Vocal students at the University of Oklahoma experience vocal training at the highest level. Students receive weekly instruction both privately and in group settings, including weekly studio classes. Each year students are presented with several opportunities to perform both on and off campus in two fully staged Opera productions each year, two Opera Scenes recitals, Voice Area recitals (entitled Cantiamo), the Fred Jones Museum Tuesday Noon Concert series, Solo Voice Recitals, Choral concerts, Masterclasses with faculty and guest artists, and with local and regional professional opera companies, choral organizations, and churches. The Division of Vocal Arts boasts faculty and alumni that have won Grammy and Olivier awards and have performed with the world’s leading opera companies and orchestras, including the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, Opéra national de Paris, Washington National Opera, LA Opera, Santa Fe Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Dallas Opera, The London Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Denver Symphony, and the Chicago Symphony, etc. Current and former students have been winners of major awards and regularly gain acceptance in prestigious young artist programs both nationally and internationally.
The Division of Vocal Arts consists of 9 faculty members (5 voice professors, 2 collaborative vocal coaches and 2 opera faculty), and 7 graduate assistants involved in teaching classes and assisting within the department. There are over 80 students in the division pursuing the Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degrees in voice as well as many others pursuing degrees in education, composition, and choral conducting where voice is their major area of concentration. Vocal students also receive instruction in all the relevant classes, including acting and stage movement, diction, foreign language, vocal literature and vocal pedagogy.
A complete opera training program is offered by the OU School of Music Opera Theatre. In addition to individual vocal study and coaching, graduate and undergraduate classes in movement, acting, opera history, and technical production help prepare OU students for exciting and rewarding careers in opera. OU Opera Theatre presents two fully-staged opera productions each year with state-of-the-art lighting and acoustic technology. Opera and Voice students also have the opportunity to participate in masterclasses with many visiting world-class artists.
Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships are available. Graduate Assistantships and Opera Fellowships may include tuition waivers, stipends, and health benefits.
The Benton-Schmidt scholarships are cash scholarships awarded to outstanding incoming graduate students. Awards are given based on excellence in vocal performance and versatility as revealed through the performance audition. Scholarships are for the academic year beginning the following Fall semester. All incoming graduate students will be considered for these scholarships.
Funds for these scholarships were made possible through the bequest of Joseph H. Benton, internationally-acclaimed tenor, long-time teacher and devoted supporter of vocal art, in honor of his much-revered voice teacher at the University of Oklahoma, William George Frederick Schmidt.
