University of Illinois

Lyric Theatre @ Illinois is a comprehensive program embracing a broad continuum of opera and musical theatre. Emphasizing flexibility, wellness, and creativity, it mounts three fully staged productions of musical theatre and opera each year, performed in our outstanding opera house at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, the Tryon Festival Theatre, and several studio, scenes, and workshop programs.

Performance studies focus on vocal and technical development, linguistic and musical excellence, and stage and theatre experience. We emphasize the unity of all sung theatre and the thorough preparation necessary for excellence in all styles: vocal and physical health; score study and musicianship; a careful reading of text in all languages; dance and acting experience and training; somatic awareness. We work closely with the Department of Theatre and the Department of Dance. Illinois boasts one of the best performing arts libraries in the world, superb academic resources, and the world-class Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

As the cornerstone of our commitment to the nurturing of creative minds, LTI emphasizes the development of new works in partnership with industry professionals. A very important part of student experience is the large number of workshops mounted each year. Since 2013, it has brought a wide range of influential creative teams to campus to work and teach, including: Richard Maltby, David Shire and John Weidman; Ellen Reid, Roxie Perkins, and James Darrah; Mohammed Fairouz and Mohammed Hanif; Cori Ellison, Beth Morrison; Gene Scheer and Bill van Horn; Jeremy Gill and Sky Macklay; Ilya Demutsky and Igor Kolnyukhov. We are equally committed to the development and performance of creative works by our students each year.

Degree Programs from the Illinois School of Music include: Bachelor of Music Arts in Lyric Theatre, Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, BA/BM in Piano, Bachelor of Arts Composition, BM Composition, Master of Music/Doctor of Musical Arts/Artists Diploma in Vocal Performance and Literature, the MM/DMA in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying, the MM/DMA in Orchestral or Choral Conducting.

Vocal Alumni include: Kallen Esperian, Jerry Hadley, Eric Halvarson, Desirée Hassler, \Scott Hendricks, Eleni Matos, Erie Mills, Marcus Nance, Martin Sola, Alex Nowakowski, Matthew Scollin, and Nathan Gunn.

The Master of Music and the Doctor of Music Arts in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying was founded by legendary accompanist John Wustman and has a long list of distinguished alumni, including: Susan Ash-Baker, Franklin Brasz, Brian Garman, Ward Holmquist, Luke Housner, David Moody, Mary Pinto, Craig Rutenberg, Kevin Stites, Valerie Trujillo, and Julie Gunn.

We are proud to have presented masterclasses and residencies by the world’s most distinguished artists and leaders, who include: Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano; Lawrence Brownlee, tenor; Richard Croft, tenor; Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano; William Burden, tenor; Franc D’Ambrosio, tenor; Brian Dickie, Chicago Opera Theater; Cori Ellison, dramaturg; Renèe Fleming, soprano; Elizabeth Futral, soprano; Ricky Ian Gordon, composer; Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano; Nancy Gustafson, Castleton Festival; Jake Heggie, composer; Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano, Richard Margison, tenor; Matthew Polenzani, tenor; Gene Scheer, librettist; Kevin Stites, musical director; Caroline Woodfield, Opus 3 Artists' Management; Darren Woods, Fort Worth Opera; and Francesca Zambello, Washington National Opera and Glimmerglass Festival.

There is generous funding available for graduate students in the form of fellowships (tuition and fee waiver with a stipend), assistantships (tuition and fee waiver with a quarter-time appointment), partial tuition and fee waivers, and employment.

Contact:

Sylvia Stone

Area Chair

Sstone@illinois.edu