Syracuse Opera and the School of Music at Ithaca College have joined to create the first program in the country designed specifically to train opera conductors.

New this academic year, the graduate-level program placed three School of Music students in the Syracuse Opera as conducting fellows, where they study operatic repertoire, languages, the human singing voice and the responsibilities that come along with leading an orchestra in opera performance.

“Learning how to conduct opera is an often-overlooked element in the professional training of conductors in the United States,” said Douglas Kinney Frost, Syracuse Opera’s director of music.

Frost and Ithaca College faculty members Brian DeMaris and Jeffery Meyer were responsible for establishing the new program.

Existing programs for young artists were founded on a division between the operatic and orchestral aspects of performance, Frost said.

“Those of us who create opera understand that a division between the two areas of training is senseless; we see this as a definitive step toward bridging the gap,” he added.

The program will give students real world, hands-on experience throughout the Syracuse Opera season, promoting the opera’s mission to nurture young artists.

For more information about Syracuse Opera, visit syracuseopera.com. The 2010-11 season continues with “Don Giovani” opening Feb. 8.