Opera/Voice

A male voice student sings an aria accompanied by a female pianist during the Moveable Feast event

CCM’s Departments of Opera and Voice provide one of the most comprehensive training programs for singers, opera coaches and opera directors in the United States.

CCM offers an international faculty of dedicated educators who are also celebrated professionals in their own right, widely and currently active in their respective fields.

CCM sends its students out into the profession. Several national opera companies now hold auditions at the conservatory, and the Opera Department also hosts a series of informational talks by nationally renowned artists' managers, opera company managers, artistic directors, program directors, performers and coaches, all of whom are prominent professionals working both in America and in Europe.

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Voice Degree Programs

The most important aspect of CCM's voice program is the weekly private lesson with faculty. The low student-to-teacher ratio allows teachers to serve as advisors and mentors. Performance opportunities abound in solo, ensemble and dramatic settings. At least one solo recital is required as the capstone of the program, and students have the option of performing non-required recitals. Frequent studio recitals, master classes and opera scene workshops are scheduled, and CCM houses two audition choirs that perform each semester.

There are two full-length opera productions in CCM's Corbett Auditorium or Patricia Corbett Theater each year, in addition to several opera and/or cabaret productions in the Cohen Family Studio Theater. These annual offerings provide ample stage exposure, plus an additional opera project limited exclusively to undergraduates. Language instruction and elective opportunities are critical aspects of the study.

This four-year program covers a complete range of academic and performance activities. Senior year includes a requirement for six hours a week of Opera Workshop, studying movement, acting and role preparation that culminates in a fully-staged performance of opera scenes. Advanced students audition for roles in CCM's mainstage opera productions and studio and workshop presentations.

Candidates are offered a wide range of practical and academic classes, including foreign languages and diction, oratorio and vocal repertoire. In the first year, six hours per week of opera training is required, which covers movement, acting and work on opera scenes. In the second year, students can continue with classes in opera characterization, opera coaching and opera production. Students audition for major roles in mainstage opera productions, and studio and workshop performances.

The program is designed to promote the development of superior performing musicians and teachers. It offers singers with a high degree of proficiency and artistry a comprehensive selection of classes in music literature, music history and performance practices, with electives covering a broad range of classes in the Opera Department, and numerous opportunities to perform in recital and on the opera stage.

CCM's admissions process begins on August 1 (undergraduate) and September 1 (graduate) for entrance in the following year's fall semester. All application materials must be submitted on or before December 1 to be considered for specific scholarship awards. Visit the CCM Admissions website for additional application instructions.

Voice - BM

Pre-screening

Applicants must submit the required pre-screening materials via getacceptd.com/ccm on or before December 3 in order to be considered for admissions and invited for an audition.

Pre-screening Requirements
  • Two Art Songs (one in English, one in another language).
    • While not technically art song, arias from the 24/26 Italian Songs and Arias books are examples of permissible repertoire.
    • Oratorio arias written before 1750 are permissible. 

Audition

Audition Requirements
  • The same repertoire selections may be used for pre-screening and live auditions 
  • A sight-singing assessment will be required for vocal music education applicants

Voice - MM, DMA

Pre-screening

Applicants must submit the required pre-screening materials via getacceptd.com/ccm on or before December 3 in order to be considered for admissions and invited for an audition.

Pre-screening Requirements
  • 2 operatic arias of differing styles
  • 4 art songs
  • Language requirements: English and at least 2 languages chosen from Italian/Spanish, German, and French must be presented
  • Only DMA applicants must submit two writing samples:
    • One academic paper – papers written during MM academic tenure are acceptable. Topics should be historical and/or theoretical treatments of a musical subject. Papers shall be no less than 10 pages in length. Standard formatting and footnotes are required.
    • One essay – composed on current and future trends in classical vocal music. Submitted essays must be 1-2 pages in length in PDF format. Essays must address: the role of classical singing in contemporary American culture; changes that have occurred and/or should occur; and future possibilities for this art form. Considerations may include: resources of talent, finance, venue and medium; both new and standard repertoire; audience. DMA applicants need not address all of these elements. One or two topics of interest may be chosen and discussed.

