Program Overview

Opera Theater

Opera Theater program courses focus on various acting technique, musical style, linguistic accuracy, performance readiness, and audition skills. The faculty and coaches provide training in role study, movement and dance, staging, musicianship, directing, and diction and language skills. Each semester’s coursework culminates in a performance of scenes from the standard 18th- through 20th-century repertory and selected contemporary works.

Program Facts

Program Director

Timothy LeFebvre,
Professor of Voice

On stage, two women sit next to a basket.
Oberlin Opera Theater's production of the “Rape of Lucretia” was complemented by a series of programs that addressed the often tragic role of women in art throughout the ages to Lucretia’s relevance in 21st-century America.
Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko

Opera Theater Productions

Oberlin Opera Theater presents two major productions with orchestra each year, in addition to a small-scale opera that is usually produced during winter term. Recent shows have included La finta giardinieraAlbert HerringStreet Scene, and the Rape of Lucretia. Students enrolled in various opera classes also perform in a program of opera scenes presented each semester. During the summer, consider performing off campus and in the community via the annual Oberlin Summer Theater Festival.

Affiliated Faculty

Salvatore Champagne ’85

Robert W. Wheeler Professor of Voice

Kendra Colton ’83

Associate Professor of Voice

Mathilda Edge

Assistant Professor of Voice

Katherine Jolly

Associate Professor of Voice

Timothy LeFebvre

Professor of Voice

Upcoming Opera Theater Events

Opera Theater News

Life After Oberlin

Notable Oberlin Alumni

Mezzo-soprano featured with opera companies worldwide and voice faculty at Peabody and Juilliard

Bass-baritone featured with opera companies worldwide

Mezzo-soprano featured with opera companies worldwide