Composer, Librettist Selected to Develop New Opera at ��سԹ�</h1> <article> <h1>Composer, Librettist Selected to Develop New Opera at ��سԹ�</h1> <p>eburnett — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 17:34:38 +0000</p> <span>Composer, Librettist Selected to Develop New Opera at ��سԹ�</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-04-29T13:34:38-04:00" title="Wednesday, April 29, 2020 - 13:34">Wed, 04/29/2020 - 13:34</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Composer Melissa Dunphy, winner of a 2020 Discovery Grant from Opera America, has been named the next composer in residence in conjunction with the <a href="/node/177606">��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program</a>.</p> <p>Over the next two-plus years, Dunphy will develop her opera <em>Alice Tierney </em>through interactive experiences with ��سԹ� students, culminating in a world premiere at ��سԹ� in January 2023.</p> <p>Launched in 2019 through the generosity of Elizabeth and Justus ’71 Schlichting, the ��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program supports the development and world-premiere staging of new operas by living composers. Each opera is delivered from conception to completion through extensive on-campus experiences at ��سԹ�.</p> <p>Dunphy’s librettist for the project is Jacqueline Goldfinger. Both were selected by Assistant Professor of Opera Theater <a href="/node/50511">Christopher Mirto</a> after an extensive search. Coincidentally, both composer and librettist hail from Philadelphia and happen to be friends who collaborate for regular lunches but have yet to collaborate professionally.</p> <p>“Melissa and Jackie are absolutely fantastic,” says Mirto, who is beginning his fourth season as director of ��سԹ�’s winter-term operas. “I’m thrilled that I get to work with two artists I find incredibly inspiring. Their work ethic is ridiculous, and they are so creative.”</p> <p>A native of Australia who relocated to the U.S. in 2003, Dunphy specializes in writing for the voice—everything from children’s choir to song cycle to opera—in works that expound messages of social justice. She earned acclaim for her large-scale choral piece <em>Gonzales Cantata</em>, which garnered attention from sources ranging from <em>The Wall Street Journal </em>to Comedy Central. Written in 2009, it consists of text made entirely from transcripts of the 2007 hearings on the U.S. Department of Justice’s interactions with the White House, including testimony from then-U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. In addition to composing, Dunphy is celebrated as a performer of Shakespearean works with regional theater companies, and she is a multi-instrumentalist who makes up one-half of a rock duo with her husband.</p> <p>Dunphy was one of seven winners of a 2020 Discovery Grant, presented to female composers with the intention of increasing gender parity across the opera industry. That grant will support the development of <em>Alice Tierney</em> at ��سԹ�.</p> <p>Primarily a playwright, Goldfinger (pictured right) grew up in the rural South and centers much of her work around Southern Gothic motifs. She teaches playwriting and dramaturgy in the MFA Theater Program at Temple University and is guest faculty at the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and Dramatists Guild Institute. She is a past winner of the Yale Drama Prize, Smith Prize, Generations Award, Brown Martin Award, Barrymore Award, and the Philadelphia Critics Award.</p> <p>Inspired by Dunphy’s experiences with her husband as amateur archeologists, <em>Alice Tierney</em> focuses on the perspectives of four archeologists who unearth clues surrounding the mysterious death of the titular woman. Goldfinger’s libretto emphasizes "<em>Rashomon</em>-style" storytelling, in which multiple witnesses recount the same experience in very different ways; it is named for the 1950 film <em>Rashomon</em> by Akira Kurosawa, which delves into the recollections of four witnesses to a murder.</p> <p>For <em>Alice Tierney</em>, Dunphy and Goldfinger will be resident artists at ��سԹ� through winter term 2023. They will engage in workshops with conservatory students in addition to likely interactions with creative writing, theater, and other departments in the College of Arts and Sciences.</p> <p>“It’s just so exciting to be at the beginning of something that’s so active and alive,” says Mirto.</p> <p>“I’m kind of beside myself as a director and an artist. I’m so thrilled to have the chance to work with living artists and to be in the room as a piece of theater is given birth: Just to watch the students so invested in the things they’re working on and to see the piece grow over time. I find that so exhilarating!”</p> <p>Mirto’s previous productions at ��سԹ� include <a href="/node/71636"><em>Angel’s Bone</em></a>, the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera by alumna Du Yun ’01 (2018); Missy Mazzoli’s <em><a href="/node/129936">Proving Up</a></em> (2019); and the world premiere of Rachel J. Peters’ <em>The Wild Beast of the Bungalow</em> (2020), the first production supported by the ��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program.</p> <p>A former English major at ��سԹ�, Justus Schlichting sold his health care financial services company in 2011 and began to commission a wide range of music projects the following year. A self-described “super-hardcore commissioner of new music,” Justus Schlichting and his wife have funded more than 200 works since 2012. Their support is fueled by the desire to ensure that there are audiences for classical music for generations to come.