general information

 

Operatic performing opportunities have been offered at Nebraska Wesleyan University for over 25 years. Fully staged and costumed operas, with orchestra, are performed every spring. Two evenings of opera scenes are performed every fall. When the students are not rehearsing full productions or scenes, additional topics are covered, including acting, audition skills, movement, dance, character development, performance preparation, memorization, score study, choreography, and directing. Students are also actively involved in the technical production of Opera Scenes and productions (costuming, make-up, lighting, scenic design, props, choreography, musical direction, and stage managing). All performing opportunities at Nebraska Wesleyan, including operas and opera scenes, are available to any student, regardless of major.

Opera 2010

The spring production is Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. The production is directed by Dawn Pawlewski Krogh with music direction by William Wyman. The performance will take place on Friday March 26 and Saturday March 27, 2010, at 7:30 p.m., in O'Donnell Auditorium, housed in the Rogers Center for Fine Arts (50th and Huntington Streets). Tickets are $10 at the door; $5 for students and seniors. For more information, please call the Department of Music, 402.465.2269.

quotes

  • "At Nebraska Wesleyan I was blessed with the opportunity to develop by having many chances to perform. Many schools are so large that they don't have time to focus on all their students, but at NWU, I definitely received the attention I needed. [When I came to graduate school], I met many students from other U.S. colleges and universities who barely have a lick of operatic experience on their resumés. I came in with a lot of experience, being a kid from Nebraska!"––Icy Simpson, Class of 2007, currently pursuing a master's degree in Opera Performance at UT-Austin

  • “I came to Nebraska Wesleyan knowing I enjoyed singing, but never dreaming I could do it for a living. Due to the Music Department faculty's encouragement and confidence in my potential, I graduated with my music degree, have the opportunity to sing with professional organizations, and dream of making it my career. One of the best parts about the opera program is the artistic liberty entrusted to me as an undergrad. Where many directors feel the need to dictate every movement, character, and note, the faculty allowed me to experiment, make mistakes, and use my creativity. So many singers focus too much on the music and not enough on the art. In opera that is not acceptable, I am prepared not only as a singer but an artist. I can honestly say I have created art - something very few undergraduates can claim.”––Talea Schroeder, Class of 2007, currently pursuing an MM at UNL and singing with Opera Omaha