The event comes two weeks before the New York premiere of Lysistrata at New York City Opera, and among the singers participating are several of the stars of NYCO's production, including soprano Emily Pulley, tenor Chad Shelton, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Roderer, and mezzo-soprano Jennifer Rivera, as well as mezzo-soprano Cherry Duke, Broadway's Aaron Lazar (A Light in the Piazza), and soprano Lauren Molina.

"Unlike traditional master classes in which a celebrity artist coaches aspiring young artists," said American Lyric Theater producing director Lawrence Edelson, "The Composer's Voice puts the celebrity artists in the hot seat, providing audiences with a unique, voyeuristic opportunity to see great singers and actors prepare their roles under the guidance of the very composers who wrote them."

Lysistrata, based on the play by Aristophanes, tells the story of the women of Athens and Sparta, who stop the war between their nations by refusing to have sex with their men until the fighting stops. It premiered at Houston Grand Opera in March 2005. Little Women, based on the Louisa May Alcott novel, debuted at Houston Grand Opera in 1998. It has since become of the most-performed contemporary operas in the repertoire, with more than 20 productions.

Tickets for the master class are $20 and are available through www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu. Half-price tickets for those under the age of 35 are available in advance at the Skirball Center box office at 566 LaGuardia Place.