Audition

Audition Requirements
  • Four art songs of contrasting styles and periods in English, French, German and Italian
  • Two arias (one may be from an oratorio)
  • DMA applicants will interview with voice faculty at the time of the live audition

Voice Graduate Assistantship

Application Requirements
  • Experience in teaching voice required
  • Email professional resume including teaching and work experience to Professor Karen Lykes
  • Interviews will take place in conjunction with applicant’s live audition
  • Preference will be given to DMA applicants

Voice Faculty

Headshot of Quinn  Patrick Ankrum

Quinn Patrick Ankrum

Associate Professor of Voice

513-556-8229

Headshot of Thomas E. Baresel

Thomas E. Baresel

Professor Emeritus of Voice

Headshot of Allen Boxer

Allen Boxer

Adjunct Instructor of Voice

513-556-9488

Headshot of Gwendolyn M. Coleman

Gwendolyn M. Coleman

Professor of Voice

513-556-5381

Headshot of Amy S. Johnson

Amy S. Johnson

Associate Professor of Voice (Soprano)

513-556-9559

Headshot of Karen S. Lykes

Karen S. Lykes

Dieterle Chair of Music in memory of George Andreas and Elsa Fishcher Dieterle; Professor of Voice

513-556-9516

Headshot of Elliot Madore

Elliot Madore

Associate Professor of Voice

513-556-5532

Headshot of Kenneth B. Shaw

Kenneth B. Shaw

Professor of Voice

513-556-9561

Headshot of Stuart L. Skelton

Stuart L. Skelton

J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair of Opera; Professor of Voice

513-556-9557

Headshot of Mary Henderson Stucky

Mary Henderson Stucky

Professor Emerita of Voice

513-221-1896

Headshot of Daniel Weeks

Daniel Weeks

Interim Division Head of Performance Studies; Associate Professor of Voice

513-556-6830


Performance Studies Division Head and Staff

Headshot of Daniel Weeks

Daniel Weeks

Interim Division Head of Performance Studies; Associate Professor of Voice

513-556-6830

Headshot of Sarah Minneman

Sarah Minneman

Chamber Music Coordinator

513-556-3442

Headshot of Claudia C. Penn

Claudia C. Penn

Executive Staff Assistant

513-556-3442


Opera Degree Programs

CCM's artist diploma programs provide training in the art and craft of opera with one of the most comprehensive programs available anywhere in the world. These programs help a singer, coach or director develop the skills necessary to move with confidence onto the professional stage with a full understanding of the demands of the career.

one of the continent's major music schools

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The program is limited to 12 singers who will perform at least four major roles in fully-staged productions. Students receive private coaching, intensive actor training and role preparation together with movement, period dance, language, audition and career management classes, and master classes with some of the finest artists in the world of opera.

In one of the few programs of its type in the nation, students develop linguistic, pianistic and coaching skills in the context of fully prepared original language productions. Opportunities are available to study conducting and take a wide range of vocal, stylistic and interpretative classes.

Candidates of proven ability and experience have a program tailored to their individual developmental needs, covering directing theory and practice, as well as acting, musical and foreign language skills, and areas of design and technical theater production. Students work as Assistant Directors on major productions and direct three productions of their own.

CCM's graduate admissions process begins on September 1 for entrance in the following year's fall semester. All application materials must be submitted on or before December 1 to be considered for specific scholarship awards. Visit the CCM Admissions website for additional application instructions.

Opera AD - Coaching Track

Pre-screening

Applicants must submit the required pre-screening materials via getacceptd.com/ccm on or before December 3 in order to be considered for admissions and invited for an audition.

Pre-screening Requirements
  • CV or resume in demonstration of their experience working with singers, playing for opera, experience with languages, etc. 
  • Recordings are NOT required during the prescreening stage

Audition

Audition Requirements

Applicants must prepare one selection from each of the following categories (at least one selection must be played and sung simultaneously)

