Program Overview

Opera Theater

Program Type: Concentration
Division: Vocal Studies

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 Director

Jonathon Field Associate Professor of Opera Theater

Contact

Cindy Shairba Administrative Assistant (440) 775-8198
women sitting on stage
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

Oberlin Opera Theater

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.

See Opera Theater Productions

Opera Theater Behind the Scenes

The Opera Theater blog explores one of the world’s great operatic training grounds, offering candid student perspectives on what happens behind the scenes of an Oberlin Opera Theater production.

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

Opera Theater Faculty

Opera Theater News

Three students play guitar on stage.

This Week in Photos: The Soundtrack of Fall

November 27, 2020
A guitar ensemble performance in Kulas Recital Hall featured Suvan Agarwal '23, Aidan Wiley '20, and Craig Slagh '21. The passion demonstrated in their live streamed performance was captured in photos and chosen to be among the images included in this week’s photo series.
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