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 also includes conducting and staging opera, operetta and musical theatre productions. His teaching responsibilities include a two-semester course in vocal repertoire, vocal accompanying, four diction courses and an advanced repertoire class for DMA vocalists. In 1996 Professor Thieme was appointed Dean of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, a summer training program for vocalists and pianist. Since 1987, he had been on the faculty as Studienleiter responsible for the preparation of all vocalists involved in public performance with the orchestra. Professor Thieme currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Opera Association and is the Editor of the NOA Opera Journal. He is also a member of NATS where he holds the office of Governor of West Virginia and is on the Board of the Tri-States Chapter. Professor Thieme is a frequent keyboardist with the Wheeling Symphony and accompanies all operatic productions of the West Virginia Symphony. He has also worked with the Orlando, Columbus, Chautauqua and Augusta Opera Companies as well as the Corpus Christi Symphony. Professor Thieme received two degrees in piano performance from WVU and studied opera at UT with Walter Ducloux and Leonard Threash.