The Master of Music in Opera offers you a focused and enriching experiences in contemporary and classical productions, theatre workshops, and study in history, pedagogy, literature, and more.
The UBC Opera ensemble presents three professional-scale productions at UBC (Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and UBC Old Auditorium) every season. This program also features professional performance and community-building experiences through engagements with Vancouver Opera, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Bard on the Beach, and working with professional Opera singers through UBC’s Singer Behind the Song series. Students also enjoy enriching summer productions and tours in the Czech Republic.
Prerequisites
- Bachelor of Music degree, or equivalent
- 100-level proficiency in French, German and Italian
- Strong background in opera repertoire
Thesis
The thesis will consist of the performance of a major role in one full opera production in the first or second year.
Curriculum
You must complete a total of 35 credits in
- 520A Introduction to Music Research - 3 credits (Ref. 1)
- 537 Seminar in the Literature of Opera - 6 credits
- 539C Opera Production - 6 credits
- 593B Music Performance - 6 credits (Ref. 2)
- 591B Music Performance - 2 credits (Ref. 3)
- 549 Thesis - 6 credits (Ref. 4)
- Related Arts or Music Elective - 6 credits (Ref. 5)
- Music 520A must be taken in the first term of graduate study. Students who have had a similar course previously may be exempted from this requirement; please see the Student Advisor or chair of the Graduate Committee. If exempted, students must substitute three 500-level elective credits.
- Music 593B is to be taken in the first year of study only.
- Music 591B is to be taken in the second year of study.
- Students shall register in Music 549 beginning in the summer session following the first year of study, and remain registered in it through the completion of the program.
- The related arts elective must be selected from those courses at the 300 level and above. Approval is required in each case. Music 538C, Staging and Directing Techniques for the Operatic Stage, is highly recommended for those interested in a career in opera production. Students may enroll in 500-level seminars in Music History, Music Theory, and/or Ethnomusicology with the permission of the instructor.