Master of Music (Opera Performance) (MC-MUSOP)

Overview

Award title	Master of Music (Opera Performance)
Year & campus	2025 — Southbank
CRICOS code	076225K
Fees information	Subject EFTSL, level, discipline and census date
Study level & type	Graduate Coursework
AQF level	9
Credit points	200 credit points
Duration	24 months full-time

The Master of Music (Opera Performance) is a practice-based graduate coursework degree. The course consists of 200 points of study in four areas: Opera Performance Practicum, Core Skills in Opera, Research Studies and Supporting Studies.

This course includes specialist training provided to students through vocational placement in a professional opera company (e.g. Victorian Opera or Pinchgut Opera), or through performance in one of the University’s in-house opera productions.

Entry requirements

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:

an undergraduate degree in vocal performance or equivalent, with evidence of European modern language training in either lyric diction and/or practical language skills learning; and
an audition.

Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

prior academic performance;
and the audition.

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for postgraduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

All students of music must possess intellectual, ethical, physical and emotional capabilities required to participate in the full curriculum and to achieve the levels of competence required by the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
a) Musical skills, including well developed vocal proficiency, musical literacy, and aural discrimination skills;

b) Cognitive skills, including the ability to comprehend complex music information and material independently;

c) Communication skills, including the ability to write and speak clearly and effectively. Communication with fellow students, academic and professional staff, and the wider public about their knowledge and application of music performance is essential.

Students must possess the physical and emotional health required for full use of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment and the prompt completion of all responsibilities required by the course. All students need to be aware of their personal limitations and when and where to seek professional advice or supervision. Students must be able to tolerate physically taxing musical practice and to function effectively under stress and isolation in musical preparation. They must also be able to function effectively as part of a musical ensemble, to adapt to changing environments and to display flexibility.

d) Behavioural and Social Attributes, so as to enable students to participate in a complex learning environment. Students are required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. They also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative learning environments, demonstrating interpersonal skills and an understanding of the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students.

The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music welcomes applications from students with disabilities. It is University policy to make reasonable adjustments so as to enable a student’s participation in the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music’s programs. Students who have a disability which may prevent them from participating in tasks involving these inherent academic requirements are encouraged to contact the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/. Adjustments can be provided to minimise the impact of a disability; however, students will need to participate in the course in an independent manner.

Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

demonstrate knowledge of, and practical skills in, past and present operatic vocal practices;
for the singer, employ acting, movement and other stagecraft skills required of a professional operatic vocalist, OR, for the repetiteur, employ bass realisation, score reading and conducting skills required of the professional operatic repetiteur;
analyse and interpret operatic repertoire from the perspectives of style and role development;
demonstrate team-work and collaborative music making;
prepare for, and perform in, staged operatic productions at a professional level;
appraise and implement research principles and methods applicable to performing arts research as well as skills in critical reflection, writing and artistic communication;
develop and apply community and industry engagement skills as appropriate for opera professionals.

Generic skills

Graduates from the MMus (OperaPerf) course will be:

academically excellent and musically skilled as opera performers as a result of intensive and rigorous one-to-one and studio-based tuition in chorus, ensemble and solo vocal performance, acting, stagecraft and movement skills for singers; and keyboard, vocal coaching and repertoire and language skills for repetiteurs;
active global citizens through participation throughout the course in the inherently international nature of opera in all its manifestations;
artistically sophisticated with a high level of understanding of the aesthetic of their discipline, honed through learning, practice, critical reflection and performance, with high levels of personal autonomy and accountability;
familiar and competent with written, spoken and vocal communication, the ethics associated with collaborative operatic performance, and basic performance research protocols gained through a program of performance practicum subjects, language and diction subjects in languages commonly encountered in opera, and professional experience in operatic performances and vocal coaching;
creative and critical music performers and thinkers with highly developed skills for on-going, self-directed professional learning;
knowledgeable across the disciplines of operatic performance, acting, stagecraft, movement, and language and diction;
accepting of the responsibility to move towards artistic independence and towards accountability in terms of both specialist and non-specialist audiences;
able to execute one or more capstone projects in operatic performance;
leaders in the operatic performance communities with knowledge developed through: a program of professional performance practicum; and high level development of teamwork and group dynamic skills through participation in group activities in operatic performance settings;
attuned to cultural diversity through: the opportunities provided that involve thinking about a variety of notions of musicality as well as participating in operatic performances from different times and places; familiarity with culturally-diverse ways of conceptualizing, discussing and performing the operative repertoire; and performing for audiences from varied cultural, socio-economic and musical backgrounds.

Course structure

This course is only offered as a Full Time course over 2 consecutive years.

200-point program:

150 points of compulsory subjects
50 points of elective subjects according to one of the following specialisations:
- Singer (50 credit points); or
- Repetiteur (50 credit points).

Year 1

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
MUSI90160	Opera Performance Practicum 1	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Southbank)	18.75
MUSI90231	Core Skills In Opera 1	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	18.75
MUSI90169	Opera Performance Practicum 2	September (On Campus - Southbank) November (On Campus - Southbank)	18.75
MUSI90233	Core Skills in Opera 2	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	18.75

PLUS

Two elective subjects according to the specialisation chosen.

Year 2

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
MUSI90171	Opera Performance Practicum 3	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Southbank)	25
MUSI90172	Opera Performance Practicum 4	September (On Campus - Southbank) November (On Campus - Southbank)	25
MUSI90234	Core Skills in Opera 3	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	25

PLUS

Two elective subjects according to the specialisation chosen.

Majors, minors & specialisations

Name	Credit Points
Singer	50
Repetiteur	50

Further study

After successful completion of the degree with appropriate research training subjects, students will be eligible to apply for a research Masters degree.

Last updated: 31 March 2025