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Auditions Friday, Sept 18
Le Nozze di Figaro
composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
based on the 1784 French stage comedy
La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro
by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais
Performance Dates
March 5 and 7, 2027
Macky Auditorium
To be considered for casting, review the General Schedule and Rehearsal Protocols before committing to an audition.
BMMT STUDENTS: Faculty have coordinated spring production schedules to allow participation in both shows for Figaro ENSEMBLE.
If you audition for a named role and are cast, you must make a choice between the two productions:
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Ensemble: You may participate in both shows.
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Named Role: Accepting a named role in Figaro—or failing to decline it within one week of casting—makes you ineligible to audition for or perform in Pippin.
Read and complete all THREE audition tasks listed below.
September 18: Music auditions 4p-10pm in room Music Theatre
Complete these three steps for ALL who audition:
Sign up for an audition time.
Use this DocuSign link to complete your Audition Sheet. Your Studio Teacher signature is required*. Once finished, you will receive an email confirming the form is received. You will not be allowed to audition without the signed audition sheet.
*If you do not study voice with a CU professor, please use the email address of christie.conover@colorado.edu when asked for a faculty contact.
Audition Repertoire
Prepare a selection in Italian and pre-Verdi is required, preferably an aria from the opera (including Marcellina but not Basilio), other Mozart or classical aria in Italian.
Exceptions to this requirement should be cleared with Maestro Carthy.
Dr. Will Shi will play auditions. Send a pdf your audition piece if it is not from Figaro to will.shi@colorado.edu in advance of the audition.
For live auditions, please arrive 15 minutes early to check in with the proctor.
Live auditions will be recorded for the audition panel use ONLY.
Cast Announcement and production information will be emailed to the cast in late October. Score Edition used by music and production staff is Bärenreiter. Principle roles are responsible for providing own scores. Ensemble will be provided chorus scores at first music rehearsal.
AUDITIONS
Friday, February 13
CU New Opera Workshop
CU NOW
The Late Signor Zanetti
Public Presentations June 12 and 14, 2026
Composer Fellows' Initiative (CFI)
Performance June 13, 2026
To be considered for casting, review the casting descriptions and Rehearsal Requirements before committing to an audition. Read and complete all THREE audition tasks listed below.
CU New Opera Workshop of
The Late Signor Zanetti
Public Presentations June 12 and 14, 2026
Visiting Composer Alberto Caruso
Visiting Librettist Mark Campbell
CU Boulder alumnus, and Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning librettist Mark Campbell—together with Italian composer Alberto Caruso—will workshop “The Late Signor Zanetti,” a comic thriller set in Venice in 1823. When the titular character, a horologist, attempts to repair a pocket watch left in his shop by a mysterious stranger, the activities of his typical evening take a surprising and surreal twist.
PRINCIPAL ROLES
Zanetti, a horologist, tenor
Albertina, his daughter, soprano
Bernardo, his friend, baritone
Cristina, his sister, mezzo-soprano
Daniela, a sex worker and friend, soprano
Aldo, a gondolier, baritone
Composer Fellows' Initiative 2026
Performance June 13, 2026
Participating composers’ short opera scenes develop under the guidance of CU NOW industry titans and are then rehearsed, staged, costumed and performed within the summer festival of CU NOW ... and beyond.
Four singers will be cast: soprano, mezzo, tenor, baritone/bass
CFI Composers under the mentorship of Tom Cipullo and Bud Coleman are
Indigo Farmer
Glenda Luck
Leah Porter Tracy
Luka Vezmar
Rehearsals and Requirements
Rehearsals begin May 26, 2026
This is a professional opportunity. CU NOW artists are on a paid 3-week contract. Releases are rare and will only be considered in extreme circumstances. Work/academic conflicts during May 26 to June 14 and between 2p-10p will not be considered.
Those hired must possess a suite of skills including the ability to learn, interpret, and perform music that is being created in real time.
Complete these three steps for ALL who audition for CU NOW:
Sign up for an audition slot on Feb 13.
Use this DocuSign link to complete your Audition Sheet. Once finished, you will receive an email confirming the form is received. You will not be allowed to audition without the signed audition sheet.
Audition Repertoire
Prepare an aria or dramatic song in English from 20/21st Century showcasing dramatic and musical range
IMPORTANT: bring a clean copy in a 3-ring binder to the audition. The pianist is Alaina de Bellevue and she will read from the music you bring to the audition.
For live auditions, please arrive 15 minutes early to check in with the proctor. Live auditions will be recorded for the audition panel use ONLY.