Continuing Education for Opera Lovers
Online Learning by The Metropolitan Opera Guild allows you to experience courses created by the Lectures and Community Engagement Department from anywhere!
FAQ
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What kinds of materials does an online course with The Metropolitan Opera Guild give me access to?
Our online course materials are comprised of lecture videos, readings, response questions, and handouts. All course materials are curated by the instructor.
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Do I need to be able to read music to understand the course material?
No music reading skills are necessary! Our lesson readings often include score examples and illustrations within the flow of reading, however, readings have been carefully curated such that you do not need to read music in order to understand the main point of the text. Our courses are designed to be accessible for all levels of music reading knowledge.
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How long will I have access to the online material?
All courses composed of pre-recorded lectures are available for 60 days after the purchase date. All webinars occur live at the stated time, and the a recording of the live webinar will be available for 72 hours. Please see each individual page to learn more.
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What kind of technology do I need to take the course?
You can access course material on a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone. As long as you have internet access, you can access the course website. Select readings are available to download so that you read them while offline as well.
Currently Available Courses
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$40.00Master Class and Conversation with Anthony Roth Costanzo
Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo guides two singers in an hour-long master class, followed by a 30-minute conversation with OPERA NEWS Editor-in-Chief F. Paul Driscoll. The master class will be pre-recorded, and presented with a LIVE conversation.
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$55.00Study Day: Listening to Bel Canto
This Study Day will provide the opportunity to explore these questions through operas of Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti. Comparing the first performers of these operas to those in the 20th century, this two-part series explores the art of bel canto.
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$40.00Viva Verdi: A Vocal Showcase
Honoring Giuseppe Verdi’s 220th birthday, join Jane Marsh as she explores the composer’s distinctive melodic and vocal hallmarks. The program will feature five singers highlighting Verdi’s innovative works.
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$40.00Master Class: Tenors
The term “tenor” was created in relation to classical and operatic voices, where classification is not only based on a singer’s vocal range, but also vocal weight and color. Join Jane Marsh as she explores three different tenor voices.
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$50.00Silver Soirée: An Online Gala
Silver Soiree originally streamed on Dec. 3, 2020, celebrating the 25th anniversaries of the Met debuts of our four honorees: Stephanie Blythe, Christine Goerke, Denyce Graves, and Patricia Racette. Now, you can experience this celebration at home.
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$100.00La Divina and the Callas Effect
Maria Callas—referred to as La Divina by her devoted worshipers—is widely considered opera’s greatest diva. She epitomizes the golden standard against which today’s singers are still compared sixty-four years after her Met debut.
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$75.00Opera 101: Voice Types
There is something for everybody in opera, but it can be daunting to figure out where to start. In this series, lecturer Dr. Naomi Barrettara dives into the basics with an introduction to opera history, musical terms, and more.
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$100.00Opera Boot Camp: Introduction to Operatic Singing
Designed by Dr. Naomi Barrettara, this course explores the different components of what singers go through to train, develop, and care for their voices, giving audiences an inside look at the nuts and bolts of the trade.
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$100.00Opera Boot Camp: Conductors and Conducting
This course is based on the Guild's popular Opera Boot Camp series. It explores the role of the conductor, discussing the history, mechanics, and musical elements of conducting, as well as the extraordinary careers of some legendary conductors.
Instructors
Dr. Naomi Barrettara
Lecturer
Dr. Naomi Barrettara is a program development consultant and lecturer at The Metropolitan Opera Guild involved with several of the Guild’s community programs, including Opera Boot Camp, Score Reading, Continuing Education classes and Online Learning courses. She is also a co-host on The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, and in her work producing the podcast between fall 2015 and summer 2020, the podcast reached over 1.25 million listeners. In addition to her work at the Guild, Naomi is a co-founder and co-host of the podcast Opera After Dark, and works on various freelance digital media projects. Naomi holds a PhD in Musicology from The Graduate Center, City University of New York, with an additional certificate in interactive technology and pedagogy. Her main research areas include opera studies, public musicology, and classical music in the digital age.
Victoria Bond
Composer, Conductor, and Lecturer
Victoria Bond leads a dual career as composer and conductor receiving praises from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Ms. Bond has been commissioned by ensembles including American Ballet Theater, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Houston Symphony, and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and her compositions have also been performed by the Dallas Symphony, New York City Opera, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and musicians from the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony, among others. Her opera “Clara” about Clara Schumann will premiered under the auspices of the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden in April 2019. The first woman awarded a doctorate in orchestral conducting from The Juilliard School, she regularly appears as a guest conductor throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and China. Ms. Bond has served as music director of the New Amsterdam and Roanoke Symphony Orchestras; artistic director of Opera Roanoke, Harrisburg Opera, and Bel Canto Opera; music adviser of the Wuhan Symphony in China, assistant conductor of New York City Opera and the Pittsburgh Symphony. She is currently principal guest conductor of Chamber Opera Chicago.
Dr. Naomi Perley
Lecturer
Dr. Naomi Perley holds a PhD in Musicology from the CUNY Graduate Center. Her research focuses on the Wagnerian legacy in fin-de-siècle France, and particularly on the impact it had on French chamber music during this period. She has presented her research at the annual meetings of the American Musicological Society and at international conferences. Naomi sings professionally with Polyhymnia, a choir devoted to singing Renaissance sacred music. She works full-time at Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale (RILM) as Subscriptions Manager and Product Development Coordinator for the Index to Printed Music.