Education and Outreach

Nurturing the Next Generation of Opera Audiences through Exciting Outreach Opportunities

Opera in the Heights works to achieve its goal of bringing opera to new audiences in the community through three types of student outreach:

The George B. Geary initiative to Promote Student Appreciation of Classical Opera
Since the second half of the 2009-2010 season, Mr. Geary has been making it possible for teachers to bring school and college/university groups to Lambert Hall to experience the thrill of full-length, costumed operas in our European-style opera house for our Thursday and Friday evening and Sunday matinee performances. Thus far, approximately 1,000 students have experienced our operas through this initiative.

Not only does this grant cover participant tickets, but also, teachers may apply for transportation subsidies to defray bus costs. Additionally, through this grant, individually-purchased student tickets are available at $10 each.

Jane McKinney, Choir Teacher from Marshall Middle School in HISD, commented after her students attended: “My students loved it and have not stopped talking about it! Several of them said they felt their bodies vibrating from the music! You know the kids were mesmerized since I did not have to speak to any of them, not even once during the entire performance.”

The Boeing Student Night Dress Rehearsals
Through a grant from the Boeing Company, student groups can experience the magic of an opera’s coming together visually and musically. They may attend the 7 p.m. Dress Rehearsals scheduled on the Monday and Tuesday evenings prior to Thursday evening openings of each of the season’s opera productions. Admission is free of charge; and teachers may apply in advance for transportation subsidies.

During the second half of the 2010-2011 season, approximately 185 students and community members attended Dress Rehearsals.

“This Opera’s for You”
Through a grant from the Olshan Foundation for the 2010-2011 season, teachers and other youth-serving leaders have been able to arrange for an Opera in the Heights team—consisting of a volunteer, a singer, and a keyboardist—to come to their schools or other organizations to provide an interactive 45-minute to one-hour introduction to opera. These free-of- charge programs have demystified opera for new and young audiences.

During the 2010-2011 season, this initiative served 320 students in public and private schools ranging from upper elementary through high school level.

Student Comments:

Marshall Middle School: “Opera is supposed to reach you by the heart. . . . You have to dedicate yourself to be a singer.”
Cypress Ridge High School: “It is kind of the same as a sports event. . . . They practice a lot like I do in soccer.”
“It made me interested in the opera-singing business; it helped me with what I want to do with singing.”
Houston Christian High School: “Oh! It was beautiful”
St. Catherine’s Montessori Teacher Comment: “Thank you for coming. . . . The students really enjoyed it and just buzzed around the classrooms afterward. We heard about ‘the voice’ more than once that afternoon.”