Upcoming Productions:
Staggerwing – Composed by Lisa DeSpain with Libretto by Rachel J. Peters. October 3 and 4, 8:00 p.m. in Ingram Hall. The Southeastern premiere of a new American opera which was workshopped at Vanderbilt Opera Theater’s VOTLab in 2023. Tickets free but required. Reserve tickets
Le Nozze di Figaro – Composed by W.A. Mozart with Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. Sung in Italian with English spoken dialogue. January 23 and 25, 2025, 7:30pm. Performed in the Rothschild Black Box Theatre at Rothschild College on Vanderbilt’s main campus. Tickets free but required.
Dragon’s Breath – Composed by Evan Mack with Libretto by Joshua McGuire. A part of VOT Children’s Opera outreach, performed at the W.O. Smith Music School, off-campus.
About Vanderbilt Opera Theatre
Vanderbilt Opera Theatre | Gayle Shay, director
Vanderbilt University Orchestra | Jennifer McGuire, conductor
Vanderbilt Opera Theatre (VOT) is open by audition to all Vanderbilt students. Under the direction of Gayle Shay and Jennifer McGuire, VOT presents three to four productions each year, including:
- One fully-produced show with orchestra in Ingram.
- One smaller production in a language other than English performed away from Blair.
- One children’s opera produced in the Nashville community. (We have been to W. O. Smith and the Nashville Zoo, among other locations.)
- On an every three years rotation, we have developed VOTLab in which we work with a professional composer and librettist to grow and develop a new piece of lyric theatre. The first round is a workshop. The second round is a fully produced performance.
Repertoire for the fall production is drawn from both the operatic and musical theater canon. All members of the cast participate in backstage production work as assigned by the faculty.
Auditions are held at varying times throughout the year. Please contact Gayle Shay with any questions.