Opera Music Theater is an academic course which strives to prepare students for further pre-professional study in opera and music theater. Primary attention is given first to the careful musical, vocal, and dramatic learning of a given role. Other areas of production such as set design, lighting, makeup, and costuming are also incorporated. Currently OMT runs on a rotating four year cycle of: 1) A full length chamber size opera 2) An operatic scenes program 3) Acting, movement, makeup, and audition studies 4) An operetta or musical. The cycle insures that a student has the opportunity to develop basic performance skills and be involved in a wide range of musically staged productions over four years of study. In order to offer an educational opportunity to as many students as possible, each role is cast with an understudy where appropriate. Production time permitting, there is usually an understudy performance. Each production has only fifty class hours and one technical week before the performance. The rigor and concentration of this type of rehearsal schedule require that the course be approached in a highly professional manner demanding much pre-class preparation on the part of the student. Auditions are held in the spring semester for the following year to allow adequate time for this preparation.

Director: Sarah Holman