Education:
D.M.A. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Vocal Performance & Literature, with a cognate in Stage Direction)
M.M. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (Opera/Music Theatre, with a secondary concentration in Stage Direction)
B.M. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Vocal Performance)
Biography:
Tania Arazi Coambs, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theatre and Music at New College of Florida, is recognized for her versatile work as a performer, director, writer, scholar, and theatre maker. Praised for her “searing and intense acting and singing,” she has performed in venues around the world, including in Europe, Barbados, and Nigeria. She is a four-time American Prize recipient, and made her début at Chicago Symphony Orchestra Hall on the Something Wonderful concert as the winner of the Chicago Music Theatre Award. Tania was the 2023-2024 JoElyn Wakefield Stage Director Fellow (National Opera Association) and a former Stage Directors & Choreographers Foundation Fellow. As the 2023 Apprentice Stage Director for the Merola Opera Program, she directed the Merola Grand Finale on the stage of San Francisco Opera’s War Memorial Opera House. Passionate about developing new works, Tania has written and led collaborations on three new works productions, including an opera, Catatumbo; a devised theatre piece, No Words Left Behind; and a play, Stoplight. Her dramaturgy credits include assisting on productions at Lincoln Center, DiCapo Opera, Southern Illinois University, and Parkland College Theatre. She holds a DMA in Vocal Performance & Literature with a cognate in Stage Direction from the University of Illinois. www.taniaarazicoambs.com
Publications
- “From You, My Song is Born: Towards a New Operatic Tradition,” The Opera Journal, Autumn/Winter 2023
- [Forthcoming] Chapter contributor to the book anthology, A World of Contradiction: Culture and Identity in the Roiling of Globalization. Chapter tentatively entitled, “Gentrification and the Politics of Opera: When Site-Specific Performances Invade Urban Spaces”
Grants
- Mellon Grant Recipient at New College of Florida (Spring 2025):
New College + Cross College Alliance in the Community: Strengthening Community Outreach and Engagement- Project Title: Threads of Tradition and Innovation: A Musical Tapestry of New Composition and Classic Repertoire