Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company

This page seeks to promote all productions hosted by The Southern Opera and Musical Company at USM. We proudly welcome you to our program! M. A. J.

The rich and varied history of opera and musical theater at The University of Southern Mississippi began in 1948 by Frank Earl Marsh with a fully-staged production directed by Lloyd Patten of Smetana's Bartered Bride, accompanied by full orchestra. Unlike a strictly choral music program, the opera and musical theatre program attracts both vocal and instrumental talent. Through the years, the high-

quality performances have attracted more and better students who present marvelous productions for the community. About Southern Opera and Musical Theatre

In 1948, longtime Chairman of the Music Department Frank Earl Marsh was sitting in his office, musing over the day’s happenings, when suddenly he is struck with a revelation: there is a key component missing from the music program! While the choral and studio tracks thrive, Marsh sees a need for a high quality performance program that will attract and simultaneously showcase instrumental and vocal talent. He jumps from his chair, phones director Lloyd Patten, and immediately, they begin to plan. That same season, they stage and produce Bedřich Smetana’s comic opera The Bartered Bride with a full orchestra and vocal soloists. Thus was born the Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company. Since then the program has accrued a reputation as one of the finest opera and musical theatre collegiate companies in the region, and now holds a recognized place alongside other major schools of music throughout the nation. The Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company attracts a range of diverse and dazzling performers, and presents professional quality productions for the community. Major vocal artists are frequently featured at the university, including (among others) Thomas Palmer (1972), Roberta Peters (1977), Denyce Graves (1998), Placido Domingo (2005), Renee Fleming (2010), Deborah Voigt (2015), and most recently, Kirstin Chavez (2016). With an exemplary administrative team, an exquisite student orchestra, professional conductors and stage directors, and talented vocal artists, Marsh’s vision has bloomed into an integral and treasured part of the music tradition here at Southern Miss. At a glance:
--A College of Arts and Letters fully accredited in music, art, theatre, and dance
--A 41-member music faculty of dedicated teacher-artists
--Professional voice teachers and stage directors
--An active opera program producing multiple fully staged productions each year
--Frequent master classes and performances by musicians of international stature

Artistic Director and Conductor
Jay Dean

Resident Stage Director
Mike Lopinto, D.M.A
Jonathan Yarrington, D.M.A

Voice Professors:
Kimberley Davis, D. Taylor Hightower, D. Jonathan Yarrington, D.

04/24/2026

ANNOUNCING AUDITIONS FOR
Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

Presented by the Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company at Southern Miss

Video submission through May 3, 11:59 p.m.
Open to all Southern Miss students

Praised as "the most innovative… since Hamilton" and earning 12 Tony Award nominations, it redefined what modern musical theatre could be while collecting major honors. This is your chance to be a part of one of the most iconic events of the year!

For more information visit http://usm.edu/musicaltheatre

04/06/2026

You’re standing center stage! 🎭✨
Get a front-row seat to the magic! Our MT Workshop Showcase: View From the Stage rehearsal is in full swing, and the energy is electric.

This isn’t your typical show—we’re bringing YOU onto the stage to experience these powerhouse performances from our perspective. From the soul-stirring harmonies of Hadestown and Ragtime to the high-octane energy of Six and Spring Awakening, we’re covering the absolute best of Broadway:
🔥 Sweeney Todd | Tick, Tick... Boom! | Waitress
🔥 Once on This Island | The Last Five Years | Company
🔥 Chorus Line | Shrek | Hercules | Dogfight
🔥 Merrily We Roll Along | Into the Woods | Godspell

Don’t Miss It!
THIS Thursday, April 9, 2026
⏰ 7:30 PM
📍 The Thomas V. Fraschillo Stage @ Mannoni Performing Arts Center

🎟 FREE ADMISSION
Come see what it’s like to be in the middle of the music. We’ll see you on stage!
The University of Southern Mississippi School of Music
Southern Miss College of Arts and Sciences

03/30/2026

A View From the Stage
Get ready for an immersive theatrical experience like no other! For this year's MT Workshop Showcase, we are flipping the script: the audience will be seated right on the stage, looking out from our perspective to experience the energy of the performance from the inside out.�
A Powerhouse Setlist
We are bringing you an explosive lineup of Broadway’s most iconic and modern hits. Feel the rhythm and the heart of:
• The Classics: Chorus Line, Sweeney Todd, Ragtime, Merrily We Go Along, Into the woods, and Godspell.
• Contemporary Favorites: The Last Five Years, Waitress, Dogfight, Company, and Tick, Tick... Boom!
• Epic Spectacles: Hadestown, Six, Once on This Island, Shrek, Hercules, and Spring Awakening.�
Join Us
• Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
• Time: 7:30 PM
• Location: The Thomas V. Fraschillo Stage @ Mannoni Performing Arts Center
• Admission: FREE
Don't just watch the show—inhabit it. Space on the stage is limited, so arrive early to secure your "performer’s eye view" of the magic!

