For the opera singers on here....?

Question

Do you know of any schools that have a great opera program for undergraduate students? Any in particular great for an aspiring dramatic mezzo with a huge voice, like myself?

Answer 1

There are LOTS of good schools out there but I would suggest you find a school that has a faculty member who understands your "fach" and preferably a teacher who also sings dramatic mezzo. Not all teachers and voice departments are equipped to train big dramatic voices. Also, you should ask the voice department what other types of voices are currently represented in their student body. Do they have the types of male voices attending that will complement your own so you can learn the important roles for your voice type. I have a big dramatic soprano voice and because my school only had lyric tenors and baritones enrolled, I was limited in what roles I could perform in opera productions which was often frustrating. Good luck!

Answer 2

Probably the biggest and best opera program in America is at Indiana University. They put on 8 full operas a year- with around 28 opera performances. It's an enormous music school but enormously competitive. As an undergraduate, IU is a strange place. There are quite a lot of graduate students, many are in their late 20s and 30s, and will be on a completely different level than you. You may enjoy much more a smaller private university to get that undergraduate degree and learn about yourself, and then aim for IU as a graduate student when you've built up more of that musical confidence.

Answer 3

The University of Northern Colorado has a great opera program. The School of Music is one of the top in the nation!

www.unco.edu

Answer 4

You could check out USC, but it's tough to get into and very expensive.