The University of North Texas Opera, aka UNT Opera Workshop, is the student performing company of the Opera Studies Department of the Vocal Studies Division (one of eight divisions) of the University of North Texas College of Music.

History

Founded in 1944 by the college's dean,

Wilfred Bain Wilfred Conwell Bain (January 20, 1908 – March 7, 1997) was an American music educator, a university level music school administrator (former Dean of two major music schools spanning 35 years), and an opera theater director at the collegiate le ...

, and a newly appointed artist-in-residence,

Mary McCormic Mary McCormic (November 11, 1889DOB is from her grave marker; the DOD listed in thSocial Security Death Indexstates November 12, 1895; the grave marker is consistent with archival records, namely the 1910 US Census, which, places her DOB around ...

, the Opera Workshop has presented one or more operatic productions every semester since inception — fully mounted with orchestra,

set Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics *Set (mathematics), a collection of elements *Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Electro ...

, lighting, and costumes. Opera productions at the

College of Music A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...

predate the founding of the Opera Workshop. In one notable instance, in 1938, North Texas produced ''Cynthia Parker'', an opera by Julia Smith, who had graduated from North Texas in 1930.

UNT College of Music divisions

Directors, Past & Present

Notable people

Faculty * Richard Croft *

Richard Sparks Richard Andrew Sparks (born August 29, 1950) is an American choral conductor. He is one of the leading figures in choral music in the Pacific Northwest and in Scandinavian, especially Swedish a cappella, choral music. Early life and education Spa ...

Alumni * John Ardoin *

William Blankenship William Leonard Blankenship (7 March 1928 – 2 December 2017) was an American operatic tenor, music pedagogue at the collegiate level, stage and television actor, and stage director. Biography In Europe, Blankenship sang roles at the opera house ...

* Latonia Moore *

Mark Nicolson Mark Nicolson is an American tenor opera singer residing in New York City. Mark Nicolson was born in Galesburg, Illinois and grew up in Peoria, Illinois, where he attended Bradley University. He subsequently studied at University of North T ...

* Geeta Novotny * Patricia Racette * Julia Smith

External links

University of North Texas College of Music

Opera Studies

University of North Texas Opera

References