12/09/2025

Southern Miss faculty, staff, alumni, and students make the holiday bright!

Chances are almost anywhere you go from Baton Rouge to Pensacola and Nashville to New Orleans, you will encounter Southern Miss School of Music performers making the season bright. Whether in professional productions, church services, or entertaining at parties, these musicians make up the backbone of our state’s thriving music industry. Here are just a couple of this weekend’s happenings:

• Opera Mississippi proudly presents “The Christmas Gift,” a touching holiday stage work by celebrated composer and Southern Mississippi alumnus Dr. James S. Sclater. Performances will take place Friday, December 12, 2025, at 7:00 PM and Saturday, December 13, 2025, at 3:00 PM in the JPW Recital Hall of Mississippi College’s Aven Fine Arts Building in Clinton. For tickets and more information visit operams.org.

Opera Mississippi spotlights the remarkable contributions of Southern Miss featuring Dr. Jay Dean, Opera Mississippi’s Artistic Director and Conductor and a longtime leader within the Hattiesburg community; Stage Director, Carroll Freeman; Chorusmaster, Drew Trautman; Voice faculty member, Dr. Meredith Johnson, in the role of Sister Angela; and current students, Tanner Green and Hutson Rollins as The Writer/Narrator and The Rich Man.

• The FestivalSouth Film Expo presents three sing-along holiday movie classics in partnership with the Hub City Players and the historic Saenger Theatre. Friday, December 12, enjoy “The Greatest Showman” at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, December 13, since Disney’s classic animated film, “Beauty and the Beast” at 2 p.m.; and “Frozen,” December 14 at 2 p.m. Tickets and more information available at hattiesburgsaenger.com.

Portraying all your favorite characters and hosting the evening, are Southern Miss students and alums Nolan Lee, Sallen Boutwell, Savannah Westacott, Danielle Gray, and Patricia Garner with costuming by alumna Tammy Mansfield, produced by Dr. Mike Lopinto.

11/24/2025

December 3rd, 4pm at FAB122Join us to talk about upcoming projects of the Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company at Southern Miss and how YOU might be a part!

Photos from Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company's post

10/31/2025

✨ Opening night was a blast — and the party’s not over yet! 🍾
Only TWO shows left to join the fun, laughter, and champagne of Die Fledermaus! 🎶
📅 Tonight at 7:30 p.m. & tomorrow at 1 p.m.
🎟️ usm.edu/symphony

10/22/2025

Sneak peek! 👀 The Die Fledermaus cast is stepping into costume — and the party’s just getting started! 🥂🎶
Come see the laughter, love, and chaos unfold!

•The Thomas V. Fraschillo Stage at the Mannoni
Performing Arts Center
Tickets on sale now: usm.edu/symphony

October 30-31, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
17 November 1, 2025 at 1 p.m.

The University of Southern Mississippi School of MusicThe University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra

10/09/2025

🎭 Meet the Principal Cast of Die Fledermaus!
The Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company proudly presents:

Hutson Rollins – Gabriel von Eisenstein
Melodie Dubose – Rosalinde
Amelia Sutherland – Adele
Taree Nichols – Adele
Mahannop Panasaratool – Alfred
Joseph Jones – Dr. Falke
Anna Lee – Prince Orlofsky
Noah Brand – Dr. Blind
Jordan Hardy Tyrese – Frank
Paetyn Johnson – Ida
Joseph VanZandt – Frosch

✨ The Thomas V. Fraschillo Stage at the Mannoni Performing Arts Center
🎟️ Tickets on sale now: usm.edu/symphony

📅 October 30–31, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
📅 November 1, 2025 at 1 p.m.

The University of Southern Mississippi School of Music
The University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra

08/28/2025

The Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company
Presents

Die Fledermaus
By Johann Strausss Il
October 30 and 31, 2025 - 7:30 p.m.
November 1, 2025 - 1 p.m.
The Thomas V. Fraschillo Stage at the Mannoni Performing Arts Center Auditorium

With familiar music and, of course, waltzes, the Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company returns to the stage with a comedy that sparkles with period charm. A prince throws the costume party of the century, and everyone is determined to be there. Two gentleman attendees, out for a night out on the town, are pranked by one of their wives and her maid. This soon escalates into an epic battle of the sexes, filled with disguises, flirtations and comedic deceptions. No matter how the evening ends, one thing is for sure - you can blame it on the champagne!

Ticket 🎫 https://southernmisstickets.evenue.net/list/SYS

tgetyourtickets

06/17/2025

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Location

Hattiesburg

Contact the school

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Telephone

(601) 266-5543

Website

https://www.usm.edu/music/opera

Address

School Of Music, University Of Southern Mississippi 118 College Drive #581
Hattiesburg, MS
39406