Opera Company of the Highlands – Reaching Out to Local Schools

Opera is a unique art form with something for everyone, especially those interested in theatre arts, and it presents some of the finest music ever written. But many young audiences have little exposure to opera. While performing for general audiences throughout the Hudson Valley, we are also building relationships with local school districts in the region.

To launch this opera education initiative, we invited middle and high school students from several local school districts to enjoy dress rehearsal performances of our debut productions, Die Fledermaus and The Daughter of the Regiment. These were ideal choices for introducing young people to opera, with highly entertaining comic plots and exquisite music, all performed in English.

In 2006-2007 we expanded our educational outreach, inviting young people to our November 30th dress rehearsal of Amahl and the Night Visitors. This is a favorite family classic tale of the miracle of love, featuring a lame boy, his impoverished mother and the three wise men.

During our 2007-08 season, Opera Company of the Highlands is proud to present Opera for the Very Young and Beyond featuring acclaimed mezzo soprano Lori Brown Mirabal and pianist David Maiullo in 3 unique and interactive educational outreach programs designed to introduce young audiences to the wonderful world of opera. Programs include The Itsy, Bitsy Spider Show (Pre-K through 3rd grade), The Carmen Show (3rd grade through 8th) and the Marian Anderson Show (4th grade and up) For information on bringing these wonderful programs to your school, contact Rose Wolvek at verdi.fan@hotmail.com

Welcoming students into our dress rehearsals exposes them not only to wonderful performances, but also brings them directly into the exciting inner workings of opera production from stage direction and acting to costuming, set design and musical accompaniment.

We believe that introducing children to professional opera stimulates their interest in the art form – both as listeners and performers – and helps to secure adult audiences for the future.

To find out more about school performances, click here. You can e-mail us at schools@OperaCompanyoftheHighlands.org for inquiries and interest.

Teachers and students applaud 2004 production of The Marriage of Figaro and 2003 performance of The Magic Flute.

“People any age will be able to follow and enjoy this performance. Its length was perfect for school aged children. They learned a lot. I know I will return next year!”
Peggy Guyett, 6-8th Grade Language Arts Teacher

“Claudia, most students really enjoyed the opera. It was a great choice for students that age (high school)… Thanks for the wonderful and accessible opportunity to introduce Newburgh kids to opera.”
Rachel Merrill, Newburgh Free Academy

“Students and teachers were thrilled with the professional quality of Festival Theatre’s The Magic Flute. The intimate setting and talented performers brought the story to life.”
Karen Bresnan, Music, and Cynthia Forrest, Art, Garrison Union Free Academy