The recently-approved Harvard Opera Guild will present next fall "The Barber of Seville," the first grand opera ever given here, Robert A. Cortright '58, newly elected president, announced last night.

Tentatively scheduled to open Nov. 29, the Rossini opera will be the Guild's first production in a planned program which will include at least two performances a year.

The guild will attempt to get most of its singers from Harvard and Radcliffe, but will go outside the University for talent if necessary, Cortright said. Auditions already are being scheduled for Harvard-Radcliffe singers, he added.

Guild Will Experiment

While the guild's first production will be standard repertoire opera, it intends to experiment with modern and other types of opera. It has not yet been decided whether "The Barber of Seville" will be sung in Italian or English.

Cortright said that the new group was formed to give singers here an opportunity that they have formerly lacked: "the chance to sing in grand opera." He claimed the recent operetta productions given here do not fulfill this need.

For this production and for future shows the guild will run regular competitions for membership. All students at the University who participate in the opera will be eligible for election.