Moores Opera Center

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In this section:
	About the Moores Opera Center Faculty Photos Tuition and fees Contact 2008-09 Season

“. . . I have rarely experienced
so high a level of vision,
quality, and commitment
as I did at the
University of Houston's
Moores School of Music.”

—Pulitzer Prize winner
Dominick Argento, after seeing
the Moores Opera Center
production of his
Miss Havisham's Fire.

The Edythe Bates Old

MOORES OPERA CENTER

About the Moores Opera Center

The Moores Opera Center of the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston provides comprehensive operatic training as part of a voice program offering flexible baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral programs in Voice Performance, Pedagogy, and Choral Conducting. The Center takes as its mission the training of young singers, coaches and conductors aspiring to places in the world as stage performers and teachers. Degree programs combine sound vocal study, intensive language diction training, stage direction, career counseling, and audition techniques. Graduates have gone on to distinguished professional careers, appearing with companies and in venues including the Met, Chicago Lyric, San Francisco, Houston, Washington, Seattle, New York City Opera, Carnegie Hall, and various European houses.

Our season includes four productions that are generally sung in the original language, aided by computerized surtitles. Each opera is double-cast and performed with orchestra. The spectacular 800-seat Moores Opera House is recognized as one of the finest opera facilities in the United States.

The Moores Opera Center has a strong commitment to contemporary opera, and recent productions have brought renowned composers and librettists to work with the students, including John Corigliano, Dominick Argento, Conrad Susa, Philip Littell, William M. Hoffman and Christopher Theofanidis.

Hear a performance: Moores School Symphony Orchestra and soloists: Robert Nelson, Symphonic Scenes from A Room With A View.

Moores Opera House Seating Charts: orchestra | balcony

Faculty

Opera faculty:		Voice faculty:
	Lucy Arner, music director and conductor		Cynthia Clayton, soprano
	Buck Ross, director and producer		Joseph Evans, Tenor
			Timothy Jones, bass-baritone
Moores Opera Center:			Melanie Sonnenberg, mezzo-soprano
	Thom Guthrie, designer and technical director; manager, Moores Opera House		Hector Vasquez, baritone
	Jason Burton, assistant manager, Moores Opera House

[Voice and Opera faculty page]

Average Tuition and Fees (per semester)

Undergraduate in-state:	$3100
Undergraduate out-of-state:	$6900
Graduate in-state:	$3500
Graduate out-of-state:	$6000

(Scholarship awards of $1000 or more entitle recipients to the lower in-state tuition rates.)

Photos

2002–03:
	The Thirteen Clocks \| Impressario, Impressario! \| Katya Kabanova \| Tales of Hoffman

2003–04:
	The Love for Three Oranges \| La Finta Giardiniera \| Der Freischutz

2004–05:
	A Midsummer Night's Dream \| Die Fledermaus \| Rinaldo \| A Room with a View

History of the Moores Opera Center

(#: World Premiere; *: Houston Premiere)

2006-2007 Street Scene Così fan tutte Flavio* The Ghosts of Versailles	2005-2006 Eugene Onegin Flight* Il turco in Italia* Chérubin*	2004-2005 A Midsummer Night's Dream Die Fledermaus Rinaldo A Room with a View

2003-2004 The Love for Three Oranges* Miss Havisham's Fire* La finta giardiniera Der Freischütz*	2002-2003 Les Contes d'Hoffmann Italian Aria Concert The Thirteen Clocks# Impresario, Impresario Katya Kabanova	2001-2002 Casanova's Homecoming* Nine L'italiana in Algeri La bohème

2000-2001 Il viaggio a Reims * Italian Aria Concert Euridice* Le nozze di Figaro Vanessa*	1999-2000 Peter Grimes The Abduction from the Seraglio Hansel and Gretel The Dangerous Liaisons* New Works Opera Sampler (for Opera America Convention in Houston May 2000)	1998-99 La clemenza di Tito Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny* A Room with a View (concert excerpts) Into the Woods La rondine

1997-98 La Vida Breve* Gianni Schicchi The Medium The Ghosts of Versailles*	1996-97 The Gondoliers Il matrimonio segreto Dialogues of the Carmelites	1995-96 The Magic Flute Albert Herring The Ballad of Baby Doe

1994-95 Ariadne auf Naxos La cenerentola Les Contes d'Hoffmann	1993-94 A Room with A View# The Consul Die Fledermaus	1992-93 The Marriage of Figaro Scenes from Showboat L'Enfant et les Sortileges La bohème

1991-92 Falstaff The Secret of Susanna Alcina* Bilby's Doll	1990-91 Orpheus in the Underworld The Barber of Seville The Turn of the Screw The Passion of Jonathan Wade (workshop production in preparation for premiere at Houston Grand Opera)	1989-90 La finta giardiniera* A Little Night Music (co-production with School of Theatre) Postcard from Morocco

1988-89 A Midsummer Night's Dream* The Tsar has His Photograph Taken* The Seven Deadly Sins Twins# Tickets, Please	1987-88 The Beggar's Opera The Consul	1986-87 The Secret Marriage Riders to the Sea Gianni Schicchi The Elixir of Love

1985-86 Opera Scenes Program: The Mother of us All The Mahagonny Songspiel

Contact

The Moores School of Music University of Houston 120 School of Music Building Houston, TX 77204-4017	Phone: 713.743.3009 Fax: 713.743.3166 email

For specific Moores Opera Center information:	Buck Ross: 713.743.3162 \| email

Also see the complete list of contact information for the Moores School of Music and the University of Houston

The 2007–08 Season

"The Moores School of Music of the University of Houston habitually tackles
the new and unusual . . . The production was surprisingly professional in concept
and execution . . . and the opera house is a gem."

—Dallas Morning News, on the Moores Opera Center production
of Kurt Weill's Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny.

Moores School of Music web design and maintenance:
Timothy Koozin and Andrew Davis
Last updated 19 November, 2008
http://www.music.uh.edu