Voice

The Voice Department consists of approximately 95 undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students, eight private voice teachers, ten individually assigned coach-accompanists and specialists in diction, pedagogy and physiology. Because the Conservatory is situated within walking distance to the San Francisco Opera House and Davies Symphony Hall, students enjoy impromptu visits from many internationally acclaimed artists, who offer invaluable information about performing and starting a career.

In 2010-2011, the Opera Theater department will perform two fully staged operas: Weill’s Mahagonny Songspiel and Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites. These will be presented along with Menotti’s one-act operas The Telephone and The Medium, as well as a one-hour version of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. The ongoing “Art Songs as Theater” class offers younger students the opportunity to perform art songs in a staged venue. The Baroque Vocal Ensemble will perform Handel’s Alcina and a concert of Dowland songs, as well as other recitals. The Musical Theatre Department performs a Weill Songspiel in the fall and the Stephen Sondheim musical Company in the spring. Master class presenters this year include John Copley, John Churchwell, John Del Carlo, Robin Guarino, Deborah Birnbaum and Lotfi Mansouri. In October 2010, Martin Katz visited the Conservatory for a three-day residency, culminating in an evening master class.

Classes to Visit

  · One fifty minute coaching session with personal accompanist every week in addition to one fifty-minute lesson (which the accompanist also attends)
  · Vocal Performance Lab: Two hour performance class every week with all vocal students and faculty; includes master classes, studio classes, and student performances
  · Voice Department Recitals: opportunity to perform on one or more of ten evening recitals per year, open to the public
  · 2 fully-staged, fully costumed operas a year
  · 2-3 one-act operas each semester
  · 6 evenings of opera scenes each semester
  · New Music Ensemble
  · 4 evenings of Musical Theater performances
  · Annual Vocal Concerto Competition: winner performs with the
    Conservatory Orchestra
  · Various departmental collaborations including compositions and
    chamber music
  · Annual Baroque Opera or Oratorio, plus 2 Baroque recitals per
    year
  · Conservatory Chorus: 2 performances per year including major
    works
  · Chamber Choir: Three performances per year including major works

FACULTY

Voice department
Sylvia Anderson
Catherine Cook, chair
Patricia Craig
Pamela Fry
Leroy Kromm
Ruby Pleasure
Jane Randolph
Marcie Stapp
César Ulloa

We encourage prospective students to contact the voice faculty to arrange a consultative lesson. The voice faculty and the Office of Music Admission are happy to answer any specific questions that you have about our program.

LINK TO VOICE DEPARTMENT HANDBOOK

LINK TO APPLICATION INFORMATION

LINK TO AUDITION REPERTOIRE

Art Songs as Theatre
Vocal Performance Lab
Opera Workshop
Musical Theater
Opera Theate
Opera Direction
Fundamental Acting for Singers
Principles of Acting
Beginning Theatrical Dance
Chamber Choir
Please click here to view the 2010-2011 Class Schedule for dates and times of all music and academic courses offered this year.