WP Opera
Opera at William Paterson University
Tiernan Doyle, Bridget Maresca, and Daniel Lopez in The Pirates of Penzance.
WP Opera, under the direction of Dr. Christopher Herbert and Dr. Charity Wicks, is uniquely designed for the undergraduate singer preparing for the stage in both singing and acting – a necessity for the twenty-first century vocalist. Undergraduates have the opportunity to perform principal, supporting, and chorus roles while working with professional voice teachers and coaches from New York City. The program is dedicated to one-on-one music preparation, voice, and language coaching from WP Voice faculty. WP Opera rehearses on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with extended evening rehearsals during the mainstage production in the spring semester.
Mainstage Opera
The Mainstage Opera is fully staged, costumed, and performed with orchestra. Recent productions include Orpheus in the Underworld (2021), The Pirates of Penzance (2019), and Dido and Aeneas (2018). Auditions for the mainstage production are usually held in November.
Opera Scenes
The Opera Scenes program provides performance practice for the singing actor. Students prepare roles from opera scenes in their original languages and from a wide range of historical periods and theatrical styles. The public performance of opera scenes is offered in the fall and open to any student at WP by audition.
For Audition Information Contact Dr. Christopher Herbert at: herbertc5@wpunj.edu
