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A Full-On Kids' Introduction to Opera: an Opera Australia OperaEd program
The Full Story...
Gathered around a grand piano in a rehearsal room of Opera
Australia's Surry Hills compound, a group of students recite a haiku
poem based on the story of Puccini's La boheme. It's an
accomplished and polished piece, surprisingly so since it was
written that morning on the trip into the city from Quakers Hill by
a group of music and drama students.
The haiku performance is part of an impromptu concert which, in turn, is part of an opera appreciation program called OperaEd. OperaEd has been running for three years and is wholly funded by a private benefactor. It is designed to provide school students with an enriching first experience of opera. The genesis of the idea came from arts patron, Fred Street, who wanted to see more young people attend the opera. The multi-faceted program was devised and implemented by Fred's friend, teacher and singer Victoria Watson. Fred and Victoria decided to focus the program on students who would be unlikely to attend the opera due to geographic distance from the centre of Sydney or for socio-economic and cultural reasons. Working closely with district creative arts consultants, the program has evolved to focus on students who have a demonstrated interest in the arts - specifically music and drama students. It is a three-step program based on a work which is included in Opera Australia's subscription program - in this case La boheme. The first stage is an hour and a half workshop at individual the schools to introduce the students to the opera: it's plot, the characters, aspects of the music and singing, orchestration and so on. The workshops are interactive and hands-on, with students miming and improvising dramatic scenes in costume. A week later, students from the schools currently involved in the program - most recently Windsor, Seven Hills, Quakers Hill and Hawkesbury High Schools - attend a behind-the-scenes tour of The Opera Centre, including an opportunity to try on more exotic costumes from the opera, check out rehearsal spaces, and see where the milliners, wig makers, cobblers, set designers and manufacturers work. Later in the day they travel to the Opera House where the see the mechanists in action setting the production on stage for the performance that night and meet the stage management team. A couple of performers answer questions about life in the performing arts. After dinner the highlight of the day is sitting in the best seats to enjoy the opera performance - all thanks to Fred Street's generosity. "The response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive over the three years," says Victoria. "One of the ways we measure it, in addition to direct evaluation, is to offer the students a ticket to another opera some time after they have been involved in the program. The ticket is to a Saturday matinee and there is no pressure to accept the tickets, however, they must come in their own time and under their own impetus. The most recent group was offered tickets to the Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci double bill in September and 50 of the 60 students involved accepted - and in the school holidays!" Craig Dickman, the music teacher at Windsor High School, was very impressed with the program. "It was very good. It was aimed at kids' understanding what opera is all about and La boheme is a fantastic opera to start with," says Craig. "It will be interesting to see what they make of the double bill in September because those operas are a lot more nationalistic, a lot more 'Italian'. "The information was well organised and they got to see what goes on behind the scenes as well as on it. "The feedback from the kids was very similar to how I responded. A couple of the Year 10 boys said they expected the opera to be boring, but in fact found it very moving emotionally." Coincidentally, in 1970 Craig was involved as an on-stage musician in a JC Williamson production of ... La boheme at Her Majesty's Theatre! "I'm not a total opera buff, but I do go occasionally. I particularly like baroque opera," Craig says. According to Victoria, the program does not have a hidden agenda. "Fred just wants these kids' first experience of opera to be as rich and exciting as possible," she says. "Central to the program's philosophy is that these students are not only introduced to opera, but the quality of that introduction be as exceptional as possible. The workshops ensure that when they have their first experience it is an informed one - they know the plot, they understand some of the emotions, ideas and issues underlying the opera." For more information on OperaEd contact Jennifer Meek on (02) 9318 8330.
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