Aveline Kirana
On April 17, 2026, the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University unveiled its mainstage production of Giuseppe Verdi’s effervescent operatic comedy, "Falstaff." This landmark production coincided with the Shepherd School’s significant 50th anniversary, a milestone that underscores its remarkable evolution from its origins as Rice University’s music department into a distinguished institution for musical education and artistic collaboration. This celebration also highlights the profound impact of community partnerships and philanthropic support in shaping the school’s trajectory.
A Legacy of Growth and Excellence
The Shepherd School’s journey over its five decades has been marked by consistent growth and an unwavering commitment to artistic and academic rigor. Founded in 1976, the school has steadily built its reputation, attracting world-class faculty and nurturing generations of talented musicians. The recent opening of the Brockman Hall for Opera in 2021, a state-of-the-art facility, represents a significant investment in the future of performing arts education and a testament to the vision of its leadership.
Robert Yekovich, former dean of the Shepherd School, played a pivotal role in its recent expansion and development, particularly over the last two decades. His leadership was instrumental in spearheading numerous successful fundraising campaigns and championing the construction of the Brockman Hall for Opera. This modern facility, designed with both aesthetic appeal and functional excellence in mind, has become a cornerstone of the school’s opera program. Its acoustically superior auditorium is specifically engineered to support the development of young singers, while the ample space in the orchestra pit facilitates full, immersive rehearsals. Beyond the performance space, the Brockman Hall boasts spacious dressing rooms and advanced workshop areas for set construction, costume design, and prop creation, providing students with comprehensive resources.
A Thriving Hub of Musical Pedagogy
The palpable energy and dedication within the Shepherd School are evident in the daily rhythm of campus life. Observing classes and practice sessions, one witnesses students learning from faculty who are themselves distinguished artists with careers spanning prestigious international venues, including the Metropolitan Opera.
Dean Matthew Loden, who assumed leadership of the Shepherd School in 2021, shared insights into the institution’s philosophy and its sustained success. A native Houstonian, Dean Loden’s connection to the Shepherd School began early in his career as the Director of Admissions. Reflecting on his return, he noted the extraordinary transformation the school had undergone in the intervening years. "The faculty that had always been world-class became even more so," Dean Loden remarked, "and just the trajectory of the school and what it had been accomplishing, how many students had been placing in competitions and orchestras, winning commissions – it all added up to a really critical mass of success that was really very exciting to come into and be part of, especially at the tail end of the pandemic."
The completion of the Brockman Hall for Opera, financed and ready for full utilization as pandemic-related restrictions eased, presented a unique opportunity. Dean Loden described this as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to figure out how to make this space work for opera, for the entire school, and for the entire city of Houston." He further elaborated on the school’s strategic approach, stating, "I think over the 50 years of our history, the secret of our success is that we’ve maintained a very narrow focus. We’ve decided that there’s only a handful of things we want to do, but we want to do them better than anybody else, and we want to, wherever possible, avoid any kind of institutional drift – where the mission gets complicated or messy. What are the points of light that we need to pay attention to? [What do we need to do] in a different fashion to help amplify what we’re already doing for the benefit of the students and faculty that are here?”
This commitment to artistic excellence and strategic focus is also reflected in the Shepherd School’s selective admissions policy for its opera program, admitting fewer than 40 vocalists annually. This deliberate approach ensures that each student receives personalized attention and comprehensive support, fostering individual growth and development.
Curating Operatic Experiences for Student Success
Joshua Winograde, Director of Opera Studies and a respected bass-baritone, leads the opera department with a vision centered on providing ample performance opportunities for students. His programming decisions are informed by a deep understanding of each student’s capabilities, ensuring that repertoire choices are aligned with their artistic growth and potential for success.
"First and foremost, I think we need as many performance opportunities for the students as possible," stated Winograde. "I really feel like we need big casts, I think that there are some lessons to be learned about ensemble performance, and I think that those lessons are good for students to learn at this stage. So that’s another reason that we limit what we do to fairly large casts. I think double bills can allow us to get around that in some way, but for the most part, that’s a primary consideration."
Winograde further explained the strategic rationale behind his programming, emphasizing the importance of setting students up for success. "Secondarily, the example that I always like to use is that when you only have 35 singers in a department, and when you know 24 of them are at the graduate school level, although we do give a lot of performance opportunities to undergrads that are ready for them, the master’s students are who we’re programming the titles for. I feel like it’s really important we set everybody up for a slam dunk success, and they may be concerned about what it’s going to take to get from where they are today to the slam dunk success.”
Verdi’s "Falstaff," with its rich ensemble opportunities and intricate comedic structure, proved to be an ideal choice for the Shepherd School’s production, aligning perfectly with Winograde’s pedagogical goals. Verdi’s final opera, a jubilant yet subtly poignant exploration of life and human foibles, offers substantial roles and demanding musical passages that challenge and showcase the talents of young artists.
Conducting with Passion and Pedagogical Insight
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Distinguished Resident Director of Orchestra, joined the Shepherd School faculty in 2025 and oversees the conducting for nearly all orchestral performances. His involvement in the "Falstaff" production brought a wealth of experience and a palpable passion for his craft to the collaboration.