</p> <p>“At ��سԹ�, students are going to be a part of this process right from day one,” Justus Schlichting said in 2019. “I can think of nothing more valuable for young musicians than to be a part of the creative process from the start. It is the essence of what musicians are all about: to continue to grow and bring vitality to the art form.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-04-29T12:00:00Z">Wed, 04/29/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erich Burnett</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>Alice Tierney</em> will be workshopped with students, premiered on campus in 2023.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3322">��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32971">Opera Theater</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Composer Melissa Dunphy (left) and librettist Jacqueline Goldfinger (right) are friends whose first collaboration will take place at ��سԹ�.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Melissa Dunphy; by Kate Raines</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Master a Beast in 4 Short Weeks</h1> <p>eburnett — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 21:01:51 +0000</p> <span>Master a Beast in 4 Short Weeks</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-01-31T16:01:51-05:00" title="Friday, January 31, 2020 - 16:01">Fri, 01/31/2020 - 16:01</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>How many ��سԹ� students does it take to produce a world-premiere opera? In January 2020, 32 student singers, instrumentalists, and designers produced <a href="/news/rachel-j-peters-wild-beast-premieres-oberlin-jan-29-feb-2-0"><em>The Wild Beast of the Bungalow</em></a>, a new opera by composer Rachel J. Peters and librettist Royce Vavrek. The dark comedy follows a young girl reacting to her parents’ failing marriage with a menagerie of whimsical, candid creatures.</p> <p>Led by 10 faculty and professional artists, the cast rehearsed the show while the production team researched taxidermy, sewed mermaid costumes, and built a hot-pink bedroom set on the stage of Warner Concert Hall—all in four weeks.</p> <p>Twelve years in the making, the opera received its stage legs through ��سԹ�’s new <a href="/node/177606">Opera Commissioning Program</a>, supported by Elizabeth and Justus ’71 Schlichting. A fall semester workshop cast fine-tuned <em>Beast</em> with Peters and Vavrek in preparation for the winter production, which was produced in conjunction with Cleveland Opera Theater’s New Opera Works {NOW} Fest.</p> <p>��سԹ�’s dedication to new opera increases opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. Kitty Schwartz ’20, an English and history double major, served as assistant director for this production. Her love of opera blossomed through visits to Lyric Opera of Chicago while pursuing research in the city during her junior year.</p> <p>“Seeing my interests converge through <em>Beast</em> showed me new possibilities for life after ��سԹ�,” she says. “I can definitely see myself in arts administration, and I would love to work in opera.”</p> <p><em>The Wild Beast of the Bungalow</em> ran at ��سԹ� Conservatory January 29 through February 2. It was directed by Christopher Mirto, conducted by Joseph Hodge, and musically prepared by Daniel Michalak.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-01-31T12:00:00Z">Fri, 01/31/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Charlotte Maskelony '21</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Students devote winter term to mounting an opera premiere.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2402">Winter Term</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3318">Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3322">��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25381">History</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/history" hreflang="und">History</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yevhen Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Rachel J. Peters’ “Wild Beast” Premieres at ��سԹ� Jan. 29-Feb. 2</h1> <p>eburnett — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 23:07:27 +0000</p> <span>Rachel J. Peters’ “Wild Beast” Premieres at ��سԹ� Jan. 29-Feb. 2</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-01-20T18:07:27-05:00" title="Monday, January 20, 2020 - 18:07">Mon, 01/20/2020 - 18:07</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Every year in January, ��سԹ� Opera Theater turns its focus from beloved works of the opera canon to modern creations—and their often timely, sometimes unpredictable themes.</p> <p>This year, audiences will be treated to a mermaid in a jar, singing chicken pox, prairie dog taxidermy, and a score inspired by popular—and occasionally peculiar—music of the last century. All of it is served up amid the backdrop of a young girl’s struggle with the family strife that suffocates her.</p> <p>Rachel J. Peters’ <em>The Wild Beast of the Bungalow</em> makes its world premiere in four free performances beginning Wednesday, January 29, and concluding Sunday, February 2. In between are additional shows on Friday, January 31, and Saturday, February 1.</p> <p>All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in Warner Concert Hall (77 W. College St.). A talk-back session, featuring members of the artistic team, will take place after each performance.</p> <p>Though new to the stage this month, <em>Wild Beast </em>has been gestating—to borrow Peters’ term—since 2008, when librettist Royce Vavrek suggested they team up to write an opera based on Canadian writer Sheila Heti’s story “Mermaid in the Jar,” which explores the cruel possessiveness of a young girl and her unusual pet.