OPERA NOTRE DAME is dedicated to the mission of the study of opera through production in the Notre Dame liberal arts environment. Opera is an art form and cultural tradition that conveys emotion through the collaboration of music and rhetoric, and draws upon the companion art forms of theater, painting and dance. Opera performance embodies the liberal arts, demanding knowledge of the social, economic, musical, and spiritual history of each work, so that it may be created for contemporary audiences.
The pursuit of knowledge in the arts and sciences that comprise opera is accompanied by inquiry and discipline in the professional aspects of music: rigorous training in vocal preparation, acting, dance and movement, scenery and lighting, and production. The importance of supporting a disciplined and collaborative process is modeled by the opera faculty. Choice of repertoire is made from a considered variety of styles and musical eras, and works are selected to foster appropriate growth in our singers during their time at Notre Dame. Participation in the opera program is open by audition to all members of the Notre Dame community.
The goal of OPERA NOTRE DAME reflects the University’s mission of “being an environment of teaching and learning which fosters the development in its students of those disciplined habits of mind, body, and spirit which characterize educated, skilled, and free human beings.”
Information about OPERA NOTRE DAME’s past, present, and future productions can be found on our website: