Opera at Western

Western Illinois University Opera Theatre

Western Illinois University’s Opera program is open to all students campus wide. It is particularly designed to give voice students the opportunity to study, explore and perform a variety of works within the operatic and classical musical theatre canons. WIUOT provides a safe collaborative space for students to refine their singing and acting skills.

Course Offerings

  • Fall Semester: Opera Workshop
  • Spring Semester: Opera Production (audition required)

Faculty & Staff

Cinque Terre
Aidan Singh, Brian Locke, Parker Carls and Kaiyan Wang in Le Nozze di Figaro.WIU Visual Production Center, 2019 ©

2019-2020 WIUOT Season

  • Fall Showcase, December 5, 2019
  • Spring Opera Double Bill: May 1-2, 2020, performances canceled due to COVID-19
    • VENUS AND ADONIS by John Blow 
    • DER BEKEHRTE TRUNKENBOLD ("The Converted Drunkard") by Christoph Willibald Gluck

Past WIUOT Seasons

  • 2018-2019: Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart)
  • 2017-2018: Hansel and Gretel (Humperdinck)
  • 2016-2017: The Old Maid and the Thief (Menotti) and The Devil and Daniel Webster (Moore)
  • 2015-2016: Iolanthe (Gilbert & Sullivan)
  • 2014-2015: Dido and Aeneas (Purcell) and The Impresario (Mozart)
  • 2013-2014: Die Fledermaus (J. Strauss)
  • 2012-2013: The Pirates of Penzance (Gilbert & Sullivan)
  • 2011-2012: The Medium (Menotti); The Phantom of the Opera (Lloyd-Webber) Scholarship Concert
  • 2010-2011: The Telephone (Menotti) and Gianni Schicchi (Puccini)
  • 2009-2010: Amahl and the Night Visitors (Menotti)
  • 2008-2009: Trouble in Tahiti (Bernstein) and Gallantry (Moore)