Education & Community Engagement
Mission
A core mission of The Atlanta Opera is to provide opportunities for students of all ages – we believe opera is for everyone and we are committed to ensuring that the art form is available to the widest possible cross-section of our community. Each year, our education programs serve more than 37,000 students in Metro Atlanta and throughout the state of Georgia. Our programs seek to inspire creativity, stimulate critical conversations, promote an enduring appreciation of the arts, and create audiences for the future.
Program Overview
IN-SCHOOL & VIRTUAL OFFERINGS
Bring The Atlanta Opera to your school or community venue
FIELD TRIPS & STUDENT TICKETS AT THE COBB ENERGY PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
Virtual Workshops & Residencies
Bring The Atlanta Opera into your classroom with our new virtual offerings! Custom workshops and masterclasses offered in-person or via teacher’s preferred online platform. Taught by teaching artists and staff, suggested topics include Introduction to Opera, Operatic Voice Types, History of Opera, and Careers in the Arts, Lighting Design and Props. Additional programs include Opera Storytime for young learners and Masterclasses with The Atlanta Opera Studio Artists.
Contact education@atlantaopera.org to find out more about how these interactive programs can be customized to your needs.
Studio Tour
2021-22 The Pirates of Penzance Studio Tour
Grades K-12 | On Tour January – May 2022
Running Time: 40 minutes, followed by a 5-minute Q&A with the performers
Designed to travel, Studio Tour productions are presented in schools and community venues across the state of Georgia each season. Educators are provided with comprehensive guides which feature lesson plans and activities corresponding to the Georgia Standards of Excellence.
This season’s Studio Tour brings to life Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular operettas, The Pirates of Penzance, as a special 40-minute version for students! Frederic, apprenticed to a band of tender-hearted pirates, leaves his cohorts on his 21st birthday and falls instantly in love with Mabel, the daughter of a modern Major-General. Their fate is tested through an adventure of hilarious hijinks and tongue-twisting patter songs, as romance blossoms, loyalty is put to the test, and mistakes are forgiven.
Tapestry
For Grades 3-8 | Available year-round
Running Time: Flexible, workshops usually last around 1 hour
Created by teaching artists Jayme Alilaw and Brittney Boykin, The Atlanta Opera presents Tapestry: A Historical Journey Through Song, is an interactive workshop that explores the origins of African American spirituals and the musical and literary elements that comprise them. The workshop features a live performance, storytelling, and culminates with students creating their own modern-day spirituals. Also available as a four week in-classroom residency.
Workshops
All Ages | Available year-round
Running Time: Flexible – workshops usually around 1 hour
Custom workshops and masterclasses are offered in-person or via the teacher’s preferred online platform. Taught by teaching artists and staff, suggested topics include Introduction to Opera, Operatic Voice Types, History of Opera, Careers in the Arts, and Lighting Design and Props. Additional programs include Opera Storytime for young learners and Masterclasses with The Atlanta Opera Studio Artists. Available year-round for schools, camps, youth groups, and interested adults.
Contact education@atlantaopera.org to find out more about how these interactive programs can be customized to your needs.
Masterclasses
Designed specifically to heighten the art of vocal music, masterclasses bring professional artists to work with students on solo or ensemble repertoire, musicality, diction, and interpretation.
Final Dress Rehearsal Program
Final Dress Rehearsal Program
Grades 5 – 12
Free | Advance registration required | Limited tickets available
The Atlanta Opera invites you to experience a new hybrid model of our Final Dress Rehearsal program! This FREE program gives educators and students an opportunity to engage with digital or in-person operatic performances. This program is designed for students in grades 5-12 and showcases a full-length opera with sets, costumes, and orchestra.
The Atlanta Opera is committed to the health and safety of our community and will continue to monitor developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Safety regulations for in-person performances will be distributed no later than one month prior to Final Dress Rehearsal performance date.
2021-22 FINAL DRESS REHEARSALS:
In-Person Performances
- Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance on Thursday, Jan 20, 2022 at 7 pm
- Rossini’s The Barber of Seville on Thursday, March 3, 2022 at 7 pm
Digital Performances
- Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci available on-demand at Spotlight Media on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021
- Viktor Ullmann’s The Kaiser of Atlantis available on-demand at Spotlight Media on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021
Daytime Field Trip
The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs Daytime Field Trip for Students
Grades 6-12 | FREE, advance registration required
Thursday, April 28, 2022, at 10:30 am
Registration through ArtsBridge begins in November 2021
Presented by The Atlanta Opera in partnership with ArtsBridge Foundation
Join The Atlanta Opera for a special FREE field trip presentation of Composer Mason Bates and Librettist Mark Campbell’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs, one of the most influential people of the modern age, is transformed into a dramatic character in this compelling 2017 opera. As the character Jobs looks back on a life dappled by dizzying heights and crushing disappointments, this charismatic, hard-driving visionary confronts the complexities of life and death. Cast in an appealing electro-acoustic soundscape generated by Mac laptop (of course) and live musicians, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs cycles through key moments in his lifelong–and futile–pursuit of perfection and control over everything that matters to him. A partnership with the ArtsBridge Foundation, the full-length opera will be performed onstage with sets, costumes, and orchestra..
For more information on any of these programs, please call 404-881-8801.
Study Guides
Study Guides from past Studio Tours
Hansel and Gretel (2019-20)
The Barber of Seville (2018-19)
The Magic Flute (2017-18)
Cinderella (2016-17)
General Study Guides
Opera 101
Listen to past Pre-Show Talks
Carmen (Bizet)
The Daughter of the Regiment (Donizetti)
The Flying Dutchman (Wagner)
Turandot (Puccini)
Don Pasquale (Donizetti)
Booking & Information
For more information, please contact education@atlantaopera.org.