San Francisco Opera Guild to Host Variety of Events to Celebrate 75th Anniversary; Full Schedule Announced

SAN FRANCISCO (September 29, 2014)-To mark its 75th year of giving voice to potential through opera education programs, San Francisco Opera Guild invites families to experience its signature in-school programs, Sing a Story and Opera à la Carte, with free public performances over the course of two weekends in November 2014.

Sing a Story, an interactive program geared to children ages 5-8, will be presented in conjunction with the Guild's five area chapters, the San Jose Opera Guild and six public libraries located around the Bay Area. Programs will be held on the weekends of November 8 and 9, and November 15 and 16. Featured operas will include Hansel and Gretel, The Magic Flute, and The Rhinegold.

Opera à la Carte, designed for children ages 8-13, features a 45-minute English-language version of Puccini'sLa Bohème presented on November 15 at the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library.

A full schedule of community performances follows, open to children and accompanying adults. For more information, visit the San Francisco Opera Guild website at sfopera.com/libraryevents.

San Francisco Opera Guild Free Family Event Schedule

Sing a Story: Hansel & Gretel

Saturday, November 8, 11 a.m.

Sonoma County Central Library, 211 E Street, Santa Rosa

Sing a Story: The Magic Flute

Saturday, November 8, 2 p.m.

Saratoga Library, 13650 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga

Sing a Story: The Magic Flute

Sunday, November 9, 11 a.m.

Mill Valley Public Library, 375 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley

Sing a Story: The Magic Flute

Sunday, November 9, 2 p.m.

San Mateo Public Library, 55 W. Third Avenue, San Mateo

Sing a Story: Hansel & Gretel

Saturday, November 15, 10:15 a.m.

San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street San Francisco

Opera à la Carte: La Bohème

Saturday, November 15, 11 a.m.

San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street San Francisco

Sing a Story: The Rheingold

Saturday, November 15, 12:15 p.m.

San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street San Francisco

Sing a Story: The Magic Flute

Sunday, November 16, 2 p.m.

Orinda Public Library, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda

"In celebrating our 75th anniversary, we gratefully recognize our extraordinary constituency that includes more than 800 members of our five area Chapters and the San Jose Opera Guild, as well as the work of our artists, and, as importantly, the students, teachers, and parents in the more than 200 schools we reach throughout Northern California" said Karen Kubin, President of San Francisco Opera Guild. "All join in supporting our mission to give opera a central place in youth education and in our communities. In presenting these programs to the public, we hope to bring broader access to and awareness of the important work that is the Guild's focus."

Sing a Story and Opera à la Carte are San Francisco Opera Guild's most extensive programs in its comprehensive year-round arts education lineup, which includes classroom workshops, school assemblies, touring performances, school curriculum-incorporated lessons, San Francisco Opera dress rehearsals and War Memorial Opera House tours. San Francisco Opera Guild has a rich tradition of enthralling and nurturing students with its innovative K-12 arts education programs. Founded in January 1939, San Francisco Opera Guild has supported San Francisco Opera through its fundraising efforts and by creating award-winning education programs that extend the impact of opera in the community. Each year, the organization reaches more than 50,000 students across 200 schools throughout Northern California.

In Sing a Story, a professional opera singer engages children in the musical telling of a classic opera story, magically unveiling props and costumes, with children volunteering from the audience to act out the opera and sing excerpts. The Guild launched Sing a Story in K-3 school classrooms in 2003. This past spring, the Guild brought Sing a Story to a record 320 classrooms at 65 schools throughout the Bay Area.

Opera à la Carte features a 45-minute English-language version of a famous opera with four professional singers, a professional pianist, and guest student performers from Bay Area schools in speaking roles and chorus. The opera is performed with sets, costumes and props. San Francisco Opera Guild first began touring presentations of opera excerpts to schools in 1983. The program was renamed Opera à la Carte and expanded into its current form in 1990. It remains the Guild's largest program, reaching more than 100 schools and thousands of students each year from communities across the Bay Area and as far away as Salinas, Vacaville, Tracy, and Arcata.

For more information visit sfoperaguild.com.

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