"The Three Little Pigs" Named as 2012 Children's Touring Opera

Touring opera brings opera to thousands of local students and their families

MILWAUKEE, Wis.—May 9, 2011—The Florentine Opera Company’s Education Department announced today that the upcoming season will once again include a children’s touring opera education program designed to introduce students Kindergarten through fifth grade to the opera art form during Winter 2012: The Three Little Pigs. 

Adapted and written by renowned arts educator John Davies and sung in English, this engaging 45-minute performance is set to the melodies of Mozart, from some of his most beloved masterworks, including Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, Cosí fan tutte and The Magic Flute. The Three Little Pigs begins with a week-long residency at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts on January 23, 2012 and will then go on to tour local and regional schools and public community venues through April, ultimately serving over 13,000 students and families at over 60 schools and community venues around the city and the region.

“After presenting The Three Little Pigs during the 2006-2007 season and hearing fantastic feedback from teachers, students and parents, I’m excited that we’ll once again be bringing the enduring melodies by Mozart and an engaging introduction to opera to area students and families,” states Elizabeth Gardner, Director of Education and Outreach. “To me, the best part of this program remains that we have a memorable opportunity to introduce opera to children, and in some cases, their families and teachers, in a way that is exciting and accessible for everyone.”            

 Using visual, aural and action methods, The Three Little Pigs exposes students to opera in a multi-disciplinary format. Additionally, students receive the developmental benefits of arts education, such as expanded abstract thinking and problem solving abilities, increased interest in self-expression, and a venue to enhance self-discipline, communication skills, perseverance and leadership.                        

The program will once again feature performances by the Florentine Opera Studio Artists, along with local pianist Anne Van Duesen, as the singers portray the beloved characters in this well-known story and facilitate a question and answer session with audiences, designed to give children access to a behind-the-scenes perspective and further their knowledge of opera and the performing arts.

To further enhance the student experience, all educators are provided classroom resources, including an online teacher resource guide (provided in late Fall, 2011) which offers supplementary opera and music education materials, and connects the program to Wisconsin state-wide academic standards. An optional children’s chorus, which includes a coaching session with the Studio Artists and allows students the opportunity to appear onstage during the performance, will also be available once again.

Public performances will be posted on the Florentine Opera’s online event schedule as they are confirmed, beginning January 2012 .

 

 

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 13,000 students and individuals benefited from Florentine Opera Education programs at more than 60 performances of our children’s opera and other in-school program. 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.