Final Four -- CCM opera chair search

A search committee at the University of Cincinnati has winnowed four finalists from 20 international applicants in the search for a new chair of the opera department at UC's College-Conservatory of Music.

Two of the candidates for the J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair in Opera have CCM ties.

The finalists announced Tuesday are: Steven Daigle, who heads the opera program and is dramatic director of Eastman Opera Theatre at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, N.Y.); Jonathan Eaton, artistic director of Opera Theater of Pittsburgh and a former CCM faculty member; Nicholas Muni, distinguished artist-in-residence at CCM and former artistic director of Cincinnati Opera; and Robert Tannenbaum, director of production of the Badisches Staatsheater in Karlsruhe, Germany.

"To get us down to the final four was a bit challenging," says Terrell Finney, chair of the search committee and division head for opera, musical theater, drama and arts administration at CCM. "We were very pleased with the overall quality of the applicant pool."

The next step, Finney says, is for each candidate to conduct master classes, direct some scenes and meet with faculty members and interim dean Warren George.

Former opera department chair Sandra Bernhard has taken a post at Houston Grand Opera.

Photos: Jon Eaton, left; Nic Muni, right (photo by Alan Brown)