"I hear the chorus, it is a grand opera, / Ah, this indeed is music—that suits me." - Walt Whitman (Song of Myself)

ISU Opera Studio is a place where voices develop, thrive, and are celebrated. Iowa State University’s intensive, student-centered opera program allows students to interact with faculty who are still active in the field and prepare for careers in performance and education. Our close proximity to Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) and Cedar Rapids Opera (CRO) allows students the opportunity to further their experience with internationally recognized companies and interact with professional artists in performance.

ISU Opera Studio is a member of the National Opera Association and frequently attends the national conferences. Here, students and faculty come together to create the total art!

Our program is structured around the following projects:

Fall Semester
An auditioned course in which students present either an opera scenes program or one-act chamber opera(s). May include a community outreach tour.

Spring Semester
A process-based course in which singers can learn the "skills of the trade" from professors who are currently working in the field. Topics include:

• History
• Stage Deportment
• Acting
• Small Scene/Aria Preparation
• Crossover Repertoire
• Recitative
• Audition Preparation

Alternate Years 
A fully staged opera with an orchestra. Past productions include:

• Street Scene by Kurt Weill
• Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell
• Cendrillon (Cinderella) by Pauline Viardot
• Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck
• Orpheus in the Underworld by Jacques Offenbach

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