School Programs
Introducing students and educators to opera and its connections to a wide variety of subject areas, these initiatives offer interactive access to the world of opera.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions Sarasota Opera currently does not have education program availability. Please feel free to view our previous school programming below. Sarasota Opera intends to reinstate this programming once it is safe to gather in public again. General inquiries can be made by emailing [email protected].
Invitation to Opera
Through select orchestra dress rehearsals, students and teachers are invited to experience live opera and interact with performers during intermissions.
Cost
FREE for school and homeschool groups
2019-2020 Season Opportunities
Rigoletto | by Giuseppe Verdi
Tuesday, Oct. 29 from 6:00-9:00 PM
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
The Elixir of Love | By Gaetano Donizetti
Thursday, Feb. 20 from 12:00-2:30 PM
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
La Wally | By Alfredo Catalani
Thursday, March 5 from 12:00-3:00 PM
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
Standards & Benchmarks
Sarasota Opera is a proud provider and supporter of EdExploreSRQ.
Click here for more information on Florida Standards covered as part of the dress rehearsal experience.
Chaperone Guidelines
Schools: 1 adult for every 10 students
Homeschoolers: 1 adult for every 4 students
Grade Levels
Intended for grade levels Six and up
To Sign Up
To reserve seats, click HERE for our online registration form
Exploration Grants
Need transportation or substitute funding?
Click here to check out the Community Foundation of Sarasota County's Exploration Grants.
Questions & Inquires
Please email [email protected] or call (941) 328-1307.
Opera Artists in Schools
A visit to your classroom by members of the Sarasota Opera Apprentice and Studio Artists programs will introduce your students to singing and the opera. Students will be actively engaged in the world of opera through performance and Q&A with a small ensemble of professional opera singers. Students will learn about the basics of opera including vocabulary, music, theatre, careers in the arts, and more.
Programs range from 45 to 60 minutes and can be tailored to any grade level.
Cost
FREE for all schools
November 2019 Availability
Monday, November 18
Tuesday, November 19
Wednesday, November 20
Thursday, November 21
Friday, November 22
Technical Requirements
An acoustic or electric piano with at least 85 keys and a sustaining pedal.
EdExploreSRQ Wild For Literacy
Attention K-1 Sarasota County Title 1 schools - This Exploration is also available as part of the “EdExploreSRQ Goes Wild for Literacy” program. For more details, click here.
Grade Levels
Intended for and adaptable to all grade levels (Kindergarten through 12th Grade)
To Sign Up
To request a visit to your school, click HERE.
Standards & Benchmarks
Sarasota Opera is a proud provider and supporter of EdExploreSRQ.
Click here for more information on Florida Standards covered as part of this experience.
Questions and Inquires
Please email [email protected] or call (941) 366-1307.
Youth Opera School Time Matinee
Join us for a student matinee of Sarasota Youth Opera's annual full-scale production featuring over 80 young singers ages 8-18 with professional sets, lights, costumes, and chamber orchestra.
Sarasota Opera is proud to partner with Embracing Our Differences to bring Sarasota Youth Opera production to students in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Cost and Reservations
FREE!
Tickets and transportation provided courtesy of Sarasota Opera and Embracing Our Differences.
Click HERE to reserve seats and receive a transportation code (Space is strictly limited).
Via the reservation form link above, teachers may request a Holocaust survivor (either 1st or 2nd generation) to speak to their classroom(s) prior to the performance, courtesy of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota- Manatee.
2019 Production Date and Time
Performance Date
Friday, November 15, 2019
Performance Time
Arrive by 10:00am, performance starts at 10:30am.
90 minute run time with one intermission.
What's It About
Brundibár is a children’s opera written by composer Hans Krása and librettist Adolf Hoffmeister in 1938 and performed by the children of Theresienstadt concentration camp in Terezín, Czechoslovakia. The name comes from a Czech colloquialism for a bumblebee. The plot of the opera shares elements with fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel and The Town Musicians of Bremen.
Anika (Annette in English) and Pepicek (Little Joe) are a fatherless sister and brother. Their mother is ill and the doctor tells them she needs milk to recover – but they have no money. They decide to sing in the marketplace to raise the money but the evil organ grinder, Brundibár (who represents Hitler) chases them away. However, with the help of a fearless sparrow, keen cat, a wise dog and the children of the town, they are able to chase away Brundibár.
The opera contains obvious symbolism in the triumph of the helpless and needy children over the tyrannical Brundibár, but has no references to the conditions under which it was written and performed. The production will include an original prologue containing quotes from children throughout history, from the Holocaust to present day, that address the larger social message of Brundibár.
Education Resource Guide
Grade Levels
Intended for grades 5 through 8.
This program is not open to homeschool groups. For group rates and family pricing to our two public performances, please contact the Sarasota Opera box office at 941-328-1300.
Standards/Benchmarks
Sarasota Opera is a proud provider and supporter of EdExploreSRQ.
Click here for more information on Florida Standards covered as part of this experience.
Brundibár and The Holocaust
In August 1942, composer Hans Krása was deported to Terezín, followed by many of the adults and children with whom he had worked with in Prague. Rudolf Freudenfeld-Franěk brought the piano score with him to the ghetto and started rehearsals in the attic of the Dresden Barracks. Transports continually intervened in his work, and the children taken away to concentration camps in the East had to be replaced by newly-arriving children. After more than two months of rehearsals, the premiere took place on September 23, 1943 in the Magdeburg Barracks. Brundibár was a huge success and there were around 55 performances between then and Autumn 1944, when the last transports left Terezín.
In spring 1944, the Terezín ghetto was preparing for a visit from the International Red Cross committee, to assess its function as a “model“ ghetto. Brundibár was chosen as the production to be put on for the committee with the closing scenes of Brundibár filmed for the propaganda film Theresienstadt, or “The Führer Has Given the Jews a Town”.
Teachers may request a Holocaust survivor (either 1st or 2nd generation) to speak to their classroom(s) prior to the performance, courtesy of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota- Manatee.
Opera House Tour & Career Exploration
Staff provide interactive tours highlighting the history of the Opera House, its connection to Sarasota, and careers in the arts. Tours include (when possible) visits to the scenic, costume, and prop shops as well as Q&A sessions.
Students will:
• Explore connections to social studies, visual arts, theatre arts, and music
• Learn about the many careers within the arts, both on and off the stage, over the course of a behind-the-scenes tour of a professional opera company
• Identify the duties of some of backstage careers at the Opera House
• Examine the history of the Sarasota Opera House
• Gain an understanding of the economic and civic importance of the arts in the Sarasota
Cost
FREE for school groups!
Availability
Aug, Sept, Dec, April, and May
Group Sizes
Max of 30 per group
Exploration Grants
Need transportation or substitute funding?
Click here to check out the Community Foundation of Sarasota County's Exploration Grants.
Grade Levels
Intended for grades Six and up
To Sign Up
Please email [email protected] or call (941) 328-1307.
Standards & Benchmarks
Sarasota Opera is a proud provider and supporter of EdExploreSRQ.
Click here for more information on Florida Standards covered as part of this experience.
Teacher Resource Guides
