Tri-Cities Opera offers aspiring opera singers a unique blend of instruction and practical experience through its Resident Artist Training Program, providing the wide variety of skills required of a professional opera singer.  Tri-Cities Opera prefers to cast the majority of its operatic roles with members of the Resident Artist Training Program.  Areas of instruction include vocal pedagogy, vocal coaching, acting, stage craft, movement, diction, role interpretation and audition skills.

Instruction occurs at the company-owned rehearsal and second-stage performance space, in the private studios of our artistic staff and in our rented mainstage 1,500-seat performance venue, the Broome County Forum Theatre.

Generally, one three-hour workshop or masterclass style session is conducted weekly (when the company is not in full rehearsal for the mainstage productions), for a total of 12 sessions annually.  In addition, Resident Artists receive practical experience as they rehearse and perform leading and minor roles for the three mainstage productions.  Resident Artists also receive instruction and training while preparing roles for second stage productions as well as for our touring educational outreach program, the Opera-Go-Round.

John Mario Di Costanzo, TCO's Music & Associate Artistic Director, who coaches privately, teaches classes both at TCO and at Binghamton University, as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music for the MM in Opera Program, and conducts all mainstage productions for the 2010-2011 Season.  TCO will also engage professional Stage Directors for each mainstage production of the 2010-2011 Season.
 

TRI-CITIES OPERA / Binghamton University

Master of Music in Opera Program

Tri-Cities Opera and Binghamton University work together to provide a Master of Music in Opera Program in conjunction with the Resident Artist Training Program.  Since 1979, Binghamton University has joined with Tri-Cities Opera to create a unique and exceptional program combining practical studies, an academic track, and professional experience leading to the Master of Music degree in Opera.  The artist-teachers of the faculty bring the wide experience of long and continuing careers in opera to the program.  Students complete a minimum of 36 graduate credit hours in music courses including the master classes of the Tri-Cities Opera Resident Artist Training Program, studio voice, theory, history, lyric diction, coaching, vocal literature, movement and acting.  Additionally, the 170-member Binghamton University Chorus performs major choral works with orchestra each year. Students enrolled in the MM Opera program are encouraged to audition as soloists.
 

Binghamton University Voice Faculty

• Mary Burgess
• John Mario Di Costanzo
• Thomas Goodheart
• Diane Richardson
 

Courses Offered

• Voice Lessons & Vocal Coaching
• Voice Master Class
• Lyric Diction
• Languages
• Vocal Pedagogy
• Vocal Literature & Interpretation
• Stage Combat
• Dance/Stage Movement
• Music History
• Music Theory

Singers interested in the Resident Artist Training Program/MM in Opera Degree with Tri-Cities Opera should consider submitting an audition application. CLICK HERE for more information regarding the application process.