Welcome to OPERATION: OPERA!
These Education webpages will introduce you to the education and outreach programs we have for opera lovers of all ages.
New to opera?
If you're new to opera, there's plenty here for you: if you know and love opera already, our educational offerings will give you a lot to think about and will most certainly broaden your knowledge (and love!) of San Diego Opera's 2013 International Season.
Student Programs
More than 60% of students served by Operation:Opera education programs in schools and at the theatre are from low to middle income neighborhoods in San Diego County. We’d like to thank our generous Government, Foundation and Corporate Supporters who make Operation:Opera possible.
NEW THIS YEAR: Making Connections: Music and Science
We have made a strong effort in the past couple of years to provide a curriculum for teachers in order to help establish a relationship between music, opera and the sciences. Making Connections: Music and Science is a result of that effort. In this curriculum (which can be adapted for grade levels 4 through 12) classroom teachers will discover activities and lesson plans connecting music specifically to physics, biology and the physical sciences. Special emphasis is made on the anatomy of the voice, the production of sound and how we determine the difference between different voice-types. This curriculum is offered as a supplement to our study guides on the opera productions we offer through the Student Dress Rehearsal Program.
Are you an educator?
Bring your students to the opera through our Student Night At The Opera program for students in grades 3 through 12, for a taste of world-class opera at its best. You will have the opportunity to receive professional development prior to the dress rehearsal to help you as a teacher prepare your students. Have one of our volunteer docents come to the school in order to share with your students what they can expect on their “evening out” at the opera. Have one of our teaching artists come to the school after the experience through the “Next Steps” program which gives your students the opportunity to assess what they learned, heard and saw on their opera night. We also have the Words and Music Program, a residency in which our teaching artists direct you and your classroom in the creation of your own original opera (subject to availability; please call for more information, (619)232-7636). Our comprehensive network of programs not only entertains but enhances learning in a variety of subjects, and is designed to excite and challenge students of all ages.
Please note: that you may order tickets online for the STUDENT NIGHT AT THE OPERA PROGRAM beginning in October. Read the instructions carefully. And take some time to explore Operapaedia, our opera sourcebook online and In The Classroom, an online resource for teachers bringing students to the Civic Theatre where you will find lesson plans, classroom activity suggestions and reproducibles to help prepare your students fully for the experience!
For Adult Learners
…we have Taste of Opera Events, Opera Previews, Pre-Opera Lectures, Stars in the Salon (formerly Artists’ Roundtable), Backstage Tours and the weekly San Diego Opera podcasts which will help aficionados and newcomers alike deepen their experience of opera through an exploration of its history, traditions and repertoire. And don't forget to watch San Diego Opera's award-winning TV shows, San Diego Opera Spotlight and OperaTalk!, broadcast on UCSD-TV and now available as Podcasts!
As you can see, we have something in opera education for just about everyone. Call us at (619) 232-7636 and reserve your favorite program NOW! At San Diego Opera, we make music worth seeing!
Dr. Nicolas Reveles
The Geisel Director of Education and Outreach