Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Modern Major General?

The “Major General’s Song” is one of the most famous—and tongue-twisting—pieces in all of opera. Now, we want to see if YOU can master it.

The Challenge

Film yourself performing one of the tricky verses of the Modern Major General song. Speed, clarity, creativity, and flair all count. You can sing, you can speak, but don’t be afraid to get theatrical!

Here's the karaoke version without the vocals. The vocals are shown lower on this page.

Choose your verse:

First Verse starts at  0:16

Second Verse starts at 1:08

Need a little help? Here’s the karaoke version with vocals.

Submit your video by email: info@eugeneopera.org

Deadline: 5 pm, September 27

Mobile COMPETITION SLIDE (1200 x 1200 px) - 1

Prize:

The winner will receive two free tickets to Eugene Opera’s Pirates of Penzance!

Bonus: Every entry gets a 20% discount code for tickets.

How It Works

  • Submit your video by the deadline.
  • Eugene Opera’s team will select 3–5 finalists based on speed, clarity, creativity, and flair.
  • We’ll post the finalists on our social media channels for community voting.
  • The winner will be announced a few days before opening night.

Contest Guidelines

  • Entries must be family-friendly and set to one of the two official karaoke tracks.
  • Submissions must be public and may be reshared by Eugene Opera.
  • Get as creative as you like—costumes, props, and bold interpretations are encouraged!

Why Enter?

This is your chance to show off your vocal chops (or comedic flair), get involved with your local opera community, and win a night at the opera to see the real Modern Major General live on stage.

So warm up those vocal cords, practice your patter, and take on the #MajorGeneralChallenge. We can’t wait to see what Eugene brings to the stage—before the curtain even rises.

Verse 1 Lyrics

I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical,
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;
I'm very well acquainted too with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news---
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.

Verse 2 Lyrics

I know our mythic history, King Arthur's and Sir Caradoc's,
I answer hard acrostics, I've a pretty taste for paradox,
I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus,
In conics I can floor peculiarities parablous.
I can tell undoubted Raphaels from Gerard Dows and Zoffanies,
I know the croaking chorus from the Frogs of Aristophanes,
Then I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din afore,
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore.