Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice (DMA)

The Opera Program is linked with research conducted by a team formed by Opera Director, Nancy Hermiston. It consists of some of UBC’s finest researchers, Dr. Janet Werker, Dr. Lara Boyd and Dr. Rachel Weber and two outstanding Postdoctoral students, Dr. Anja Xiaoxing-Cui and Dr. Negin Motamed Yeganeh. In the current study we are considering the effects of opera training on neuropsychological functions in opera trainees before and after an intensive participation in the Opera Workshop Course in which they prepare and professionally stage a full opera over a course of three-month segments during the year. We hypothesized that participation in this workshop would lead to increased executive function, attention, and verbal and visual memory. We further explore the neural underpinnings of any changes through the analysis of brain anatomy.

The mission at UBC Opera and Voice Divisions is to educate and promote gifted, young singers, while preparing them for international careers international academic appointments or key positions in private and government cultural organizations

Past productions of the Opera Division have included Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Die Gärtnerin aus Liebe, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, La Bohème, Dido and Aeneas, The Merry Widow, The Bartered Bride, Manon, Eugene Onegin, Florence Lady with the Lamp, Falstaff, Don Giovanni, Cendrillon, Albert Herring, Rusalka, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Robert Ward’s The Crucible, and the Western Canadian Premiere of Harry Somer’s Louis Riel, Gian Carlo Menotti’s opera, The Consul, Kevin Puts’ opera Silent Night, and the Canadian Premiere of Mieczysław Weinberg's opera, The Passenger. Many of these operas were accompanied by symposia in collaboration with other university departments, community organizations, international partners or governing officials from around the world.

The ensemble has performed with Canadian Heldentenor Ben Heppner at the Chan Centre of the Performing Arts, for a special broadcast on CBC Radio. They also produced the world premiere of the new Canadian opera The Dream Healer, by West Vancouver composer Lloyd Burritt, based on Timothy Findley’s novel Pilgrim, staring Judith Forst, Roelof Oostwoud, John Avey and conductor David Agler. In their series Singer Behind the Song they have hosted and performed with such international stars as Judith Forst, Renée Fleming, Sondra Radvanovsky, Angela Meade, Eric Owens, Luca Pisaroni and Jane Archibald.

Our Voice Performance graduates can be seen on the recital stages around the world. Many are contributing to the performance of Early Music and Contemporary Music Ensembles as well as vocal pedagogy research and leaders in studio teaching.

The home of the Opera Division is the Old Auditorium. From the newly renovated historic Old Auditorium theatre, to the state-of-the-art Chan Centre for Performing Arts, one of North America's premier musical venues, and the intimate Roy Barnett Recital Hall, you will have the opportunity to train and grow as a professional musician in front of diverse audiences.