</p> <p>“I said, ‘Why don’t we try a <em>song</em> first, because opera is such a commitment,’” Peters recalls telling Vavrek half-jokingly. “So we tried that, and it worked!”</p> <p>Almost a dozen years later, the mermaid resurfaces as the first of three short pieces that make up <em>Wild Beast</em>, each of them set in the bedroom of that 11-year-old girl. In “Mermaid in the Jar,” she begins a reign of terror over her most unwelcome living gift. In “Prairie Dogs,” she “divorces” her real parents and creates her own taxidermied prairie dog family, only to find that they are not the affectionate substitutes she’d hoped for. Finally, in “Fine and Dandy,” she is quarantined in her room, facing forces she cannot control: the Fine and Dandies—a barbershop quartet of chicken pox—and her mother’s own ’60s-style girl group of illness, the Shingles.</p> <p>Of course, there is more at play than mere absurdity.</p> <p>“It’s a fantastic exploration of her imagination in the shadow of her parents’ dissolving marriage,” says <em>Wild Beast</em> director <a href="/node/50511">Christopher Mirto</a>, an assistant professor of opera theater at ��سԹ�.</p> <p>“There are some incredibly funny moments—with singing prairie dogs and chicken pox, you can’t go wrong—but there are certainly dark themes. It’s a piece about growing up, it’s about learning your parents are people, and it’s about learning about yourself. It’s gritty and real, but it doesn’t take itself so seriously that there aren’t a couple of really good laughs.”</p> <p><em>The Wild Beast of the Bungalow</em> features an all-student cast and a 12-piece chamber ensemble, under the direction of Joseph Hodge. Mirto describes Peters’ score as quirky, fun, and musically all over the map.</p> <p>“It traverses genres, with Tiny Tim references, Shirelles references, and swing and dance music,” he says. “It has a lot of musical theater influences, and it’s all pretty unexpected. You never quite know what’s going to come next.”</p> <p><em>Wild Beast</em> is the first production to reach the stage in conjunction with the newly christened <a href="/news/new">��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program</a>, which is dedicated to fostering nascent works from conception to completion. While <em>Wild Beast</em> has been in progress between Peters and Vavrek for years, future projects presented through the Opera Commissioning Program will be fully realized on campus over the course of multiple years and through regular interaction with ��سԹ� students.</p> <p>The next project to enter the pipeline begins in fall 2020 and will debut in early 2023. At the same time, existing works will be prepared for production in early 2021 and 2022. Each year, the tandem productions in progress will result in two separate composer-librettist teams interacting with students on campus.</p> <p>The Opera Commissioning Program was made possible with support from Elizabeth and Justus ’71 Schlichting, who are avid commissioners of new music. The Schlichtings’ passion was a natural fit for ��سԹ�’s winter-term stage: Over the past two years, Mirto has directed winter-term productions of <em>Angel's Bone</em>, the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera by ��سԹ� Conservatory alumna Du Yun ’01, and <em>Proving Up</em> by Missy Mazzoli. Vavrek was the librettist for both works, and both productions involved extensive interaction between the creative team and cast.</p> <p>In early September, Peters made the first of several trips to ��سԹ� for a week of workshopping the piece with a student cast and crew. Peters has returned in January, along with Vavrek, as the production draws nearer to opening night.</p> <p>They will participate in one of the talk-back sessions slated to take place after each performance.</p> <p><em>The Wild Beast of the Bungalow</em> is presented in conjunction with the 2020 New Opera Works {NOW] Fest and Cleveland Opera Theater, which sponsors the January 29 performance.</p> <p>Admission to all performances is free, but online reservations are required. For information call 800-371-0178 or email cts@oberlin.edu.</p> <p>��سԹ� Opera Theater returns to the stage in March with four performances of Mozart’s <em>Così Fan Tutte</em>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-01-20T12:00:00Z">Mon, 01/20/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erich Burnett</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Darkly witty opera is the first created through the ��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3322">��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32971">Opera Theater</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">image by Steven Mentzer</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>In With the New</h1> <p>eburnett — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 13:50:46 +0000</p> <span>In With the New</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-10-22T09:50:46-04:00" title="Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - 09:50">Tue, 10/22/2019 - 09:50</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Mozart and Verdi are among opera’s finest composers, but they’re crummy when it comes to feedback.</p> <p>It is this unfortunate reality that gave rise to the newly created ��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program, the mission of which is unmistakably straightforward: Bring living composers to campus to collaborate with ��سԹ� students.</p> <p>For each of his two-plus years teaching and directing winter-term operas at ��سԹ�, Assistant Professor of Opera Theater <a href="/node/50511">Christopher Mirto</a> has managed to do just that. Now he has a mandate to do it.</p> <p>“I kind of see my job as figuring out how to say <em>yes</em> to anything the artist needs," says Mirto, who will oversee each commission. "I want to give them as much latitude and resource as possible so that they can dream."