Robert Thieme
Professor
Director of the WVU Opera Theatre
Accompanying, Vocal Coordinator
Robert Thieme has served as the Director of the WVU Opera Theatre since 1985 and became the Coordinator of Vocal Studies in 1996. His experience includes conducting and staging opera, operetta, and musical theatre productions. He has also worked as a collaborative artist with singers and instrumentalists throughout the US and in Europe. He has been the principal keyboardist with the Wheeling Symphony and has worked on operatic productions with the West Virginia and Corpus Christi Symphonies, and the Augusta, Chautauqua, Columbus and Orlando Opera companies. His teaching responsibilities include a two-semester course in vocal repertoire, vocal accompanying, diction courses in English, Italian, Spanish, German and French and an advanced repertoire class for DMA vocalists.
For 21 years Professor Thieme was on the faculty of the American Institute of Musical studies in Graz, Austria, a summer training program for vocalists, pianists and instrumentalists. After becoming the Dean in 1996 he was appointed Co-artistic Director in 2003 and resigned his position in 2008. Since then he has worked as a musical director and vocal coach with the Richard Crittenden Opera Program in both Washington, DC and Boston. He has held offices in both NATS (national Association of Teachers and Singing) and NOA (National Opera Association) where he was on the Board of Directors serving for 11 years as the Editor of the Opera Journal. Professor Thieme holds degrees in piano performance and studied opera with Walter Ducloux and Leonard Treash.