Department of Voice & Opera
The Department of Voice & Opera is a vibrant and diverse community dedicated to fostering artistic excellence and academic rigor. Through our broad curriculum, private voice lessons, specialized coachings in operatic and song literature, and intensive language training, our students develop the technical proficiency and expressive depth necessary to excel in today’s artistic landscape.
Central to our department is our robust opera program, offering a holistic approach to the art of opera performance. Students have opportunities to study and perform operatic works across the breadth of the standard and emerging repertoire, from Baroque to the 21st century. For both undergraduate and graduate students, our curriculum encompasses many other essential elements to building a successful and sustainable career in today’s opera landscape, including acting, body movement, stagecraft, audition techniques, and navigation of the business aspects of a career in opera.
A wide range of additional courses includes African American Art Song, Oratorio Repertoire, Vocal Chamber Music, Czech Vocal Literature, and performance classes in European and American Art Song. Our curricular offerings are enhanced by frequent master classes and residencies of guest artists and industry professionals, who provide additional insights and networking opportunities.
Rooted in our tradition of commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, we empower emerging artists by championing diversification of repertoire and performance techniques, embracing innovative approaches to pedagogy, and amplifying traditionally under-represented voices of wide-ranging backgrounds and identities.
Faculty
The Department of Voice & Opera boasts a seasoned and outstanding faculty, with a wealth of performance, teaching, and research experience. At Michigan, private study goes beyond a weekly appointment. Professors are accessible and involved mentors, deeply committed to their students’ growth as individuals as well as musicians. The faculty’s range of experience creates an incomparable in-house resource, while their commitment to teaching provides students with the foundation and real-world guidance needed to flourish in today’s musical landscape.
Timothy Cheek
Freda Herseth
Gregory Keller
Caitlin Lynch
Amanda Majeski
Rose Mannino
Stanford Olsen
Ana María Otamendi
Chía Patiño
Scott Piper
Kirk Severtson
George I. Shirley
Matthew Thompson
Louise Toppin
Daniel Washington
Stephen West
Mo Zhou
Degrees
Undergraduate
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Musical Arts
Graduate
Master of Music
Specialist in Music
Doctor of Musical Arts
Opera at Michigan
Opportunities abound for students to refine their performance skills at SMTD, including two fully produced mainstage operas each year, two smaller-scale chamber operas, workshops of new works, opera scenes programs, and student-initiated performance projects.
2024-25 Season
Opera at Michigan is a highly collaborative endeavor, bringing together faculty and students in the Department of Voice & Opera, players from SMTD’s two stellar orchestras, faculty and student designers and stage managers in the Department of Theatre & Drama, and staff in University Productions, to present our two mainstage opera productions each year. The fall semester production is performed in the Power Center, and the winter semester production is in the historic Mendelssohn Theatre. The chamber operas are performed in smaller venues, providing students the opportunity to learn performance skills appropriate to a variety of non-traditional spaces.
Department of Voice & Opera
November 14 at 7:30 pm
November 15 & 16 at 8:00 pm
November 17 at 2:00 pm
Power Center for the Performing Arts
Reserved Seating $35 / $29 / $16 Student Tickets (fees included)
10% discount on 4 (or more) tickets
Hänsel und Gretel
Composed by Engelbert Humperdinck; libretto by Adelheid Wette
Based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm
Sung in German
Conducted by Kirk Severtson
Stage Direction by Gregory Keller
In this charming fairy-tale opera for audiences of all ages, Hansel and Gretel are banished to the woods to search for strawberries and stay out of trouble. Alas, trouble is inevitable when they come upon a mysterious gingerbread house with a frightening witch inside.
Performed with the University Symphony Orchestra.
Department of Voice & Opera
March 27 at 7:30 pm
March 28 & 29 at 8:00 pm
March 30 at 2:00 pm
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
Reserved Seating $35 / $29 / $16 Student Tickets (fees included)
The Turn of the Screw
Composed by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Myfanwy Piper
Conducted by Kirk Severtson
Stage Direction by Chía Patiño
Henry James’s gripping short story of ghostly possession becomes a haunting and suspenseful opera in Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. A new governess has arrived at the Victorian country home of Bly to care for two young charges, yet the children aren’t exactly what they appear. Visions of the deceased former butler and governess seem to be influencing the children towards evil. The new governess soon finds herself in an unearthly struggle for the children’s souls. But are the ghosts real, or are they only in the governess’s mind? Britten’s evocative score builds to a tremendous climax, leaving the listener wondering if the spirits of the past are still ominously present.
Performed with the U-M Contemporary Directions Ensemble
Recent Productions
Our Stories
Alumni Notes
Some Notable Alumni
Janai Brugger | Seth Carico | Ashley Dixon | Michael Fabiano | Jonas Hacker | Samuel Kidd | Josh Lovell | Aundie Moore | Jessye Norman | Sean Panikkar | Amy Petrongelli | Nicholas Phan | Elisa Quagliata | Rehanna Thellwell | Alan Williams | Samantha Rose Williams | Melody Wilson
About George I. Shirley, Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Emeritus Professor of Voice
- Access Shirley’s creative:impact radio interview
- The George Shirley Vocal Competition is held annually
- The George Shirley Voice Scholarship Fund endowment provides need-based scholarship support for undergraduate voice majors.
Show Your Support
Any gift to SMTD helps launch the next generation of artists, scholars, educators, and entrepreneurs who challenge and inspire the world.
You can support the Department of Voice with a contribution to:
Explore our Campus
Meet the people who make up this dynamic community.
Apply Now
Most applications for 2024-2025 are due by December 1 – check for exact dates on the appropriate admissions page below.
Program Costs, Financial Aid & Scholarships
Explore the many options available to make Michigan an affordable choice.