  1. One Mozart aria, with recitative, from the following list: 
    • “In quali eccessi, o numi... Mi tradi” from Don Giovanni 
    • “Crudele, ah no, mio bene... Non mir dir” from Don Giovanni 
    • “Hai già vinta la causa” from Le nozze di Figaro
    • “Temerari, sortite fuori di questo loco... Come scoglio” from Cosi fan tutte
    • “E Susanna non vien... Dove sono” from Le nozze di Figaro
  2. One Puccini aria from the following list: 
    • “Si, mi chiamano Mimì” from La bohème 
    • “Che gelida manina” from La bohème 
    • “Donde lieta” from La bohème
  3. One 20th Century aria from the following list:*
    • “No word from Tom” from Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress (complete)
    • “Here I stand” from Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress 
    • “Sein wir wieder gut” from Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos 
    • “Grossmächtige Prinzessin” from Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos
    • *In exceptional situations, with approval of the Opera Coaching faculty, this selection could be substituted for a solo work demonstrating technical abilities.
  4. One ensemble from the following list: 
    • Sextet from Don Giovanni “Sola, sola in buio loco” 
    • Quartet from Rigoletto
  5. Prepare an aria that you will coach in your audition. We ask that you send us a list of possibilities to Professor Marie-France Lefebvre (short arias are welcome – “Ach ich fuhl’s, Di Provenza”...). A singer will be provided at the audition.
  6. Sight-reading
Audition Requirements
  • Applicants should already have earned a bachelor’s degree with college-level proficiency in two languages from French, German or Italian 
  • The program is extremely competitive with no more than four students enrolled in any given year

Opera AD - Vocal Track

Pre-screening

Applicants must submit the required pre-screening materials via getacceptd.com/ccm on or before December 3 in order to be considered for admissions and invited for an audition.

Pre-screening Requirements
  • Four operatic arias (video with high quality sound fidelity). Examples should not be sound enhanced. Videos may be from live performances (not split) of opera in which the student has recently appeared (please only send a five-minute clip cued to your specific excerpt), as well as the solo presentation of four operatic arias.

Audition/Interview

Audition/Interview Requirements
  • Four arias in total
    • One in English
    • One in Italian
    • One in EITHER French or German
    • One as the singer prefers

Opera Scholarship Competition: MM, DMA, AD Opera (Vocal Track) Applicants Only

To be considered for the Opera Scholarship Competition, you must submit a separate Opera Scholarship Competition Application form.

Applicants must also prepare the following for the preliminary round audition (the preliminary round audition occurs on the same date as your assigned degree audition date):

  • Five arias (if applying for MM or DMA, the two required for the degree program plus three others; if applying for the AD, the four required for the degree program plus one other).
  • Four art songs (MM and DMA applicants only), including contrasting styles and periods in English, French, German and Italian. 

Opera AD - Stage Directing

Pre-screening

Applicants must submit the required pre-screening materials via getacceptd.com/ccm on or before December 3 in order to be considered for admissions and invited for an audition.

Pre-screening Requirements
  • A 3 to 5-page artistic statement 
  • A portfolio containing visual representation (video, photographs) of your directing work
  • Biography 
  • CV

Audition

Once the application and pre-screening materials are submitted, selected applicants will be scheduled by the Opera Department for a phone interview.

Additional Information
  • The Stage-Directing program is extremely competitive with no more than two students enrolled per year
  • Applicants should already have earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree or have equivalent professional experience as a stage director in the field
  • Proficiency in French, German and Italian and Music literacy is preferred
  • Applicants are expected to have already directed fully-staged theatre, music theatre and/or opera productions either with piano or orchestra

Opera Faculty

Headshot of Andrew Crooks

Andrew Crooks

Adjunct Instructor of Opera

513-556-5803

Headshot of Vincent DeGeorge

Vincent DeGeorge

Associate Professor, Joseph Weinberger Chair of Acting for the Lyric Stage

513-556-4030

Headshot of Gregory S. Eldridge

Gregory S. Eldridge

Associate Professor of Opera Directing

513-888-1636

Headshot of Robin A. Guarino

Robin A. Guarino

Professor of Opera

513-556-9450

Headshot of Lisa Sarah Hasson

Lisa Sarah Hasson

Instructor - Adjunct

513-556-5803

Headshot of Marie-France Lefebvre

Marie-France Lefebvre

Professor of Opera/Voice Coaching

513-556-9518

Headshot of Susan Moser

Susan Moser

Instructor - Adjunct

513-858-1996

Headshot of Stuart L. Skelton

Stuart L. Skelton

J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair of Opera; Professor of Voice

513-556-9557


Theatre Arts, Production and Arts Administration Division Head and Staff

Headshot of Rebecca Bromels

Rebecca Bromels

Interim Division Head of Theatre Arts, Production and Arts Administration (TAPAA); Chair and Associate Professor of Arts Administration

513-556-5803

Headshot of Jen Lampson

Jen Lampson

TAPAA Production Manager

513-556-9439

Headshot of Deborah Neiheisel-DeZarn

Deborah Neiheisel-DeZarn

TAPAA Program Manager

513-556-5803


Opera Fusion: New Works

Opera Fusion: New Works (OF:NW) is a dynamic partnership between CCM and Cincinnati Opera. Created in 2011 to foster the development of new American operas, OF:NW has grown into a nationally recognized collaboration which is not only advancing in repertoire, but also serving as an inspiring example of a successful joint venture between an educational institution and a professional performing arts organization.

