Degree Requirements
Master of Music: Voice and Opera Performance
Program of Study — 18 units, 2 years
Courses outside of the Bienen School of Music do not count toward the minimum 18 units required for the degree.
Applied Lessons — 6 units
Students should select the section appropriate to their studio.
- VOICE 410 Applied Voice
Vocal Solo Class — 0 units, 6 registrations required
Students should select the section appropriate to their studio.
- VOICE 311 Vocal Solo Class
Studio Class — 0 units, 6 registrations required
Students should select the section appropriate to their studio. If your studio does not offer this class, this requirement is waived.
- VOICE 490 Studio Class
Phonetics and Diction — 0 units, 3 registrations required
Students must enroll in these courses during their first year of study. Second year students may enroll with permission from the instructor.
- VOICE 411-1 Graduate Phonetics and Diction, fall quarter
- VOICE 411-2 Graduate Phonetics and Diction, winter quarter
- VOICE 411-3 Graduate Phonetics and Diction, spring quarter
Opera Workshop — 1.5 units
Students must enroll in these courses during their first year of study. Second year students may enroll with permission from the instructor.
- VOICE 451-1 Graduate Opera Workshop, fall quarter
- VOICE 451-2 Graduate Opera Workshop, winter quarter
- VOICE 451-3 Graduate Opera Workshop, spring quarter
Pedagogy — 0.5 unit
Students must enroll in the appropriate course during their first year of study. Students who test out of VOICE 423 Graduate Vocal Pedagogy must take VOICE 424 Advanced Vocal Pedagogy.
- VOICE 423 Graduate Vocal Pedagogy, fall quarter OR
VOICE 424 Advanced Vocal Pedagogy, spring quarter
Repertoire — 3 units
Students may select from the courses listed below. Courses may be repeated.
- CONDUCT 395 Baroque Music Ensemble
- MUSIC 350 Alexander Technique
- VOICE 493 Repertoire Studies
Major Ensemble — 1.5 units
Students are required to participate in a major ensemble or faculty-approved substitute for three quarters of study. Enrollment in more than one ensemble in the same quarter does not allow students to forgo ensemble enrollment in future quarters. Assignments to ensembles are made by the faculty and determined by audition.
- CONDUCT 364 Choral Organizations
Music Studies Core — 1 unit
- MUSIC 440 Introduction to Music Research
Music Studies Electives, 300 level or above — 2 units
Music Studies Electives are Music Studies courses of the student’s choosing. Music Studies courses are 1 unit, academic in nature, and typically begin with the subject MUS_COMP, MUS_TECH, MUS_THRY, MUSIC_ED, and MUSICOL. Courses must be at the 300 level or above.
Students must pass the incoming music theory diagnostic exam or the MUS_THRY 401 Graduate Review of Music Theory course before enrolling in other MUS_THRY courses.
Music Electives, 300 level or above — 2.5 units
Music Electives are courses within the Bienen School of Music of the student’s choosing. Courses must be at the 300 level or above.
- VOICE 455 Vocal Coaching and VOICE 463 Opera Performance, when registration is for 0.5 units, count toward the Music Electives requirement.
Recital — 0 units, 1 registration required
Students should select the section appropriate to their studio.
- VOICE 480 MM Recital
Students must register for the recital in the quarter of the recital. The applied lessons professor or a faculty-designated substitute must attend and pass students on all recitals. Students who do not complete the recital by the end of six quarters must register for MUSIC 480 Recital Continuation in the quarter of the final recital.
Music Theory Requirement
Students must pass the incoming music theory diagnostic exam or the MUS_THRY 401 Graduate Review of Music Theory course.
Additional Information and Procedures
Opera Information and Requirements
Operas are cast by audition. Students selected for roles or chorus parts must sign an agreement stating their acceptance. Students must communicate any possible rehearsal or performance conflicts to the Director of Opera prior to accepting roles or chorus parts to ensure their participation in the opera is possible.
Master’s students in the Voice and Opera program are required to attend at least one performance of each opera production.
Jury Information and Requirements
First year master’s students must sing one selection for the Voice and Opera Faculty during orientation, and must offer a jury of three selections in winter quarter. Second year master’s students must sing a jury of three selections in the fall quarter. Students may be asked to perform a jury in the spring quarter at the discretion of the faculty.
Juries occur during exam week. Students are notified via email when jury times are released to sign up electronically.
Jury comments are available on Canvas.
Jury Postponement and Make-Ups
Students may request to postpone their jury due to illness or other emergencies. Students who receive permission to postpone their jury receive an incomplete grade for voice lessons for that quarter. The grade is updated once the student completes the jury. Incomplete grades are factored into the GPA as an F.
Jury make-ups must be scheduled with the Voice Program Coordinator, and typically occur on Mondays at noon. If the student is unavailable during that time, the applied lessons professor may arrange for a make-up jury to be held at an alternate time. All Voice and Opera faculty must be invited to the make-up jury, but only three faculty members are required to attend. One member must be the applied lessons professor.