Music Theatre and Opera program
Preparing outstanding music theatre and opera artists
The Music Theatre and Opera program in the School of Music, Dance & Theatre at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts is committed to preparing outstanding music theatre and opera artists for professional careers in the 21st century.
Through expert individual and classroom instruction, the production of operas and musicals, student-led workshops, new work development, research opportunities, dynamic community engagement, and multiple professional collaborations, we foster a creative, student-centered environment that enables students to discover who they are as individuals and artists, at their own pace, in their own unique way, at the highest level.
Program highlights
Music Theatre and Opera degrees
Gallery
New work development
Each year since 2017 we have worked with students, alumni and outside partners to develop new works at ASU. Most of these have gone on to additional professional workshops and world premieres.
“Babe: an Olympian Musical”
Music by Andrea Jill Higgins (ASU alum)
Book and lyrics by Caroline Gage
Additional performances at the National Women’s Music Festival
“Prism”
Music by Ellen Reid
Libretto by Roxie Perkins
Co-produced with Beth Morrison Projects (ASU alum)
World premiere at Los Angeles Opera and Prototype Festival
Pulitzer-Prize winner
“The Halloween Tree”
Music by Theo Popov
Libretto by Tony Asaro
Co-produced with American Lyric Theatre
Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director
“Til Death: A Musical”
Music by Alexander Tom (ASU alum)
Book and lyrics by Amanda Prahl (ASU alum)
Co-produced with School of Film, Dance and Theatre
Additional performances at the Phoenix Theatre Festival of New American Theatre
“Behold The Man”
Music by Paul Fowler
Libretto by Andrew Flack
Additional performances at Fort Worth Opera’s Frontiers Festival
“Marie Begins”
Music by Ellen Fishman Johnson
Libretto by Julia Curcio
Co-production with Tri-Cities Opera
Susan Ashbaker, Artistic Director
Additional performances at Tri-Cities Opera
“The Anxiety Project”
Music by Rachel Dean
Book by David Brush
Co-production with Phoenix Theatre Company
Additional performances at Phoenix Theatre Company
"Hometown to the World"
Composed by Laura Kaminsky
Libretto by Kimberly Reed
Additional performances with Santa Fe Opera and Hawaii Opera Theatre
Awards
| 2024 | The Daughter of the Regiment by Gaetano Donizetti | 2nd place in its category |
| 2020 | Street Scene by Kurt Weill and Langston Hughes | 1st place in its category |
| 2019 | Bernstein's MASS | 1st place in its category |
| 2018 | H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan | 3rd place in its category |
| 1998 | Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck | 1st place in its category |
| 1997 | L’enfant et les Sortilèges by Maurice Ravel | 1st place in its category |
| 1995 | Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten | selected for final round |
| 1994 | The Medium by Gian Carlo Menotti | 2nd place |
| 1992 | Beauty and the Beast by Stephen Oliver | 2nd place |
| 1990 | Four Saints in Three Acts by Virgil Thomson | 1st place |
| 1989 | Sadko by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | 2nd place |
| 1987 | Tartuffe by Kirke Mecham | 3rd place |
| 1986 | Wilbur by Randall Shinn | 2nd place |
| 1985 | The Cunning Little Vixen by Leos Janácek | 1st place |
| 2018 | Best Overall Musical Production (A New Brain), Best Director of a Musical (A New Brain), Best Choreographer (A New Brain) Best Musical Direction (A New Brain), Actress in a Supporting Role (A New Brain) |
| 2017 | Best Overall Musical Production (The Magic Flute), Best Musical Direction (The Magic Flute), Best Director of a Musical (The Magic Flute), Actor in a Major Role in a Musical (The Magic Flute), Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical (The Magic Flute), Artistic Specialization in Media Design (The Magic Flute), Best Sound Design (The Magic Flute) |
| 2016 | Best Original Score, Best Original Script (Guadalupe: The Opera), Best Supporting Actress (The Drowsy Chaperone), Musical Direction (Company and The Drowsy Chaperone), Best Director (The Drowsy Chaperone) |
| 2014 | Actress in a Supporting Role (Cosi fan tutte) |
| 2013 | Best Overall Production (Die Fledermaus), Actress in a Supporting Role (Little Women), Musical Direction (Die Fledermaus) |
| 2011 | Actress in a Supporting Role (Secret Garden), Actor in a Supporting Role (Secret Garden), Guest Actor (Into the Woods) |
| 2009 | Don Pasquale won nine AriZoni Awards including Best Production of a Musical. |
| 2003 | A Chorus Line won eight AriZoni awards including Best Production of a Musical |
| 2002 | LOT productions were nominated for 16 awards and won five |
| 2001 | LOT productions were nominated for 37 awards and won nine including Best Production of a Musical for Flora, the Red Menace |
| 2000 | LOT productions were nominated for seven awards and won five. |
| 1998 | LOT productions were nominated for nine awards and won five including Best Production of a Musical for Tintypes. |
| 1996 | LOT productions won six awards including Best Production of a Musical for The Turn of the Screw by Benjamin Britten (the only opera production to be so recognized by the AriZoni awards). |
| 1995 | LOT productions won six awards including Best Production of a Musical for Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim. |
| 2024 | American Prize in Music Theatre Performance for Into the Woods |
| 2023 | American Prize in Music Theatre Performance for Bright Star |
| 2019 | American Prize in Music Theatre Performance for Legally Blonde |
| 2018 | American Prize in Music Theatre Performance for Les Mamèlles de Tiresias |
| 2018 | American Prize in Music Theatre Performance for Shrek the Musical |
| 2017 | American Prize in Music Theatre Performance for H.M.S. Pinafore |
| 2016 | American Prize in Musical Theatre Performance for Sondheim's Company |
Alumni
Preparing outstanding music theatre and opera artists for professional careers in the 21st century.
Krystina Alabado
Broadway: American Idiot; National Tour: Evita, Spring Awakening, American Idiot
Angela Brower
Leading roles with Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera Chicago, Bayerische Staatsoper, Vienna State Opera, San Francisco Opera, Salzburg Festival
Caelan Creaser
National Tour: Ensemble and Elsa Understudy, Frozen
Carmel Dean
Music Director; Broadway: If/Then, Hands on a Harbody, American Idiot, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Bridget Everett
Comedian, cabaret artist, producer and star of HBO's "Somebody, Somewhere"
Daveda Karanas
Leading roles with Lyric Opera Chicago, San Francisco Opera
Beth Morrison
Producer, director, founder of Beth Morrison Projects, hailed by the Wall Street Journal as "a 21st-Century Diaghilev, known for her ability to assemble memorable collaborations among artists."
Tregoney Shepherd
Broadway: Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera; National Tours: Mary Poppins, Les Miserable, Wicked
Our alumni have appeared on Broadway and in National Tours of:
- Aladdin
- American Idiot
- The Book of Mormon
- Chicago
- Company
- Evita
- Fiddler on the Roof
- Frozen
- In the Heights
- Jekyll and Hyde
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
- Mary Poppins
- Million Dollar Quartet
- Motown
- Phantom of the Opera
- Scandalous
- Spamalot
- Spring Awakening
- The Music Man
- West Side Story
- Wicked
- 1776
