STUDENT MATINEES
In 1939, San Francisco Opera Guild sponsored the first Student Matinee in the War Memorial Opera House. Ever since, Opera Guild Matinees have been the foundation of the Guild's educational outreach. To date, more than 300,000 school-age children, seniors and disabled persons have attended full-scale productions and student dress rehearsals sponsored by the Guild.
To supplement the matinee experience, the San Francisco Opera Guild also offers the following to participating schools:
A TEACHER'S GUIDE including a synopsis of the opera, biographical information about the composer, historical information, lesson plans and suggested activities and games for the students. AN EDUCATOR'S PREVIEW TAPE of musical excerpts interspersed with explanatory narration. A TEACHERS' WORKSHOP presented by a music educator, which includes original techniques for introducing opera to the classroom. AN ART CONTEST solicits drawings inspired by the matinee opera for display in the Opera House lobby.
OPERA À LA CARTE
The Guild has developed an in-school program to enhance the students' understanding of opera. Originally, it consisted of a slide presentation with taped music. The program has since evolved to include professional singers, a pianist, and a Guild volunteer narrator. The Opera à la Carte program presents a mini-version of an opera which can be presented in a classroom or auditorium. Small speaking roles are designed for students, who perform with the singers.
In 1996 the Guild brought the Opera à la Carte version of Bizetās Carmen to a record one hundred schools in Northern California, from Ukiah to Salinas. This production reached an audience of over 20,000 students.
For a complete listing of San Francisco Operaās education programs, visit Education.
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