Drawing from the curriculum of American Lyric Theater's internationally acclaimed Composer Librettist Development Program (CLDP), ALT is, for the first time, opening select individual courses from the program to opera creators in New York City. Each class is taught by members of the CLDP faculty, whose expertise and mentorship have helped shape dozens of composers, librettists, and dramaturgs that have transformed the landscape of new American opera.
Recognizing that not every artist is able to participate in the CLDP's intensive, multi-year curriculum, ALT is offering these stand-alone courses to expand access to its renowned training. Classes are offered on a tuition basis, with financial assistance available to ensure that cost is not a barrier to participation.
Classes meet at The National Opera Center, 330 7th Avenue, in New York City.
These classes are taught in person.
We are delighted to launch this new initiative this fall with Opera Dramaturgy, taught by renowned dramaturg Cori Ellison. Registration is now open!
Additional courses will be announced for Winter and Spring 2027. We hope you'll join us as we expand access to the extraordinary training and mentorship that have defined the Composer Librettist Development Program for nearly two decades.
Fall Course Offering
OPERA DRAMATURGY: Creating drama in music
TAUGHT BY CORI ELLISON
September 29th – December 10th, 2026
Tuesday & Thursdays - 7:00pm to 9:00pm
16 Classes – Please see below for the entire class schedule
In every age and every place, opera composers, librettists, directors, dramaturgs, and performers face the same fundamental questions: How do you tell a story through music? What stories cry out to be sung? Does the music or the text do the dramatic heavy lifting? How is an opera libretto different from a play script? How do words and music align to shape dramatic momentum? How do collaborators create work that is greater than the sum of its parts?
Countless answers are embedded in opera's 400+ year history, heritage, and repertory, up to and including the present day. Dramaturg Cori Ellison leads this exploration of the extraordinary creative toolbox that is the operatic repertory, revealing the musical and dramatic methods, artistic choices, dramaturgical strategies, and collaborative methods that can continue to shape the creation of new opera today.
Through seminar-style discussion, guided listening, score and libretto study, comparative analysis, and hands-on exercises, participants will explore dramatic structure, characterization, musical form, orchestral storytelling, adaptation, collaboration, and the evolving relationship between words and music. Wherever your work may fall between traditional roots and breaking entirely new ground, this course will deepen your understanding of what makes opera tick and the myriad possibilities available to today's opera creators.
REGISTRATION
This class is open to the entire opera community, including composers, librettists, directors, dramaturgs, performers, producers, administrators, patrons, and other opera enthusiasts and stakeholders.
Because American Lyric Theater's mission is to support the development of opera creators, and because enrollment is strictly limited to ensure a highly interactive learning experience, registration priority through August 30 will be given to composers, librettists, dramaturgs, directors, and performers. After August 30, any remaining spaces will be made available to all other members of the opera community on a first-come, first-served basis.
TUITION: $795
Financial assistance for artists is available based on demonstrated need.
No payment is required to register. Upon acceptance, you will be billed for the class deposit. See registration form for more details.
CLASS SCHEDULE
This is a 16-class course. All classes take place in person at The National Opera Center in Manhattan. The class schedule is provided below. Remote participation is not available, as the course is designed to be an interactive, collaborative learning experience. To accommodate unavoidable absences due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, class sessions will be recorded and made available exclusively to registered participants. However, regular in-person attendance is expected and is essential to fully benefit from the course.
Tue. Sept. 29 & Thur. Oct. 1
Tue. Oct. 6 & Thur. Oct. 8
Tue. Oct. 13 & Thur. Oct. 15
Tue. Oct. 20 & Thur. Oct. 22
Tue. Oct. 27 & Thur. Oct. 29
Tue. Nov. 17 & Thur. Nov.19
Tue. Dec. 1 & Thur. Dec. 3
Tue. Dec. 8 & Thur. Dec. 10
All classes are from 7pm - 9pm.
LEARN FROM THE BEST!
ABOUT CORI ELLISON
Cori Ellison, a leading creative figure in the opera world, has been staff Dramaturg at New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Glyndebourne Opera. She is dramaturg for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Ring cycle, and has also served in that capacity for Dialogues des Carmélites (Wolf Trap Opera); L'incoronazione di Poppea (Cincinnati Opera); Orphic Moments (Salzburg Landestheater, National Sawdust, Master Voices); Aci, Galatea, e Polifemo (National Sawdust, Philharmonia Baroque); Washington National Opera’s Ring cycle; Opera Boston’s The Nose; Offenbach!!! (Bard Summerscape); and La finta giardiniera (Indiana University). For Saint Louis Symphony, she recently created original dialogue/narration and a concert staging of The Magic Flute.
Active in developing contemporary opera, she is a founding faculty member and mentor at American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program. She has been a sought-after developmental dramaturg to numerous composers, librettists, and commissioners, developing new operas for companies including Glyndebourne, Canadian Opera, Norwegian Opera, Icelandic Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Chicago Opera Theater, Arizona Opera, Opera Birmingham, Pittsburgh Opera, Beth Morrison Projects, Miller Theater, Finger Lakes Opera, Indiana University Opera Theater, and Crane School of Music. She was the first dramaturg invited to participate in the Yale Institute for Music Theatre. At New York City Opera, she was a curator of the annual VOX American Opera Showcase and co-founded and led City Opera’s “Words First” program for opera librettists.
She creates supertitles for opera companies worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera. Her English singing translations include Hansel and Gretel (NYCO; published by Schott), La vestale (English National Opera) and Shostakovich’s Cherry Tree Towers (Bard Summerscape). She has written for publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, Operamagazine, Gramophone, Musical America, Scandinavian Review, Opera News, and Ms, and has contributed to books including The New Grove Dictionary of Opera and The Compleat Mozart. She has taught and lectured for schools, performance venues, and media outlets worldwide, and has been a longtime faculty member at The Juilliard School (Vocal Arts) and the Ravinia Steans Music Institute Program for Singers, where she curates and prepares an annual themed concert program.