Reflecting on his experience at the Shepherd School, Harth-Bedoya expressed immense gratitude, stating, "I think I am the most benefited student of all. I’ve learned so much from my colleagues, staff members, and my students themselves. I have two big groups of students: the music major students, and about 75 non-music major students that play in the company orchestra. The number of things I learned about what they do, how they see things differently than when I was their age – it teaches me to stay up-to-date with everything, whatever technology or social media platform, because you have to be able to not only teach them what we do, but how to apply it.”
Describing Verdi’s "Falstaff," Harth-Bedoya captured the opera’s relentless energy and intricate musical fabric: "I think I am the most benefited student of all," said Harth-Bedoya when asked on his experience as director. "I’ve learned so much from my colleagues, staff members, and my students themselves. I have two big groups of students: the music major students, and about 75 non-music major students that play in the company orchestra. The number of things I learned about what they do, how they see things differently than when I was their age – it teaches me to stay up-to-date with everything, whatever technology or social media platform, because you have to be able to not only teach them what we do, but how to apply it.”
Harth-Bedoya further elaborated on the opera’s unique compositional genius: "On the opera itself, Harth-Bedoya described it as ‘a rollercoaster of what I call ‘you open the faucet and music comes out…’ Until you close it at the end of a scene, it just goes on and on, which is really the exciting part about this, which I hope translates to the audience. Moments where one person is speaking, then two people, then three, then seven people speaking different things at the same time, and they all make sense only because of the music – that to me is genius.’"
Cultivating the Next Generation of Vocal Artists
The enthusiasm for nurturing and connecting with emerging musicians is a sentiment shared across the Shepherd School’s faculty. Renowned soprano Ana Maria Martinez, Professor of Voice, highlighted the significant impact of the school’s opera program under Joshua Winograde’s direction.
"The Shepherd School is, I think, paramount in the formation of young musicians both in the instrumental world and the vocal world… Having Joshua Winograde at the helm of Opera Studies has truly changed much of the trajectory," Martinez stated. "He was able to touch base with his contacts in the opera world and get top-level artists, directors, conductors, to give masterclasses and guidance to young singers. He’s running it much like a young artist program. [This approach better prepares] our singers for a more competitive, and hopefully fulfilling, life. This is a vocation…”
Martinez further emphasized the holistic approach to student development: "Each teacher devotes much of their lesson time with those students that are in the opera working on their roles; but they’re also working on other repertoire with the students. The students have to constantly work on their audition package of arias for competitions and young artist programs – there’s so much going on in their lives, so you’re working on all the immediate requirements, but you’re also working on everything else that has to do with their preparation… You must support them emotionally as well, make sure they’re doing okay, so they feel that their community here cares about them, the whole human. You want to lead by example in setting your values, so that they prioritize [what they need in order to] graduate as a great member of society. I think we take that very seriously here.”
Student Perspectives on a Challenging Role
The commitment to providing students with significant performance opportunities was vividly illustrated by the caliber of the young artists in the "Falstaff" production. Ahead of the performance, interviews with three of the principal student performers offered a glimpse into their artistic journey and the impact of their training at the Shepherd School.
Tzvi Bat Asherah, who portrayed Ford, spoke about the multifaceted nature of his role: "In a similar vein, I think figuring out Ford’s character, and how jealous he can be while also trying to figure out this alter-ego of Fontana, has helped me explore more of my acting capabilities alongside pushing the boundaries of what I can do vocally, since this is a bit of a higher role than what I’ve sung in the past.”
Sophia Grace Donelan, who performed as Alice Ford, found particular joy in the comedic demands of the opera: "For me, it’s been the comedic acting. Because opera has so many tragedies and I really love comedic acting, so challenging that part of my skillset has been really wonderful – and I love Shakespeare."
Matan Gendelman, taking on the titular role of Falstaff, highlighted the collaborative spirit of the production: "’Falstaff’ is such an amazing ensemble opera. It depends on all of the cast to be at the highest level, and we here at Shepherd School have these amazing colleagues, [these] amazing singers that I get to have the chance to perform with and do a dream role of mine. It’s truly been a pleasure to work with all the colleagues, all the staff behind it – the coaches, the stage workers – it was really fun.”
A Vision for the Future
The production of "Falstaff" served as a culmination of the Shepherd School’s dedication to excellence and its forward-looking vision. The performance, which tastefully blended a contemporary country club setting with the integrity of Verdi’s score and Boito’s libretto, showcased the students’ energetic engagement with both the comedic and nuanced aspects of the opera. The acoustically superb Brockman Hall amplified the musical beauty, creating an immersive experience for the audience.
Emerging from the strong academic and research-oriented foundation of Rice University, the Shepherd School of Music has cultivated a unique and thriving ecosystem for musical education. Through strategic community engagement and philanthropic support, it has established itself as an institution well-prepared to meet the evolving demands of the arts. The expertise and artistry of its faculty, coupled with a nurturing environment, empower its students to excel and support one another. As the Shepherd School of Music continues to guide young artists into their professional careers, its position as one of the nation’s premier arts institutions is assured for years to come.
