diction at Juilliard, and later concurrently taught at the Curtis Institute of Music for several years starting in 1995. She also served as an Italian Diction Coach for the Metropolitan Opera for many years.
Her nearly 40-year career as an Italian diction instructor and coach took her all over the world, to teach and coach Italian diction at dozens of master classes and summer opera programs across nearly every continent. She was beloved by countless students and colleagues whose lives she touched, many of whom also befriended Maurice, who frequently accompanied her on her travels and to many of her professional events.
From her first day at Juilliard, Corradina’s love for her calling never wavered. She continued to teach, coach, and mentor students, as well as non-student singers through independent coaching, until just a few weeks ago, and had no intention of retiring prior to her very recent decline in health. She was surrounded by her family in the days leading up to her passing. She is survived by her son Simon, her daughter and son-in-law Micaela and Glenn, and her grandchildren, Anna and Max. Many close family members also remain in Rome, Italy, with whom she has maintained close contact over the years.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Juilliard School of Music (using comments to direct the gift to the Marcus Institute of Vocal Arts), or the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.
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