San Francisco Opera Education Kicks Off ARIA Festival Today

Today, April 30, the San Francisco Opera Education Department will present ARIA (Arts Resources in Action) Festival, an all-day, free community open house at the newly opened Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera in Civic Center's Veterans Building, in celebration of the creativity and talent of students (K-12). Presented as part of the nine day SFUSD's (San Francisco Unified School District) 30th Arts Festival, San Francisco Opera's ARIA Festival will offer performances of completed works created by students along with workshops and hands-on crafts activities.

Some of the featured performances include Little Opera, San Francisco Boys Chorus, Young Women's Choral Projects, San Francisco Opera Guild and the San Francisco Opera Center's Adler Fellows.

Special to the festival will be "Opera in an Hour," screenings of four San Francisco Opera productions taped in high definition including such opera classics as The Magic Flute, Cinderella, The Elixir of Love and The Barber of Seville. Performances and workshops will be held in the Wilsey Center's Taube Atrium Theater, Bryan Education Studio, the Braby San Francisco Opera Archive and other locations on the fourth floor.

San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley commented: "When we built the Wilsey Center for Opera, one of my top priorities was to create a space that our Education Department could use to hold workshops and small performances for Bay Area students, teachers and families. San Francisco Opera's ARIA Festival is a wonderful use of this new venue and a meaningful collaboration with the San Francisco Unified School District in their 30th Arts Festival to showcase the importance of arts education. What better way to invest in our future than to nurture the talent and creativity of our young students."

The 30th annual SFUSD Arts Festival begins April 28 to May 6 and proudly commemorates student creativity in visual, literary, media and performing arts. The acclaimed Asian Art Museum, located at 200 Larkin Street in the heart of Civic Center, once again serves as the hub for this community celebration. For more information about SFUSD Arts Festival: sfusdartsfestival.org

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Saturday, April 30, 2016 Program Schedule:

ARIA Festival Showcase 1

10:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Taube Atrium Theater

Featured Performances:

Young Women's Choral Projects

Jefferson Elementary School, Kindergarten, ARIA Network

San Francisco Boys Chorus

Little Opera, 6th/7th Grades

SF Opera Guild's Sing A Story

11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Bryan Education Studio

Join San Francisco Opera Guild in their interactive Sing a Story program. The first thirty 4-10 year olds will participate.

ARIA Festival Showcase 2

1:00 p.m.-2:15 p.m.

Taube Atrium Theater

Featured Performances:

Mission High School, 9th-12th Grade, ARIA Network

Lafayette Elementary School, 4th Grade, ARIA Network

James Lick Middle School, 7th/8th Grade, ARIA Residency

Little Opera, 2nd/3rd Grades

Adler Fellow Community Performance

2:30 p.m.-3:15 p.m.

Bryan Education Studio

Join some of San Francisco Opera's Adler Fellows in an interactive community performance and sing-along.

ARIA Festival Showcase 3

3:45 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

Taube Atrium Theater

Featured Performances:

Chinese Immersion School, 5th Grade, ARIA Network

Minerva Schools, University

Argonne Elementary School, 5th Grade, ARIA Network

Little Opera, 3rd/5th Grades

All-Day Activities

9:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m.

Wilsey Center for Opera Conference Room and Hallways

Prop-making tables aligned with Opera in an Hour films (The Magic Flute, The Elixir of Love, Cinderella, The Barber of Seville) plus song and dance activities based on folk music.

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For more information, visit sfopera.com/ariafestival.

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