Pinocchio Onscreen: MPTV Channel 10 / HD 10.1 Will Show Pinocchio on April 1 at 7:00 pm,
Florentine's touring children's opera broadcast provides fun for the whole family
MILWAUKEE, Wis.-March 10, 2009-A performance documentary of the Florentine Opera Company's sold-out touring opera education program, Pinocchio, will be presented to thousands of additional children and families through a broadcast in partnership with Milwaukee Public Television on April 1, 2009 at 7:00 pm on MPTV 10 & channel 10.1 HD. The documentary features the children's opera itself, and also gives viewers an inside perspective through interviews with the cast and Florentine Opera staff, including General Director William Florescu (who also served as Pinocchio's stage director) and Director of Education and Outreach Elizabeth Gardner.
Pinocchio, designed to introduce students in K4 through fifth grade to opera, is based on the classic Italian folk story, adapted and written in English by renowned arts educator John Davies. This engaging performance is set to the music of Mozart, Donizetti, Offenbach, Pergolesi, Sullivan and Verdi. The program features the vocal talents of the 2008-09 Florentine Opera Studio resident artists Greer Davis-Brown (soprano), Colleen Brooks (mezzo soprano), Rafael Luquis (tenor) and Todd von Felker (baritone). The annual program tours schools and community venues throughout Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.
PUBLIC PREVIEW SCREENINGS AT DISCOVERY WORLD ON MARCH 22, 2009.
In addition to the April 1 MPTV broadcast, a special public screening of the Pinocchio documentary will be held on March 22, 2009 at the Discovery World Innovation Digital Theatre, 500 N. Harbor Drive. Two screenings will be held, at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. Following each screening, a panel discussion and talk back will be held featuring Pinocchio performers, Florentine Opera staff and representatives from MPTV. The event is FREE and open to the public.
ABOUT MPTV COMMUNITY CINEMA:
MPTV Community Cinema is a monthly film screening and discussion series held at Discovery World. For more information visit www.mptv.org.
ABOUT THE FLORENTINE OPERA'S EDUCATION PROGRAMS:
The Florentine Opera Company's Education Department programming reaches a broad spectrum of individuals throughout Metro Milwaukee, southeastern Wisconsin and beyond. Last year alone, over 12,000 students and individuals benefited from Florentine Opera Education programs. The Company provides a vital addition to local arts education - both in the classroom and on the stage-and the Florentine's Education Department is committed to providing all students with a complete opera curriculum.