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Opera is Awesome and Your Child’s Musical Wish seeks to fully enrich the lives of all children through the arts of music, drama and dance. Utilizing melodious song, engaging drama and expressive dance, our program promises to nurture young minds to develop an appreciation for the performing arts.

“Opera is Awesome” and “It Ain’t Over ’til the Scientist Sings” are “learning operas” for children and audiences alike. Utilizing the beautiful music of opera and musical theater, the operas center around the original idea of teaching the audience about the singer’s vocal apparatus and in the second opera the love of music that enriched men and women of science. In both operas the lyrics of each piece have been changed to augment the story line. Dialogue in English with a sprinkling of Italian brings all the ideas into focus and makes learning about a potentially complicated subject interesting and fun.

In the first opera, the audience is introduced to such characters as Donahue Diaphragm and his ever-present barbells: Vic and Vinnie Vocal Cords, two lovable gangsters; Martha Mouth and her cheerleading sub-parts; and Arturo Articulator, a diction afficionado. This romp takes us from “Die Fledermaus” and “Carmen” to Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” The operas run approximately 45 minutes. This piece has been produced and funded by the Washington State Arts Commission in several elementary and middle schools. The first presentation was produced by the Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education in Edmond, Oklahoma.

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