OF:NW offers composers or composer/librettist teams the opportunity to workshop an opera during a 10-day residency in Cincinnati. Residencies utilize the facilities, personnel, and talent of both CCM and Cincinnati Opera. The workshops are cast with a combination of CCM students and professional artists, and each workshop concludes with a free public presentation of excerpts followed by an audience Q&A session, all of which is streamed online.


News and Events

1

Cincinnati Opera and CCM announce details of next Opera Fusion:...

March 24, 2023

Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) are pleased to announce the next events in their joint program, Opera Fusion: New Works. The two new operas—Robeson by Scott Davenport Richards and David Cote and The Righteous by Gregory Spears and Tracy K. Smith—will receive workshops this April and May, and the public is invited to attend a sneak peek.

2

CCM apparel now available for purchase online

March 23, 2023

Back by popular demand, official CCM-branded apparel is now available for purchase online! Show your school spirit this spring with official UC College-Conservatory of Music apparel. The CCM Tribunal is sponsoring the college's spring apparel campaign to help raise funds for student initiatives. CCM-branded t-shirts, hoodies and quarter-zip pullovers are available for purchase online now through April 23, 2023.

3

CCM Opera presents Handel’s Agrippina, a biting political satire

Event: February 16, 2023 12:56 PM

CCM Opera continues its season with Agrippina, Handel’s early masterpiece. Fueled by political intrigue, historical characters and a dogged pursuit of power, the razor-sharp satire runs in the Cohen Family Studio Theater Feb. 16-19. Tickets are on sale now through the CCM Box Office.

4

Counseling services now available to CCM students through...

January 18, 2023

CCM students can now access counseling services within the CCM Village thanks to the addition of a CAPS embedded clinician. A member of UC’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) staff, Dalziel Reliford-Stone (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with Supervision (LPCC-S) who will serve as an embedded clinician for CCM and DAAP. In this new position, Dalziel hopes to work with students and staff to support a culture that embraces authenticity, self-acceptance and wholeness.

5

Cincinnati Business Courier: CCM’s production of ‘Fellow...

January 12, 2023

The Cincinnati Business Courier recently published Janelle Gelfand’s preview of Cincinnati’s 2023 arts offerings. CCM’s upcoming production of Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce’s "Fellow Travelers" is included as one of the highlights of the new year.

6

CCM Opera’s spring 2022 production of "Galileo Galilei"...

December 16, 2022

CCM Opera’s production of Philp Glass’s Galileo Galilei recently nabbed five nominations in BroadwayWorld Cincinnati’s annual awards for excellence in the region’s performing arts. The production, which ran from March 31 to April 3, 2022, has been recognized in the categories of Best Ensemble, Best Direction of a Musical (Greg Eldridge, Associate Professor of Opera Directing), Best Lighting Design of a Play or Musical (Ian Macintosh, BFA Lighting Design ‘22, and Thomas Hase, MFA Lighting Design) and Best Choreography (Hazel Alexander, BFA Dance ‘24). The awards are determined by audience vote, and the online poll is open through December 31.

7

CCM faculty member Elliot Madore opens up about identity in new...

December 6, 2022

Acclaimed baritone and CCM Associate Professor of Voice Elliot Madore stars in Identity: A Song Cycle, a new film from Against the Grain Theatre directed by Joel Ivany. The film, which was released on Oct. 23, features the performance of five new songs—with music by composer Dinuk Wijeratne and original poetry by Shauntay Grant—and is currently available to stream on Against the Grain Theatre’s website.

8

CCM shares spring 2023 schedule of major performances and events

November 22, 2022

Audiences are invited to return to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music’s (CCM) concert halls and theaters to experience world-class performances and presentations by the next generation of performing and media artists! The college’s spring 2023 schedule of free and ticketed events is now available. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning on Monday, Nov. 28, through the CCM Box Office.

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