COT Presents OPERA FOR ALL in Schools, Now thru 6/8

Chicago Opera Theater's (COT) Opera For All, an education program that brings opera to the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders of three Chicago Public Schools - Dewitt Clinton Elementary, Lionel Hampton Fine & Performing Arts School, and Reilly Elementary - is finishing its 12th year with three fun operas written and performed by the students themselves!

The creative process focused on the themes of journeys and adventures; students who participated in the program got inspiration for their operas through field trips to the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Science and Industry, and an imaginative expedition to New York City for the children's first day of college. Drawing from people and places they saw or imagined, the children then worked with Opera for All Teaching Artists to create three unique and memorable operas, Way to the MCA (Hampton), When Field Trips Attack (Clinton), and Lost in New York (Reilly).

"We believe that the importance of the performing arts as part of a child's education cannot possibly be overvalued," said COT General Director Brian Dickie. "Initiatives such as Opera for All that allow the children to interact with and enjoy opera, is a crucial aspect of Chicago Opera Theater's goal to vitalize opera for the Chicago community as a whole."

As part of Chicago Opera Theater's mission to make opera fresh, engaging, and accessible to all, COT developed Opera for All as an educational outreach program in the spring of 2000. Opera for All focuses on demystifying opera for kids through in-depth, participation-based programs. COT brings opera to the schools and gives students a chance to experience it firsthand as audience members, dancers, actors, singers, writers, and composers. Working closely with classroom teachers in a year-long residency, teaching artists from Opera for All address the many elements of opera, leading the students in workshops focused on music composition, and writing lyrics and songs. This curriculum addresses specific Illinois Learning Standards while enhancing participation-based classroom activities with trips to COT dress rehearsals and visits by members of COT's Young Artists Program. Opera for All has become an important supplement for elementary school students in the Chicago Public Schools; participating CPS teachers have noted that the writing and composition process helps develop students' reading and writing skills, while the creative outlet contributes to a positive classroom dynamic. COT has created a cutting-edge model for music education that will have a profound effect on the lives of its participants and help sustain the art form for future generations.

"It's indescribably rewarding to see how the program expands the children's horizons, not only about opera but about life in general," said COT Education and Outreach Manager, Linden Christ. "Some of the children from Reilly Elementary are coming from families who have never had any members attend college; this year, the kids wrote a musical about their first day at NYU and picked their future careers – they even incorporated them into a rap!"

This year, students created three original musical numbers as part of a student-written script with the help of teaching artists, and participated in two dance numbers. The partnership at Reilly Elementary also offers group violin lessons for 1st through 4th grade students who then serve as part of the Opera for All ensemble at the final performance.

Chicago Opera Theater's Opera For All presents When Field Trips Attack on June 1st in the Clinton Elementary School Auditorium 6110 N. Fairfield Ave. Chicago, IL 60659; Way to the MCA on June 4th in the Hampton Elementary School Gym, 3434 W. 77th St. Chicago, IL 60652; and Lost in New York on June 8th in the Reilly Elementary School Auditorium 3650 W. School St. Chicago, IL 60618. All performances will take place at 1 pm.

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