Patience is a virtue in the world of opera. Giacomo Puccini didn’t write “La Boheme” in a day, and Madame Butterfly didn’t burst into song the moment she was born.

Students in the ISU Opera Studio have learned the same lesson by working all semester at their operatic skills, which they will showcase Thursday night in the Music Hall.

Laura Gengelbach, junior in chemistry, says she enjoys having fun on the Opera Studio stage and liked how she became much more flexible as a performer.

“My true character really comes alive on stage,” she says.

Mary Creswell, director of the ISU Opera Studio and assistant professor of music, says students involved in the Opera Studio will perform a variety of selections at their semester-end event Thursday night, with pieces ranging from “Don Giovanni” to “West Side Story.”

“The show consists of the usual operatic literature, and, this year, we’ve added some musical theatre,” Creswell says.

Samantha McCurry, freshman in music, says the diverse repertoire helped her improve her performance skills.

“It was a wonderful learning experience,” McCurry says.

“It was a great way to become familiar with a diverse selection of music.”

The 10 Opera Studio members will perform two ensemble pieces as well as several individual songs and arias.

Co-director and performance accompanist Andrew Adams, lecturer in music, says the performance will be divided into two halves — one formal, with the men in tuxedos and the women in gowns, and the other relaxed, with the performers dressed down.

The Opera Studio, which is a 300-level music course, brings the students through the full process of a professional performance. Creswell says this includes going from audition preparation all the way through to the actual show.

During the course of the semester, the students critique each other’s performances, which some students find hard initially, Creswell says.

McCurry and Stacey Goodman, junior in pre-business, say the peer critiques not only helped them bring their performances to the next level but also helped them develop a thicker skin.

“I think we have all stretched as performers,” Goodman says. “I’m really excited for the actual performance.”

Creswell and Adams also have students research the entire opera their selection comes from, so they know what happens before, during and after their pieces.

Creswell says the research helps the students relate to their characters as well as the song’s environmental development and character placement.

Vocal notes and placement are not the only thing the students work on in the class, however. Adams has the students write literal translations of all of their lyrics because many are written in French and Italian. Creswell says this also enhances a performance.

“That way the singers know what they’re singing,” she says.

Who: Opera Studio

Where: Martha- Ellen Tye Recital Hall

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday

Cost: Free