2022-2023 Academic Catalog

Offered in: Chicago

The goals of the Voice program are to train singers who are skilled musicians, performance-ready and technically healthy in their approach to singing, good colleagues, artistically prepared through academic and general coursework and performance opportunities, and knowledgeable about all styles and periods of vocal repertory, including art song, opera, and oratorio.

The graduate program's objectives are to:

• Develop and refine technical and musical abilities through the study and performance of challenging works from the traditional and modern repertories.
• Provide ongoing solo and ensemble performing experiences, including OperaFest, the spring opera, chamber music, and a public recital.
• Develop the student's collaborative skills in recital, chamber, and opera performances.
• Develop the skills to investigate musical topics and repertories in academic courses.

Over the course of four semesters of applied study, all works and techniques are at the teacher's discretion. The recital program must include 50 minutes of music, sung in at least four languages (including English), encompassing at least four stylistic periods and arranged chronologically. Two arias from the classic period or later may be presented. The first jury of the second year serves as the recital permission jury; the complete program is submitted for approval by the faculty, and a significant portion of the program must be memorized. For additional information, consult the voice jury and recital requirements published in the Music Conservatory Student Handbook.

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Admission requirements

Please consult the CCPA Admission and Audition Information web page for audition requirements for singers.  

Students' level of knowledge and ability in English, Italian, German, and French diction will be assessed prior to the first semester in residence; review courses in these areas, to be taken concurrently with the master's degree coursework, may be required.

Grade and other requirements

Proficiency in the Italian, German, and French languages is required for voice majors. It is expected that students will have taken at least one year of college-level study in one of these languages, and at least one semester of college-level study in the other two. Students may be excused from taking French, German, and/or Italian if they had a minimum of two years of high school study in the language. Spanish may be substituted for Italian for those students who are native speakers, who have majored or minored in Spanish, or who have had a minimum of two years of high school study. Students who have not met the language requirements upon matriculation will be required to complete these courses before graduation, in addition to the coursework shown below. Options for the fulfillment of language deficiencies are outlined in the Music Conservatory Student Handbook.

The minimum passing grade in the major sequence (VOI 411 VOICE (MAJOR) through VOI 414 VOICE (MAJOR), as well as in three semesters of PERF 451 MASTER OF MUSIC JURY and PERF 428 GRADUATE RECITAL, is B-.

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 Music academic electives will include a minimum of one MAS (Music Academic Studies) course.Other 400-level courses in subject areas MCMP (Music Composition), MTA (Music Theory and Analysis), and MUHL (Music History and LIterature) may be taken in fulfillment of this requirement.

Your degree map is a general guide suggesting courses to complete each term on the academic pathway to your degree. It is based on the most current scheduling information from your academic program. Your program’s degree map is reviewed annually and updated as schedules change (although you retain the same course requirements as long as you are continuously enrolled in your degree program).

Always work closely with your academic advisor to understand curriculum requirements and scheduling, as each student’s academic plan can look slightly different.