Oberlin

"Opera is not only alive and well at Oberlin, it's also adventurous."
- Donald Rosenberg, Plain Dealer

Staging two major productions each year, Oberlin Opera Theater is known for artistic excellence and innovation. Whether presenting a bold, new interpretation of a classic, the world premiere of a contemporary work, or a historically informed version of a little-known baroque gem, Oberlin Opera Theater often challenges operatic norms. Its productions have received the highest critical acclaim from local and national publications, earning positive reviews in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Plain Dealer.

Many great artists have worked on Oberlin operas. Past conductors have included Robert Spano, Stephen Lord, Ward Holmquist, and Ari Pelto, and the program has developed some of today’s brightest stars, including Denyce Graves, Franco Farina, Alyson Cambridge, Christopher Robertson, Lisa Saffer, and Robert Sims. In 2002, 2003, 2007, and 2008, Oberlin graduates Carolyn Betty, Alyson Cambridge, Alek Shrader, and Edward Parks, respectively, won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

This blog will explore 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.

Latest Blog Entries

Cleveland Classical Reviews Britten's "The Turn of the Screw"
by Conservatory Communications Correspondents
Excerpted from ClevelandClassical.com: "Are the ghosts of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel in Benjamin Britten's chamber opera The Turn of the Screw real, or just the product of the overactive imagination of the young governess who chronicled this "curious...
››› March 16, 2018 | 0 Responses

Three Opera Productions Wrap Up Winter Term 2018
by Conservatory Communications Correspondents
Opera plays a lead role in this year's winter term at Oberlin Conservatory! From Oberlin Opera Theater's production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Angel's Bone by alumna Du Yun '01 and librettist Royce Vavrek to student productions of both comedic and...
››› January 24, 2018 | 0 Responses

ClevelandClassical.com Previews Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro"
by Conservatory Communications Correspondents
Excerpted from ClevelandClassical.com: Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko A mainstay of the opera repertoire, The Marriage of Figaro is the first of Mozart's collaborations with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. The plot is filled with mistaken identity, surprise paternity, and intrigue, as...
››› October 31, 2017 | 0 Responses

››› view all entries