Familiar opera melodies abound in this zany show where singers, with help from students, sort out a mix-up and discover that opera is simply storytelling with plot, characters, conflict and resolution – and music. And surprise – opera’s fun! The accompanying study resource includes activities to reinforce literacy and music concepts.

Grade Level: K-6
Available: Year round
Cost: $350 for one 45 minute performance; $450 two performances back-to-back
Supports Colorado Model Content Standards for music, reading and writing

Colorful opera characters invite students into the action in a whirlwind of comic scenes by Mozart and friends which introduce literary and historical figures and the magic of telling stories through song. Illuminating activities in language arts, music and social studies are found in the resource guide.

Grade Level: K-6
Available: Year round
Cost: $350 for one 45 minute performance; $450 two performances back-to-back
Supports Colorado Model Content Standards for music, reading and writing

No Wii? No iPod? No reality TV? What did the pioneers and miners of the frontier West do for fun? Surprise! They liked opera (among other activities). And the adventurous lives of Colorado historical figures Molly Brown, Horace and Baby Doe Tabor and Clara Brown make great opera stories for today! Included is a study resource with the opportunity for students to write "his-story" or "her-story" and many more relevant activities.

Grade Level: 3-8
Available: Year round
Cost: $450 for one 45 minute performance; $550 two performances back-to-back
Supports Colorado Model Content Standards for music, reading, writing and history

En Mis Palabras is a classic story that every student, no matter what his or her cultural background, can relate to – the adolescent dilemma of finding your own voice, learning who you are – and the adult dilemma of knowing when and how much to let go so that a young adult may safely develop that sense of self. Fully staged with scenery and costumes, En Mis Palabras is scored for four singers, classical guitar and piano and sung in both English and Spanish. A bilingual study resource is provided which explores cultural and family traditions, immigration, and Latino history in Colorado and includes language arts and social studies exercises.

Grade Level: 6-12
Available: Year round
Cost: $650 for one 50 minute performance
Supports Colorado Model Content Standards for music, reading, writing, foreign language and history

“This program started a lot of discussion among the students about family relationships, cultural issues and differences; good things for them to talk about."
- 7th grade teacher, Casey Middle School
 

You don’t have to wait until the summer festival for a good cry or a hearty laugh at the opera; we’ve made opera mobile! Call us and we’ll load up the magic opera bus to bring you a program of scenes and arias just right for students.

Grade Level: 6-12
Available: Year round
Cost: $325

Supports Colorado Model Content Standards in music
 

Students gain confidence and technique in workshops or master classes in singing, stage craft, movement or any other related activity presented by experienced teaching artists. Master classes can include a short performance by artists followed by individual or group coaching.

Available year round; cost starts at $150 and varies depending on program.

Imagine your students producing and performing their own opera! Central City Opera’s Opera Alive! teaching artists assist you in guiding students through this exciting process during which they learn practical applications of core disciplines like math, history and geography while developing creative problem-solving and team-building techniques. The curriculum of Music! Words! Opera! provides the foundation. Call the Education and Community Programs office at 303-331-7026 to find out how opera can come alive at your school.

"Through a project like this the kids get to see and experience that history has something to do with them. The arts provide a safe place to talk about prejudice and sensitive issues." - Karen Ritz, on She Never Lost a Passenger, Samuels Elementary

The Scientific and Cultural Collaborative (SCC), a coalition of twenty-seven arts, science and cultural organizations, partner with educators in multiple schools in the seven-county Denver metropolitan area in creating curriculum applications and learning opportunities for public middle school students. The Alliance Project is funded by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).

A list of field trips, workshops, performances, and tours offered by the organizations of the SCC (including Central City Opera) can be viewed in the 2009-2010 Directory of Education Activities for Teachers and Schools (pdf). Note, this will take you to the SCFD website.

Do you have students aged 14-19 who are ready for an extended performing arts workshop? Here’s the ticket! Two weeks of summer study with visiting master teaching artists assembled by Central City Opera and the Colorado Springs Conservatory  includes the creation of an original operatic work based on the life of an historically relevant figure to Colorado. Under the guidance and direction of composer-in-residence, Mr. Roger Ames, students collaborate, create and perform an original composition.  The summer curriculum concludes with a 4-day behind-the-scenes residency in Central City during the opera festival. Students see performances and receive master classes with festival artists, ending on a high note with their own opera scenes and original opera performance in Central City.

For a complete schedule and fees, please contact the Colorado Springs Conservatory at (719) 577-4556 or online at www.coloradospringsconservatory.org.

The 2010 intensive was held July 10-24.  View our blog post about some of the activities the students participated in during their culminating weekend in Central City. We hope to mount the created opera again in March in Colorado Springs with many of the Intensive students. 

Auditions for the 2011 intensive will be held in the Fall of 2010.  Stay tuned for details.  Below are audition requirements from last year:

• AUDITIONS:
  
  • Only 20 of the Most Talented Young Performers Will Be Selected
  • Audition Requirements: Two contrasting songs and one monologue.
  • View the full audition press release
• July 10-21 in residence at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
• July 21-24 in residence in Central City. Public performances of the scenes & original opera will be held July 23rd and 24th at 8:15 p.m. in Williams Stables.  Tickets are $5 and may be purchased online.

Share the joy of opera with a child by attending one of our Nina Odescalchi Kelly Family Matinees. Performed by the talented artists of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program in Central City, these fully staged productions include a narrator’s preview before each act and an autograph session with the singers following the performance. Note, these are full-length opera productions and may contain adult material. If this is a concern, please check the synopsis. The 2010 Opera Insider (season study guide) is be available for download in our Resource Center.

2010 Festival Season family matinees:
      July 27, 2:30 p.m. - Madama Butterfly
      August 3, 2:30 p.m. - Orpheus in the Underworld

Tickets for students (ages 6-18), $15; for accompanying adults, $20. Tickets are available through our Box Office at (303) 292-6700 or online.

Enhance your Family Matinee experience! Enjoy a kid-friendly buffet lunch before the performance and additional fun activities unique to Central City. Sponsored by the Central City Opera House Association Guild. Available for each Family Matinee performance; price includes performance ticket.

Tickets for students (ages 6-18), $32; for accompanying adults, $37. Tickets are available via phone through our Box Office at (303) 292-6700 or online. (Order your Family Matinee tickets first, then select "Choose a Different Event" and add-on the Take a Child event for an additional $17.)