In my last blog (which you should go check out if you haven’t yet!), I took you through general conservatory and college classes that I highly recommend. Now, we are going to focus on classes specific to my major: Classical Voice Performance. The conservatory curriculum is pretty similar for each major in their first and second years, so these focused classes were all taken in my third and fourth years.
OPTH404: Seminar in Opera 1 (professors vary)
Starting off strong with a course that was so fun, I am currently taking it again! I first took this class in my 5th semester at Oberlin with the visiting Opera Director at the time: Fenlon Lamb. It is currently being taught by this semester’s visiting Opera Director: Kevin Newbury. This class focuses on teaching you how to prepare an opera role and ends with a grand opera scenes performance. Last year I studied the role of Sesto from Handel’s Giulio Cesare and was able to perform two scenes from it. Lots of my learning focused on how to fully embody a man in a pants role. This semester I am role studying Dorabella from Mozart’s Così fan Tutte which has totally opposite goals to it! I have done my fair share of pants roles and really want to explore my feminine side in opera, as well as getting some stage intimacy under my belt which I will be doing in one of my scenes. This class is perfect for anyone who is ready to study a role!
PACE230H: Introduction to Voice Pedagogy with Dr. Guth
This class was a double dipper for me as it counted both towards my voice major and towards my integrative concentration in Pedagogy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement. I took this class in my 6th semester so I could start teaching secondary voice lessons this year! What shocked me the most about this class was that it not only helped me become a teacher, but it really helped me improve my own voice. We learned so much about anatomy and technique that on the surface seemed “basic,” but was actually so important to review. We also had to shadow different voice teachers in their lessons, and I found it so interesting to explore different pedagogical approaches. My final was to teach a lesson in front of the class with a student whom I worked at least 1.5 hours with. It was definitely a bit nerve-wracking, but I got so much out of it. I think every singer should take this class during their time at Oberlin!
OPTH 407: Seminar in Opera Directing (professors vary)
Since I was a kid I have had a passion for directing. I kind of forgot about it and then rediscovered it at Oberlin and am seriously considering it as a career. This class was a great introduction into all things opera directing. I took it in my 6th semester with the visiting Opera Director at the time: Scott Skiba. We learned all the basics of putting together a production and working with your production team, and then were able to plan our very own production. I had so much fun planning a greek life edition of Mozart’s Così fan Tutte. I was the only person in the class who is seriously considering a career in directing, and I think it is great for any singer to take since it gives you a whole new perspective on your art form!
LANG300: Russian Diction with Professor Lokhina
I was not planning on taking this class but ended up doing it because my friends were, and I am SO HAPPY I did!! I took Russian Diction in my 6th semester. This class taught us how to read cyrillic and basic pronunciation of all Russian sounds. Though Italian, German, French, and English are what we tend to sing the most, I would say Russian is a very close 5th place to them. Professor Lokhina is also very kind and patient with everyone, realizing that it takes time for your mouth to adapt to a brand new language! I would recommend this class to any singer!!
I hope these blogs have been helpful in your course decision making process! Good luck :)
