Professional Diploma in Opera

Admission Info

Location: Chicago
Start Term: Fall

Pre-Screening Audition Requirements

All applicants must apply to CCPA and submit pre-screening requirements via Acceptd by December 1.

All materials must be uploaded via Acceptd. DO NOT mail recordings or documents to CCPA.

Singers

• A recording of three operatic arias (no art song or oratorio)
  • A minimum of two languages represented, one of which MUST be English
  • One aria must be contemporary
  • All recordings must have been made within the last 6 months, one of which must be a video
• A recent headshot
• An academic and professional résumé
• Two letters of recommendation will be required within your Roosevelt University Performing Arts application. One should be from your current voice teacher assessing your current level of development and career potential. The other should be from a professional or faculty with whom you have recently worked and that address your professionalism and musical and dramatic abilities.
• A statement by the applicant as to why they are applying specifically to this particular program.

Pianists

• Recordings (video or audio) of the following (one of which must be a video):
  • One complete work for solo piano
  • Two operatic selections (arias and/or scenes/ensembles) of contrasting periods and styles (one of which must be contemporary) performed with singers
  • All recordings must have been made within the last 6 months
• A recent headshot
• An academic and professional résumé
• Two letters of recommendation will be required with your Roosevelt University Performing Arts application. One will be from your current teacher assessing your current level of development and career potential. The other will be from a professional or faculty with whom you have recently worked and that address your musical abilities and professionalism.
• A statement by the applicant as to why they are applying specifically to this particular program

Live Audition Requirements

Singers

Four contrasting operatic arias in the original language (no oratorio), to be performed from memory. These may include selections from the pre-screening audition if you wish.

• A minimum of three languages represented, one of which MUST be English
• At least three stylistic periods must be represented, including contemporary which is mandatory: Baroque (through Handel), Classical (through Rossini), Romantic/Post-Romantic (through Barber)

Pianists

All excerpts below must be played and sung in the original language.

• One relatively brief work for solo piano
• Mozart, Don Giovanni - Opening of Act I (through Don Ottavio and Donna Anna's duet)
• Strauss, Ariadne auf Naxos - Composer's aria "sein wir wieder gut" (ending after "die heilige Musik")
• Adams, The Death of Klinghoffer - Act I scene I ("it was just after one fifteen" through "slightly slower" after "makes intellect an animal")
• It is expected that all pianist applicants have a working knowledge of English, Italian, German and French diction for singers.

Live Audition Procedures and Expectations

All applicants must be at an advanced level of technical ability. Singers should have a working knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and a firm grasp on at least one of the basic singing languages (in addition to English). They should also have experience working with directors and be comfortable onstage. Singers and pianists must provide 3 copies of their repertoire list and 3 copies of their résumé to their live audition.

All singers will present an aria of their choice and will be prepared to sing additional selections from their list as requested by the audition panel. Pianists will be scheduled for a session to go through the required audition material. In addition to this, those auditioning may be asked for a working session with members of the audition panel.

Proper audition attire is expected for the audition.

Apply now.

Sample Courses

• Opera Vocal Coaching
• Dramatic Coaching of Opera Repertory
• Artists Diploma Piano

View the course catalog for the Opera program.

Career Opportunities

• Opera Performance