Copeland Woodruff is the director of opera studies at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. He has held teaching appointments at University of Memphis, The Julliard School, Oberlin Conservatory, and Temple University as well as the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. His professional credits include New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Hal Prince Music Theatre, Guerilla Opera, Chautauqua Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre. He has been on the faculty of the summer training/production programs La Musica Lirica, Red River Lyric Opera, Opera Breve, FIO Americas, Atlantic Coast Opera Festival, the Beijing Musical Theatre Institute; and was the acting teacher and a stage director for the Harrower Summer Opera Workshop for 15 years.
A multi-award-winning stage director, he has directed more than 60 opera productions and 65 scenes programs. He most recently won the Charles Nelson Reilly Prize for stage directing in The American Prize competition and his productions of The Beggar's Opera and Hydrogen Jukebox tied for first prize in the collegiate opera category, both were productions at Lawrence University. Six of his productions have placed first in the National Opera Association competition and others have placed second or third, including two third-place awards for the improvised micro-operas, Expressions of Acceptance and From the Hip (LU).
He has enjoyed an extended relationship with Boston Conservatory's Ensemble-in-Residence, Guerilla Opera. He has directed three productions for the company, one of which (Rojahn's Heart of a Dog) earned Second Prize in the American Prize for Opera Performance competition, professional division. Heart of a Dog was a favorite at the Opera America convention in May 2011 and its sold-out, two-week run in Boston garnered such reviews as: "…a brilliant stroke of staging" and "…stunning" (Boston Musical Intelligencer); "brilliantly physicalized in this extraordinarily well-acted production" and "a prime and rare example of opera properly compounded with theater" (Boston Lowbrow).
Maintaining a long-term connection with Anne Bogart and the SITI Company, he is dedicated to expanding the capacities of the operatic medium and especially to the education of singing actors in collaborative and community-based work. He is interested in furthering improvised techniques in opera and instrumental music, as well as reimagining the recital and concert experience.
Mr. Woodruff holds a Bachelor of Music degree and Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Science in Opera Stage Direction from Indiana University, as well as Master's work in Theatrical Design (lighting) at the University of South Carolina. Woodruff is a proud member of AGMA and Actor's Equity Association.
