Opera Theater
Courses and performances in Oberlin's Opera Theater program provide training in acting technique, musical style, linguistic accuracy, performance readiness, and audition skills. Faculty and coaches guide students 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 17th- through 20th-century repertory and selected contemporary works. Fully staged operas with orchestra allow students to put theory into practice. With Oberlin's focus on nurturing the undergraduate singer, these are remarkable opportunities to put everything together in performances for enthusiastic audiences.
Program Facts
- Program Type: Program
- Division: Vocal Studies
Program Director
Timothy LeFebvre,
Professor of Voice
Quick Links
![On stage, two women sit next to a basket.](https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_560/public/content/program-ensembles/image/con-performance-opera_ygulenko.jpg?itok=QPTFnBkQ)
Opera Theater Productions
Oberlin Opera Theater presents two major main stage productions with orchestra each year, in addition to a small-scale opera that is usually produced during Winter Term. Recent operas have included Bernstein's Candide, Mozart's La finta giardiniera, Britten's Albert Herring, Weill's Street Scene, and Monteverdi's L'Orfeo. Students enrolled in various opera classes also perform in a program of opera scenes presented each semester. Programs presented on the historic Finney Chapel stage have included scenes from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, Donizetti's L’elisir d’amore, Stravinsky's The Rake’s Progress, Verdi's Don Carlo, and Copland's The Tender Land.
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Dale Alexander
CTS Coordinator
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Stephanie Havey
Associate Professor of Opera Theater
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Daniel Michalak
Vocal Coach and Collaborative Pianist
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Kyung-Eun Na
Associate Professor of Opera Coaching
Affiliated Faculty
Salvatore Champagne ’85
Robert W. Wheeler Professor of VoiceKendra Colton ’83
Associate Professor of VoiceMathilda Edge
Assistant Professor of VoiceKatherine Jolly
Associate Professor of VoiceTimothy LeFebvre
Professor of VoiceTatiana Lokhina
Collaborative PianistUpcoming Opera Theater Events
Jules Massenet’s "Cendrillon"
Jules Massenet’s "Cendrillon"
Jules Massenet’s "Cendrillon"
Jules Massenet’s "Cendrillon"
Concert Performance: Omar
Mozart's "La finta giardiniera"
Opera Theater News
Stephanie Havey Appointed Director of Oberlin Opera Theater Program
August 23, 2024
Fourth Year Soprano Elizabeth Hanje Wins Houston Grand Opera's Eleanor McCollum Competition
February 3, 2024
Award-winning Stage Director Stephanie Havey Talks Opera
November 3, 2023
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