Sias University's School of Music & Opera is the first full-time undergraduate school in Henan approved by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council to implement overseas Bachelor's degrees as part of cooperation projects. it is also one of the first schools assessed by the Ministry of Education of China for Sino-foreign cooperation in education.

Educational Philosophy: East-meets-West; Integrating Knowledge and Practice.

Characteristics: Unique, high-level, and first-class.

Motto: Virtue, erudition, and fine arts are the most beautiful.

Vision: To create a first-class training base for professional talent in music, opera, musical theater, and dance.

Development Orientation: High-level music talent training base, a unique and pioneering project of reform in Henan, a provincial-level key discipline in Henan, Sino-foreign cooperation in education, and the integration of university education, study, and research.

On May 23rd, 2020, the Central Conservatory of Music, and Sias' School of Music & Opera reached a cooperative agreement for support, in-depth cooperation in teaching, scientific research, the sharing of resources, and for lectures at Sias in the form of Masterclasses and Open Classes.

The School of Music & Opera has 9 teaching departments: Opera; Musical Drama; Vocal Music; Instrumental Music; Music Theory; Choir and Conducting; Dance; Sports Dance; and Computer Music Production; as well as a cooperative educational program with the Fred Fox School of Music at the University of Arizona, U.S.A. The school has nearly 1,000 undergraduate students.

The School of Music & Opera building was completed in 2010 and covers an area of about 15,000 square meters. There is a 1,200-seat auditorium, and about 500 experimental medium-sized multi-function rooms in the building, which are used by students and teachers for lessons and practice. There are 3 band rehearsal halls, 10 dance rehearsal halls, 5 Solfeggio classrooms, 1 audio mixing laboratory, 1 pop music laboratory, and 1 standard make-up classroom. There are 332 piano rooms and 19 multimedia classrooms. These facilities are used as classrooms by students, but also for public performances and teaching.

The School of Music & Opera adheres to the university's development concept of "East-meets-West; Integrating Knowledge and Practice". It focuses on nurturing talent in music, dance, and opera. The unique methods and one-to-one teaching has been proven to improve students' learning efficiency and facilitate communication and exchange between teachers and students. There are 135 full-time and part-time teachers at the school. The faculty at the school has come from a wide range of top institutions including the Central Conservatory of Music, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the Shanghai Theatre Academy, the China Conservatory of Music, the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Wuhan Conservatory of Music, Xi'an Conservatory of Music, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Tianjin Conservatory of Music, Shandong University of Arts, Conservatorio di Musica "Giuseppe Verdi" [Milan, Italy], the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory [Russia], the Belarusian State Academy of Music [Minsk, Belarus], the Prayner Conservatory for Music and Dramatic Arts [Vienna, Austria], the Department of Music at the University of New Mexico, and the Department of Music at the University of Chicago.

The school has several famous experts and musicians as Visiting Professors including Wu Xiuzhi, Sun Weiguo, Sun Yiqiang, Xiao Xiangyu, Ju Qihong, Zhou Xueshi, Xu Peidong, Li Shuangjiang, Li Guangxi, Bian Zushan, Song Fei, Xu Jingqing, Ju Wangzhe, Zhao Ruilin, Tong Weidong, Wei Weidong, Zhao Dengying, Zhao Xuyang, Deng Yao, and Wang Kai.

In recent years, the school has been increasing practical teaching, using the resources and performance facilities to implement its unique brand of personnel training for students to improve their abilities on stage. It combines classroom learning with practical activities and combines education with creativity. The school's rendition of "Chinese Butterfly" has won the 'Excellent Opera Award' at the 1st University Opera Festival in China, has been a standard for 9 consecutive years, and was also listed on the Central Plains Culture Tour Opera in 2018. Other famous works include the modern Henan Opera classic, "Walking Out of the Sky", the opera "Camellia Girl", the opera "Mourning for the Past", and the musical "The Moon Wolf". The school also has the Sias Symphony Orchestra, a National Orchestra, Sias Choir, and Student Art Troupe. Some of the staple performances include the Yellow River Cantata, the Long March, and the Yue Opera - "Dream of the Red Mansions". The school has won several awards including the Gold Medal at the National College Students' Art Performance, the First Prize at the 2nd "Yellow River Chorus" National Invitational Competition, the First Golden Bell Award in Henan (for singing), the Best Conductor and Best Accompaniment awards, the First Prize at the Henan Professional Dance Competition, the First Prize at the Henan University Students' Science, Technology, Culture & Art Festival. The school provides students with platforms and the opportunities to practice and reach their full potential and improve the atmosphere of the school.

The School of Music & Opera has also undertaken the implementation of the Communist Party of China's educational policy and literary and artistic guidelines, guided by the implementation of Xi Jinping's New Socialist Ideology with Chinese Characteristics. The guidelines are centered on personnel training, course creation, educational reform, and governance. The school uses these principles to innovate and broaden students' horizons and to help the school reach a higher level.

Leadership

Dean - Jiang Jinyi

Deputy Party Secretary - Wang Li

Vice Dean - Lang Xiaoming

Departments

Department of Opera Music

Department of Vocal Music

Sias Performing Arts Center