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Home Community & Learning For Schools and Teachers Secondary In School Opera

SECONDARY IN SCHOOL OPERA 

Secondary students break the mold of traditional school productions as they turn their school into a world-class opera house.

Arts and education meet at our In School Opera residencies. Ten weeks learning from LA Opera artists fly by as students sharpen their performance skills and perform a full-scale opera (and master some Common Core and Visual and Performing Arts standards, too).

This fall, students will perform Orpheus—a gripping Greek tale of love, devotion, and selfishness, retold through the lens of rock stars—with music by Nathan Wang with libretto by Matthew Leavitt. 

Based on the classic story from Metamorphoses by Ovid, the production offers a powerful way to integrate the arts into classroom curriculum and demonstrates how timeless stories continue to resonate in our lives today.

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

APPLY NOW

THINGS TO KNOW 

  • Students perform on stage with professional opera singers, dancers, sets, lighting, and stage crew from LA Opera.
  • Covers Common Core and Visual and Performing Arts standards.
  • Workshops are once a week for 10 weeks, for one class period (between 9:00am and 3:00pm). Performances will occur on one weekday between November 2-14, 2026.
  • Extensive teaching materials and lesson plans are provided to connect the program to literature, social science, history, world cultures, and language skills.
  • Teachers must attend a required orientation via Zoom on Friday, August 14, 2026, from 5:00pm-6:00pm.
  • Enrollment is open for up to 10 schools within a 30-mile radius of the Music Center.
  • Maximum of 70 students per school.
  • The in-person school participation fee is $1,500.

Core Goals

  • Artistic Enrichment: Build students' musical and theatrical skills through direct participation in opera.
  • Educational Outcomes: Strengthen knowledge of music theory, operatic structure, and performance practices.
  • Social-Emotional Growth: Cultivate empathy, discipline, and self-expression through ensemble work.
  • Community Engagement: Activate school communities through inclusive, student-centered performance experiences.
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This program is especially useful to me as a way to jump-start my second-level theater course. It gives my students a crash course in stagecraft, and is perfectly scaffolded with high-interest, accessible materials and an array of skilled teaching artists to administer the curriculum.

I am always looking for new challenges and unique experiences for our special education students. While opera would not seem to be part of a traditional curriculum, our students, staff, and families look forward to our almost yearly LA Opera production.

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