My daughter, a talented singer, dancer and actor, is interested in Oberlin. She plans to apply to the academic college rather than the Conservatory–but participating in school musicals would be an important extra-curricular for her. Would she stand a chance of winning singing parts in school musicals–or do most of the roles go to voice majors in the Conservatory?
I did a google search and there is a student organization at Oberlin that will do musicals (OMTA). I could find nothing about the conservatory or how auditions are done. At other schools, all parts or main parts are reserved for students in the conservatory or majoring in musical theater.
The students I know who were voice majors in the Conservatory were forbidden to do the type of singing that the musicals called for-there is an entirely different type of training and conservation of the voice and vocal chords from one type of singing to the other.
You may be shut out due to those students who are actually majoring in musical theater, which makes sense, as most college drama departments are set up to produce and showcase their own students.
You will have to check with kids at Oberlin, or contact the Conservatory department there.
There is no musical theater major at Oberlin. The Oberlin Musical Theater Association (OMTA) is a student run organization that produces musicals during Spring and Fall semesters and also J-Term. My D is at Oberlin and has participated in those. She is not in the conservatory but auditioned in to take voice lessons there. I agree with Waiting2exhale that the conservatory trains classical/opera singers which is a very different sound and training from musical theater.
I know a freshman boy (non theatre major) who auditioned into a lead in the Spelling Bee this Spring, and who also has a lead in a Fall production. It is definitely possible to successfully do MT as any kind of major.
There are tons of productions on campus, so if singing and performing is a goal it shouldn’t be hard to find at least one production to be a part of. The directors just want to cast the best people, so if your daughter is a good singer, she should have no problem participating.
My son was in the “Villains Showcase,” a student run production last October. He is likely going to major in English. His roommate directed something (forget what).
My D is a voice major in the conservatory. The voice majors do the operas not the musicals. There are plenty of opportunities for non voice majors to sing and perform at Oberlin.