Flora L. Thornton Opera Program

The Flora L. Thornton Opera Program at Pepperdine University provides students first-hand experience presenting significant works in the repertoire. Under the direction of Dr. Keith Colclough, the program produces one fully-staged production in Smothers Theatre each year. Recent performances have included Massenet's Cendrillon; Puccini's Gianni Schicchi; Purcell's Dido & Aeneas; Strauss's Die Fledermaus; Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance and H.M.S. Pinafore; as well as Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, and Così fan Tutte, all in their original language. Vocal majors also prepare and perform opera scenes at the Heidelberg Summer Music Program. Close collaboration between the theatre and music programs at Pepperdine allows music majors to frequently perform leading roles in the annual musical. Recent theatre productions featuring music majors include ABBA's Mamma Mia, Flaherty & Ahrens' Ragtime, Kander and Ebb's Curtains, Lippa's Big Fish, Gershwin's Crazy for You, Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, and Sondheim's Into the Woods. Because the Pepperdine music program is comprised entirely of undergraduates, our students enter graduate school with a wealth of on-stage experience behind them. Pepperdine graduates have won scholarships to many of the nation's most prestigious graduate programs, including The Juilliard School, Yale Graduate Opera Program, Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, Northwestern University, Indiana University, Rice University, and USC. Pepperdine graduates are now gracing the rosters of America's leading opera companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Santa Fe Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Seattle Opera.

Thanks to the generous donors like you, Pepperdine has developed a reputation as one of the nation's leading undergraduate vocal programs featuring an annual fully-staged opera, a biennial summer intensive in Heidelberg, Germany, and master classes with top industry professionals.

Producing opera is expensive. Scenery, costumes, lighting, and most importantly, labor grows more expensive every year. While the opera program is supported by a generous endowment from Flora L. Thornton, its annual payout has not risen to match inflation. All told, the annual opera production engages over 100 students, faculty, and staff each year. Donations to the Flora L. Thornton Opera Program ensure we can continue to bring professional quality productions to the community, and provide transformative experiences for our students.

Thank you for your generous donation to the Flora L. Thornton Opera Program at Pepperdine!