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 The University of North Texas College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school among the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. It developed the first jazz studies ...

History

Founded in 1944 by the college's dean, Wilfred Bain, 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,

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylig ...

, and costumes. Opera productions at the College of Music predate the founding of the Opera Workshop. In one notable instance, in 1938,

North Texas North Texas (also commonly called North Central Texas) is a term used primarily by residents of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas to describe much of the north central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. Residents of the Dallas–Fort Wo ...

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 Sp ...

Alumni *

John Ardoin John Ardoin, (January 8, 1935 in Alexandria, Louisiana – March 18, 2001 in San José, Costa Rica), was best known as the music critic of ''The Dallas Morning News'' for thirty-two years and especially for his friendship with and encyclopedic k ...

* William Blankenship *

Latonia Moore Latonia Moore (born 1979, in Houston, Texas) is an American soprano. She grew up listening to Black music, and began singing in the church choir of the New Sunrise Baptist Church (where her grandfather Cranford Moore was a pastor) at age 8. In her ...

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 Texas ...

Geeta Novotny Geeta Novotny (born Geeta Bhatnagar) is an American singer, actor, writer and columnist. As a classical singer, Novotny has performed principal roles nationally with opera companies and symphony orchestras at Carnegie Hall, the American Ballet Th ...

Patricia Racette Patricia Lynn Racette (born 1965) is an American operatic soprano. A winner of the Richard Tucker Award in 1998, she has been a regular presence at major opera houses internationally. Racette has enjoyed long-term partnerships with the San Franci ...

* Julia Smith

External links

University of North Texas College of Music

Opera Studies

University of North Texas Opera

References

{{UNT Music University of North Texas Musical groups from Denton, Texas Texas classical music 1944 establishments in Texas Musical groups established in 1944