Master of Music Vocal Studies (Opera)
At the Bachelor’s level, students of vocal studies can choose Opera as a specialization.
In the Master’s programme you can select Opera as the main subject.
The Conservatorium Maastricht opera class consists of solo singing students in both the Bachelor’s and the Master’s programmes. These students follow solo singing lessons with Axel Everaert, Yvonne Schiffelers, Raimund Nolte or Susanne Schimmack.
The solo singing programme at Conservatorium Maastricht has had an opera training programme for more than 50 years. Opera is an art form which not only requires singers to be highly trained vocally, but also makes heavy demands on their theatrical abilities.
The many professional opera houses in the neighboring country of Germany mean that this country scores high in terms of the quality and quantity of operas. The opera programme at Conservatorium Maastricht takes care to promote quality, which is why many of our singing students find employment in Germany.
Opera combines many art forms: libretto, vocal and instrumental music, declamation, acting, dance, direction, dramaturgy, scenery, and lighting.
Merely being able to sing recitatives and arias is not a sufficient basis for an opera career. Genuine professional employment can only be obtained when the other aspects of the field are included in the study programme. The Maastricht Academy of Music has provided this complete course successfully for many years, and has therefore built up a strong national and international reputation.
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Curriculum
Curriculum
Before you apply
Admission
requirements
The audition consists of two rounds. For the first round, the candidate submits a portfolio in which the candidate describes his/her motivation and education and professional experience in the field of music. This portfolio also contains the links to the video recordings.
In the second round, the candidate may be invited to an in-person live audition for the main subject. Furthermore, the candidate is invited to an online interview with one of the Master Project Coaches. In this interview we discuss the candidates motivation, experience in the field of research, cultural entrepreneurship. The Master Project Coach furthermore determines the level of English proficiency.
First round: video audition
For the first round, the candidate needs to record 3 videos that contain:
- Video 1: A short introduction of him/herself in English: talk about your musical experiences, your motivation to study music, your main subject and why you choose to audition at Conservatorium Maastricht.
- Video 2: In the second video, the candidate demonstrates his/her artistic and technical skills. The video should be recorded in one take, without cuts or any edits. The candidate should start by speaking their name and student number of Conservatorium Maastricht. The video should contain:
- 3 aria’s (opera, operetta or oratorium) from at least 2 different periods in at least two different languages. One aria must be preceded by a recitative.
- 3 songs
All repertoire, except the oratorio, must be sung by heart
Additional video’s (not required): The candidate may provide concert video registrations.
The videos should be uploaded to an online platform such as YouTube.com or Vimeo.com. It is the candidate’s responsibility to make sure that the video links work.
Second round: Live audition
The committee may decide to invite the candidate for an online or in-person live audition after reviewing the video material. The repertoire for the live audition remains the same. Additional repertoire requests can be made by the committee.