Opera Theatre VCU
Founded in 1950 by L. Wayne Batty, Opera Theatre VCU has been directed by Melanie Kohn Day since 1983. From 1987 to 2005, Michelle Harman-Gulick served as co-director. For the 2008-09 season, newly appointed voice faculty, Kenneth Wood, will be assisting with opera direction and production. In 2008, Wood also began duties as stage director.
Opera Theatre VCU has the longest-running tradition of annual full-scale productions in the state of Virginia. We produce fully staged opera scenes programs in the fall, as well as a gala evening of arias and several performances in area public schools. Every spring, Opera Theatre VCU presents a full-scale production in collaboration with the VCU Symphony Orchestra. Opera Theatre is also proud of its ongoing relationship with the Virginia Opera, which includes regular field trips, workshops and master classes with staff and artists.
With a significant emphasis on the holistic training of the complete “singer-actor,” Opera Theatre VCU has prepared numerous students for scholarships to the Manhattan School of Music, Peabody Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, New England Conservatory, The Curtis Institute of Music, The University of Maryland, Boston University and Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Several Opera Theatre VCU graduates have been selected for positions with the Virginia Opera Young Artists/Apprentice Program, as well as in young artist programs with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Lake George Opera, Pittsburgh Opera and Sarasota Opera.
Opera Theatre VCU has an impressive history of alumni career success stories featuring performances in many of the world’s greatest opera houses. In September 2004, the New York City Opera had four VCU Music alumni rehearsing and performing in productions, while a fifth alumnus obtained a major singing role in the New York premiere of a Leslie Burrs opera.