</p> <p>Launched this year, the ��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program was made possible with support from Elizabeth and Justus ’71 Schlichting.</p> <p>A former English major at ��سԹ�, Justus Schlichting sold his healthcare financial services company in 2011 and began to commission, with his wife, a wide range of music projects the following year—some 30 of them annually, according to a 2018 interview with <em>Financial Times</em>. (Among the recipients of the Schlichtings’ generosity was violinist Jennifer Koh ’97, who received funds to help pay off the loan on her Stradivarius, in exchange for commissions from numerous composer friends of Koh.)</p> <p>A self-described “super-hardcore commissioner of new music,” Justus Schlichting and his wife have worked with some 130 composers and funded nearly 200 pieces since 2012. Their support is fueled by the desire to ensure that there are audiences for classical music for generations to come.</p> <p>“And how do you bring in young audiences?” Justus Schlichting asks. “You play music from composers of their time. You put enough new music in front of an audience, and what eventually happens? They go <em>wow, this is good stuff</em>. It can be hard, and it can take a couple of years, but I have seen it happen.</p> <p>“At ��سԹ�, students are going to be a part of this process right from day one. I can think of nothing more valuable for young musicians than to be a part of the creative process from the start. It is the essence of what musicians are all about: to continue to grow and bring vitality to the art form.”</p> <p>The Opera Commissioning Program has roots that extend to Andrea Kalyn, dean of ��سԹ� Conservatory from 2013 to 2018, who was an advocate of the concept from its earliest days. Before leaving ��سԹ� to become president of New England Conservatory in early 2019, she ensured that the program's foundation was in place.</p> <p>The first project in the pipeline is the forthcoming world premiere of Rachel J. Peters’ <em>The Wild Beast of the Bungalow</em>, which will be presented as ��سԹ�’s winter-term opera in January and February 2020.</p> <p>In early September, the New York-based composer made the first of several trips to ��سԹ� for a week of workshopping the piece with a student cast and crew. Peters will return in January, along with librettist Royce Vavrek, as the production draws nearer to opening night.</p> <p>During Peters’ initial visit to campus, students selected for the workshop sang through the entire score, extensively discussed the work—touching on matters ranging from the composer’s vision to the performers’ feedback of the material—and ultimately created a recording. (Learn more about the workshopping process on <a href="https://oberlinconservatory.tumblr.com/">��سԹ� Conservatory’s Tumblr</a>, where workshop cast member Charlotte Maskelony ’21 chronicled the experience.) Formal auditions for the production will be held in November.</p> <p>Though <em>Wild Beast</em> came to Mirto relatively close to completion, future works funded by the Opera Commissioning Program will be developed from start to finish over a three-year span.</p> <p>“The fact is, American opera is really its own animal, and it’s evolving all the time,” says Peters. “Why not have the students be a part of that evolution? This is my first true chance to work with undergraduate students on a full production, and they have been terrific. It’s really great to be here and to have multiple stages of the opera’s development supported. It’s exciting!”</p> <p>Thanks to the Opera Commissioning Program, Mirto expects to welcome two sets of composer/librettists to ��سԹ� each year: one that will make recurring visits to campus to work toward a fully staged world premiere at ��سԹ� (the next one will be in early 2023), and another pair who will prepare an existing work for ��سԹ�’s winter-term spotlight in 2021 and 2022.</p> <p>In the past two years, Mirto directed winter-term productions of <em>Angel's Bone</em>, the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera by ��سԹ� Conservatory alumna Du Yun ’01, and <em>Proving Up</em> by Missy Mazzoli. Vavrek was the librettist for both works, and both productions involved extensive interaction between the creative team and cast.</p> <p>“I’m thrilled to play a role in bringing living artistry to campus,” says Mirto. “It’s revelatory for our students to be able to ask living artists a question and to see the amount of work that goes into an opera.”</p> <p>“It’s just a different way of thinking about the music too,” Peters adds. “If you’re working on Verdi, that score is the gospel, and you can’t ask him a question about it. You’re also not contending with 150 years of performance tradition in terms of how to perform a given aria.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-10-22T12:00:00Z">Tue, 10/22/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erich Burnett</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The ��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program brings freshly written works to life on campus.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3322">��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32971">Opera Theater</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Composer Rachel J. Peters (second from right) works with students and faculty in a fall workshop on campus. Seated next to Peters is Christopher Mirto, director of the ��سԹ� Opera Commissioning Program.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Conservatory Communications</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>