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Opera Department

A vocal performance student performs during a Liederabend concert

The Graduate Opera Department at NEC is a unique, exciting program dedicated to helping each singer reach their full performance potential. Our world-class faculty is committed to working with each student individually, addressing their specific needs as a developing young singer. The curriculum includes movement and acting classes, a performance skills class (Opera Workshop), regular coaching with our extraordinary faculty, and many performance opportunities. 

Performance opportunities include fully designed and produced opera productions, semi-staged productions, scenes and aria programs, outreach productions, workshopping new works in development, and more. The repertoire is designed to help students acquire the skills necessary to deliver honest and imaginative performances. Our repertoire is drawn from the full cannon, and we expose singers to various styles and languages. Recent repertoire has included La Calisto (Cavalli), Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), An American Dream (Perla), L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (Ravel), La bohème (Puccini), Svadba (Sokolovic), The Turn of the Screw (Britten) and L’Arbore di Diana (Soler).

Students perform La Bohème.

Voice Department Chair Robert Tweten and Opera Department Chair Joshua Major

Joshua Major and Robert Tweten

From the Department Chairs

Voice department chair Bradley Williams works with a student in his studio.

Voice department chair Bradley Williams works with a student in his studio.

We are deeply honored to be a part of the NEC community and oversee a world class faculty dedicated to the training and mentoring the next generation of extraordinary talented vocal performing artists. We bring knowledge, experience and passion to our daily work of supporting the development and growth of every singer who passes through our program. We are committed to empowering our students to connect with their imagination and finding purpose in everything they do.

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Take the Next Step

Apply to NEC

Are you interested in becoming an NEC Student? Begin the process by starting your application, requesting information, and learning more about our Admissions process.

After NEC

Department Highlights

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  • Faculty Member Tom Siders (BSO), Trumpet, Gives a Private Lesson

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  • Faculty Member Tom Siders (BSO), Trumpet, Gives a Private Lesson

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste.

Event spotlight

Witness artistry in action