Oberlin Conservatory Launches Program in Music Theater

Beginning in the fall of 2025, Oberlin College and Conservatory will launch a music theater program, building on the storied legacy of our legendary graduates and training future music theater stars for decades to come.

The program is a natural next step for an institution that has operated at the forefront of pre-professional music training for more than 150 years.

“Music theater is one of America’s great artistic traditions,” says William Quillen, Dean of the Conservatory of Music. “It’s also a distinctive Oberlin tradition, as evidenced by the numerous Oberlin alumni over the years—conservatory and college alike—who have helped shape this art form while enjoying distinguished careers on Broadway and stages around the globe.”

It's impossible to imagine music theater in America, much less around the world, without the work of Oberlin graduates such as John Kander and Julie Taymor. 

Thanks to Kander’s timeless scores, generations of theatergoers have witnessed Roxie Hart razzle-dazzle her way out of a murder rap in Chicago and felt the desperation of Sally Bowles, entreating us to come to the Cabaret. Because of Taymor’s visionary direction, children on six continents have thrilled at the spectacle of life-size giraffes loping down the aisles in The Lion King.

Kander, Taymor, and other celebrated alums credit their Oberlin experience for providing the creative spark that drove their history-making artistry. 

“Oberlin is known throughout the world for its deep commitment to the arts, theater, and music,” says President Carmen Twillie Ambar. “It therefore seemed perfectly appropriate to add music theater to our repertoire of excellence.”

Oberlin’s music theater program will be led by Victoria Bussert, an award-winning music theater artist who has devoted decades to building an international reputation for excellence as a director, helming productions from Boise to Brazil, and as a teacher at the leading-edge of music theater education in the United States. 

At Oberlin, music theater isn’t an afterthought—it’s an art form

Oberlin’s program will be at the vanguard of music theater training in higher education because it is being built from the ground up. The conservatory is hiring faculty and staff who are industry professionals and who specialize in training young artists for careers immediately after graduation.

At Oberlin:

• Students will pursue a Bachelor of Music degree in music theater, taking classes taught by music theater professionals who are active on regional and national stages and with deep connections to other professionals working in front of the curtain and behind it, including agents and casting directors.
• The program will be housed in a newly created, fully customized facility designed specifically for music theater education, training, and performance. Music theater students will also utilize Oberlin’s wealth of versatile performance spaces.
• Those studying music theater will benefit from being students in the conservatory, participating in the world-class artistic training it provides.
• Music theater students will also benefit from being part of the intellectual ecosystem of one of the country’s preeminent liberal arts institutions.

About Victoria Bussert

Bussert has long balanced her professional life as a director with her role as an innovative educator. She has directed more than 400 productions on three continents and is resident director of Cleveland’s Great Lakes Theater and its sister company, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. She taught as guest faculty at North Carolina School of the Arts and Northwestern University and served as director of music theater for more than two decades at Baldwin Wallace University. Among her many accolades, Bussert earned a Cleveland Arts Prize for theater and dance, with the jury praising her directing and teaching, and she was named one of the 10 Legendary Music Professors Teaching Today by college consultants Music School Central. 

Bussert will initially be joined by a trio of talented colleagues: Artists and teachers with national and international credits and expertise in acting for music theater, music direction, and choreography. More hires will follow.

Says Dean Quillen: “We couldn’t be more delighted that an artist and educator of Vicky Bussert’s caliber will be the founding director of Oberlin’s music theater program, and we are thrilled to welcome Vicky, Laura Welsh, Matt Webb, and Lauren Marousek to the faculty. They are, quite simply, the best at what they do, with years of proven success preparing young artists for careers on Broadway and beyond. Under their leadership, and the leadership of faculty and staff who will join the program as it launches, Oberlin will be home to the highest-quality music-theater training available in the country.”

Bussert is ready to begin her next act at Oberlin.

“Oberlin’s investment in the space and specialized faculty for music theater is remarkable. To me, it demonstrates an unwavering commitment to both the field and the next generation of music theater professionals. I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it.”

For more information, visit the Oberlin Music Theater website. The application for new and transfer students to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music is available now and due December 1.