'Opera for All' Celebrates Our Next President!

CHICAGO OPERA THEATER'S OPERA FOR ALL            

OUTREACH INITIATIVE CELEBRATES OUR NEXT PRESIDENT!

 

Chicago Opera Theater's (COT) Opera for All is an educational outreach program for elementary school students.  Beginning in the fall of 2008 and continuing through the academic year, the Opera for All curriculum will concentrate on Mozart's La clemenza di Tito, the opening production of Chicago Opera Theater's 2009 Spring Festival Season.  This opera tells the story of the great Roman ruler, Emperor Tito, and his strong leadership that was steeped in mercy, forgiveness, truth and leading by example-an appropriate commentary during this current presidential transition in the United States.

The students create and perform an abridged form of this opera at the end of the school year.  Opera for All is putting a twist on Mozart's original creation which was commissioned in honor of the coronation of Leopold II in 1791.  Students will create their own inaugural opera for the newly elected President of the United States using Emperor Tito as a role model.  They will spend the entire year tapping into the core values America's founders used to build the United States in order to bring them to life in a way that only opera can.

 "Making opera relevant to these students' lives is imperative to their understanding of this great art form.  Sometimes, the perception of opera, to both children and adults, is one of the 'fat lady singing'-but Opera for All highlights how opera can be a commentary on the issues of our time," said COT General Director Brian Dickie. "Moreover, we've discovered Opera for All really does have an impact on the children's learning overall."

COT Director of Education and Outreach Kara Kane continued, "In a day where we are scrutinizing what it means to be an enlightened leader, it became clear that Mozart's La clemenza di Tito would be a wonderful vehicle for Chicago's youth to express their own ideas on leadership and enlightened thinking."

As part of Chicago Opera Theater's mission to make opera fresh, engaging, and accessible to the entire community, COT developed an educational outreach program in the spring of 2000. This outreach initiative, known as Opera for All, focuses on demystifying opera for kids through in-depth, participation based programs. COT brings opera to the schools, infuses it into student's everyday lives, and gives them a chance to experience it firsthand as both audience members and as performers.

Working closely with classroom teachers, Opera for All incorporates the many elements of opera (vocal, visual, and performance) into the curriculum through a yearlong residency at the elementary school level in the Chicago Public Schools. The curriculum addresses specific Illinois Learning Standards and also supplements participation-based classroom activities with field trips and visits by the talented members of COT's Young Artists Program. At the end of the year, students perform an abridged version of an opera for classmates and family members. Some partnerships also offer group violin lessons for students who then serve as part of the Opera for All Ensemble at the final performance.

 This year, over 350 participating students will study Mozart's life and career as well as his opera, La clemenza di Tito. This will complement COT's mainstage production of La clemenza di Tito at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park that opens April 18, 2009.

 

ABOUT CHICAGO OPERA THEATER

Founded in 1974 by Alan Stone, Chicago Opera Theater has carved a significant place for itself in the operatic life of Chicago and has reached an audience of hundreds of thousands through its main stage performances, outreach, education and young artist programs.

Since Brian Dickie's appointment as General Director in 1999, COT has evolved as an opera company that is young, fresh, and colorful - an image well suited to its surroundings at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park.

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