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Elementary In School Opera

Our professional teaching artists will help your students learn their part in an age-appropriate opera.

Our professional teaching artists will help your students discover their musical and performance talents while learning their parts in an opera they will perform for their friends, family and community.

Through engaging weekly workshops, your students will learn their roles as chorus members in The Legend of Cannery Row, a kid-friendly opera by Eli and LeRoy Villanueva based on Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot.

The Legend of Cannery Row takes place in Monterey, California, where an elementary school class is on a field trip to learn about the history of Chinese immigrants and the famous Cannery Row. Their tour guide charms them by narrating the magical story of Turandot, taking them on a thrilling but dangerous journey back in time to ancient Peking, China. The children meet Prince Calaf and Princess Turandot, who challenges the prince to answer three enigmatic riddles in exchange for her hand in marriage. The children help Prince Calaf solve the riddles, making a connection between the mysterious riddles and the plight of the Chinese immigrants at Cannery Row.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, until the program is full.

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Program Goals

  • Artistic Enrichment: Introduce students to the art of opera and support the development of performance skills.
  • Educational Outcomes: Enhance students' understanding of music, theater, and storytelling through structured, standard-aligned workshops.
  • Social-Emotional Growth: Foster teamwork, empathy, and self-expression by encouraging students to connect with story and character.
  • Community Engagement: Bring opera to school communities across LA, creating shared cultural experiences that are joyful, inclusive, and inspiring.

2026/27 Schedule

  • Teachers must attend the required in-service via Zoom on Thursday, December 3rd, 2026 from 5:00pm to 6:00pm.
  • Students meet once a week for five weeks, January 11 through February 12, 2027. 
  • All workshops are scheduled for one class period, one day each week between 9:00am and 3:00pm.
  • Performance days will be scheduled between February 16 and March 5, 2027.

Things To Know

  • Students perform on stage with sets, lighting, and stage crew from LA Opera Connects.
  • Provides cross-curricular ties with California History.
  • Enrollment is open for up to 15 schools within a 30-mile radius of the Music Center.
  • Maximum of 70 students per school from the 4th and 5th grades.
  • The in-person school participation fee is $1,500
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This program is such a beautiful way to expose young people to art. It was fun, engaging, educational, inspiring, thoughtful, and wholly impressive.

I loved how opera is introduced in a dynamic and fun way, with so many connections to music of the past and present. Children are not only developing musical skills. They are also building confidence and opening up new creative possibilities.

To get in touch with questions, connect with us at Connects@laopera.org or call us at 213.972.3157.

Generous support for this program from the
Employees Community Fund of Boeing

LA Opera Connects is generously supported by
The Emanuel Treitel Senior Citizen Fund
The Green Foundation
The Music Man Foundation