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

Jonathon Field,
Associate Professor of Opera Theater

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 giardiniera, Albert Herring, Street 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.

Sample Courses

  • OPTH 202 - Intro to Opera: Performing Techniques (2 credits)
  • OPTH 306 - Opera Workshop (4 credits)
  • OPTH 406 - Seminar in Directing (4 credits)
  • OPTH 501 - Advanced Seminar in Opera (4 credits)
Curriculum and requirements

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
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Opera Theater News

Field Finds His Pasture

March 3, 2023

After 26 years at Oberlin, innovative director Jonathon Field trades higher ed for Mister Ed.
Jonathon Field.

Oberlin Opera Theater Presents "Candide" March 9-12

March 1, 2023

“ Candide is one of Leonard Bernstein's finer works. It’s a piece that transmits both hope and irony, and shows us the remarkable strength of the human spirit. It is a piece that is more of a musical than an opera, and it’s brought to life by our remarkable cast and production staff,” says director Jonathon Field.
Candide production graphic
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Life After Oberlin

Notable Oberlin Alumni

Denyce Graves ’85

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

Daniel Okulitch ’99

Bass-baritone featured with opera companies worldwide

Elizabeth DeShong ’03

Mezzo-soprano featured with opera companies worldwide