Overview:
Boston Lyric Opera’s traveling production for youth audiences has introduced opera to more than 500,000 children and families in diverse communities across New England. This spring, 25,000 children, families and educators will learn about and experience opera through 40 performances and 80 previews for schools and family groups in communities from Fairfield CT, to New Bedford MA, to Westbrook, ME.
Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) is New England’s favorite opera company. Founded in 1976, BLO is recognized for its artistically excellent productions of a diverse repertoire that entertain and inspire audiences and feature emerging operatic talent. Each season, BLO produces three mainstage productions at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Shubert Theatre in Boston and a fully staged, one-hour English language version of a popular opera for school children and families at venues throughout New England. BLO’s programs are funded, in part, by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
About the performances:
- Performed in English, fully staged in one-hour, with sets, costumes, and lights
- Appropriate for children ages 5-12 or grades K-7; opportunities for students to join the production
- Teachers receive study guides and curriculum-based worksheets
- Flat fee includes: one or two performances; optional pre-performance talk; flexible performance schedule
- Workshops available for students or teachers (additional fee)
Contact:
Julie Oldfield Green
Education and Community Programs Manager
jgreen@blo.org
617.542.4912 x242
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Basic technical requirements:
- 30’ of width x 25’ of depth on stage, 8 to 10’ of wing space on each side of the stage
- Two areas available for dressing rooms, access to bathrooms
- Some basic lighting equipment, 6-20 amp circuits on stage or very near the stage area
- Piano
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Where have we been?
- Recent Boston area venues:
- John Hancock Hall, Boston
- Babson College, Wellesley
- Regis College, Weston
- Duxbury Performing Arts Center, Duxbury
- Merrimack College, North Andover
- Around New England:
- Capitol Center for the Arts, Concord, NH
- Music For Youth, Westport, CT
- Edgerton Center for the Arts, Sacred Heart U., Fairfield, CT
- Hyde Cultural Center, Woodstock, CT
- Mansfield Middle School, Mansfield, CT
- Westbrook HS, Westbrook, ME
- Zeiterion Theatre, New Bedford MA
(our partnership with the New Bedford Standard-Times and public schools was honored by OPERA America)
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How do we fit your mission?
- Family programming:
- classic entertainment
- captivates children and adults
- Partnerships:
- libraries
- schools
- museums
- newspapers
For ideas about mobilizing your community around the opera, contact Julie Oldfield Green, Education and Community Programs Manager, at jgreen@blo.org or 617.542.4912 x242.
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What do presenters say?
Our 1500 Seats Sell Out Each Year!
The annual children’s production by Boston Lyric Opera is a perfect introduction to opera for students of all ages. Exquisitely staged and performed, the fast-moving, hour-long production is sure to evoke an enthusiastic response from our student audiences every year. Boston Lyric Opera crafts a production that is not only a delight to the eye and ear but also brings in the comic elements that children love. Add to that the excellent study guides that prepare school groups for this unique experience, and it’s easy to see why our 1500 seats sell out each year.
~Phyllis Marsilius, Chairman
Fairfield County Association for Opera New England
Presenting at Edgerton Center for the Arts, Sacred Heart University
Met and Exceeded All Standards!
The Capitol Center seeks to address both educational and aesthetic standards in its School Series and Daytime Series presentations. These standards include high-quality art; innovative productions; links to NH curriculum frameworks; and a connection to the world beyond central New Hampshire. The presentation of Boston Lyric Opera’s The Barber of Seville met and exceeded all of these standards.
~Shawn Powers, Director of Education
Capitol Center for the Arts
‘Magic Flute’ gives children rich delights
. . .on the visual level, then, this production could compete with some of the far more expensive attractions vying for children’s attention, like “Disney on Ice.”
~The Boston Globe
Click below to watch a five-minute video about our school programs, with clips from all four operas
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Production photos:
Click below to see photos of our productions.
The Magic Flute (available 2009)
The ultimate rescue opera! Filled with breathtaking music and a healthy dose of comedy, The Magic Flute celebrates the triumph of courage, virtue, and wisdom through fairy tale elements, magical instruments, a wicked queen, and a handsome prince. In this classic rescue story, the stalwart Prince Tamino and the zany birdcatcher Papageno quest to save Princess Pamina, the lovely daughter of the Queen of the Night. They find not only Pamina, but the truth as well.
The Daughter of the Regiment (2010)
Donizetti’s comic masterpiece is a wonderful way to introduce opera to young people. Our star is a young orphan, Marie, who was adopted and raised by a regiment of French soldiers. Now a teenager, she’s smart, sassy, and headstrong, defying cultural convention to wind up with her true love in the end. Oh, and she can sing! With laugh-out-loud spoken dialogue and some of the catchiest, most rousing music ever composed for the stage, The Daughter of the Regiment will be an unforgettable cultural experience for children and adults of any age!
The Barber of Seville (2011)
Finally, an opera for kids that’s a cut above the rest! The legendary barber Figaro uses every trick in the book to free the lovely Rosina from the clutches of grouchy Dr. Bartolo and unite her with the dashing Count Almaviva. Engage the children in your life with the magic, the music, and (yes!) the fun of this ultimate art form – opera combines the very best of music, theatre, dance, and visual artistry. Not only will they thank you, they’ll have a fantastic time … and so will you!
Hansel and Gretel (available 2012)
Indulge your sweet tooth for adventure with this treat of an opera! In this classic fairy tale, a walk in the forest turns into a discovery of delights and frights. A gingerbread house tempts Hansel and Gretel’s taste buds, but beware…behind those sugar-coated gumdrop walls lurks a witch! Hansel and Gretel must stick together to free the forest from a wicked spell. Come see what two clever children can do!
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