The Opera Company of Middlebury's Youth Opera Company Brings the DIDO AND AENEAS PROJECT to Schools

The Opera Company of Middlebury’s (OCM) Youth Opera Company (YOC) is bringing opera directly into schools with the second installment of the “Dido and Aeneas Project.” With an Artist-in-Schools Grant from the Vermont Arts Council, OCM Director of Education and Outreach Sarah Cullins and Colchester High School Choral Director Melissa Towle have been working with all 85 students enrolled in Colchester High School choral groups since September to learn and stage Purcell’s timeless opera for a performance in January 2024. 

Burlington High School was the site of the first “Dido and Aeneas Project,” the brainchild of Cullins, who is also the founder and director of the Youth Opera Company, now part of OCM’s educational programming. “With the recent addition of Youth Opera programming to its offerings, OCM is now proudly aligned with national peers in operatic education for teens,” says OCM’s Executive Director Allison Steinmetz. “The 'Dido and Aeneas Project,' and additional year-round YOC programming, highlights our commitment to accessible and innovative arts education, while fostering meaningful cultural connections for young people in our state.”

Cullins devised the idea of producing an opera directly through a school’s choral program as a way to further break down the barriers that often stand between high school students and the world of opera. “All YOC after-school programs offer scholarships and OCM has an amazing free ticket program for audiences under 26, but both of those opportunities require transportation and, perhaps more importantly, a big mental leap for a Vermont high school student to imagine they might be good at or enjoy opera,” says Cullins. The Artist-in-Schools model offers a large group of teens the opportunity to learn about opera by actually doing it, an incredibly hands-on experience. 

Why opera? Cullins says that the goals of this project have less to do with the art form itself and more to do with the way it can challenge students’ preconceived ideas. “We all recognize this time in history as being extremely polarized,” she says, “Opera is hard to train and learn and perform and sometimes it can feel hard to understand or enjoy. It’s also loaded with cultural stereotypes and I can’t tell you how much I enjoy watching all of this melt away as these young singers – and their friends and family in the audience – learn to love what they’re doing and feel tremendously proud of what they achieve.” Cullins says this process gives her hope that young people can approach the world with an open mind regarding new or conflicting ideas and also regarding their own abilities and potential. Says Juliana Tomlinson, who sings the role of Belinda, “When I first heard we were doing an opera I was like, are we sure we have the ability to do that? But… we’ve pulled it off so far, and I think that’s really cool!”

From the schools’ perspective, Colchester High School’s Choral Director Melissa Towle says, “It has been such a privilege to work with Sarah. My students and I have learned so much about the art of opera, and they have grown so much in their vocal abilities over the last four months.” The students themselves have had some individual vocal technique time with Cullins as well as working together in scenes and staging rehearsals. Greta Stirling, who will be playing one of Dido’s closest attendants, says, “Over the course of learning this opera I’ve really learned a lot about my voice and especially my range. I had no idea I could go that high, and I’m super pleased.” The 17th century music is also a challenge for students who have never even been to an opera. “It’s really expanded my musical abilities and showed me what I can do,” says Auriana Quintyne, who sings the role of one of the witches.

The choral students’ participation hasn’t been limited to just singing and acting out the opera, however. After reading through the libretto (opera speak for script) together as a group, watching video clips of productions at companies around the world, and discussing the themes of the opera, the students were given three choices of settings for the Colchester production, each with a completely different central theme as well as unique costume and set ideas. The students voted overwhelmingly in favor of a traditional setting of the work, complete with Roman columns and other set and costume pieces that evoke the Latin mythology of Virgil’s story. Youth Opera’s parent company, the Opera Company of Middlebury, is supplying many of the set pieces, and the Colchester High School Music Department’s parent’s association is helping to support costume costs.

Performance: Thursday, January 11, 2024 at 7 pm at Colchester High School. Free.

The next Dido and Aeneas Project will take place in Addison County as a joint production with all singers enrolled in Mt. Abraham, Vergennes, and Middlebury High School choral programs.

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