Voice

The Voice Department consists of approximately 110 undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students, eight private voice teachers, ten individually assigned coach-accompanists, and specialists in diction, pedagogy, and physiology. In addition, situated within walking distance to the San Francisco Opera House and Davies Symphony Hall, students enjoy impromptu visits from many internationally acclaimed artists who come to visit the Conservatory and offer invaluable information in regard to performing and starting a career.

In 2008-2009, two fully staged operas, The Magic Flute by Mozart and Orpheus in the Underworld by Offenbach, will be presented along with six additional opera workshop performances. Another Opera Workshop section is the class, "Preparing a Role." The operas for the fall class are cast and will be: Pergolesi's La serva padrona, Floyd's Slow Dusk and Menotti's Old Maid and the Thief. Additional one-act operas for spring semester will be announced at a later date. The ongoing "Art Song as Theater" class offers younger students the opportunity to perform art song in a staged venue. The Baroque Vocal Ensemble will perform Handel's Rinaldo along with two additional recitals: a fall semester concert of solo songs and madrigals of Monteverdi, Caccini, Peri and other early 17th-century Italian composers, and a spring semester concert which will explore English repertoire of the late 16th- and 17th-centuries, including solo songs, consort songs and madrigals of Dowland, Campion, Byrd, Morley and Lawes, as well as other English masters. This year the fall Musical Theatre production will be either Urinetown or The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Master class presenters this year include Sheri Greenwald, Franc D'Ambrosio, Christine Brandes, Jonathan Khuner, Daniel Helfgot, and Frederica von Stade with others to be announced.

The voice department is happy to answer any specific questions you have about the vocal program. Visiting prospective students can also arrange a consultative lesson with our faculty. If you would like any other voice faculty contact information, please call us at 415.503.6231.

Download Voice Department Handbook (pdf)

FACULTY

Voice department
Sylvia Anderson
Catherine Cook
Pamela Fry, Chair
Leroy Kromm
Wendy Hillhouse
Ruby Pleasure
Jane Randolph
César Ulloa

QUICK FACTS

• Two fully-staged, fully costumed operas a year
• Two-three one-act operas each semester
• Three evenings of opera scenes each semester
• New Music Ensemble: various composers
• Four evenings of Musical Theater performances
• Annual Vocal Concerto Competition: winner performs with the Conservatory Orchestra
• Various departmental collaborations: this year Composition and Chamber Music
• Annual Baroque Opera or Oratorio, plus one Baroque recital each semester
• Conservatory Chorus: two performances per year including major works
• Vocal Performance Lab: 2-hr performance class every week with all vocal students and faculty
• Voice Department Recitals: opportunity to perform on one or more of eight recitals per year, open to the public
• One hour coaching session with personal accompanist every week in addition to one fifty minute lesson (which the accompanist also attends)