Opera
The sixth graders at Our Lady of Peace School in Columbus, Ohio, take part in a program begun by the Metropolitan Opera in New York called "Creating Original Opera".
Sixth grade teacher Miss Susan Byrnes and Music teacher Ms. Stephanie Doyle were trained by artists at the Met in how to lead children to create an original thirty minute opera.
Each student auditions for three roles within the company: production manager, stage manager, assistant stage manager (ASM), writer, composer, set design, carpenter, electrician, costume/ make-up, performer, and public relations. Every sixth grader has a key job in the opera!
Opera work begins on the first day of school, and concludes with performances for the public nine weeks later.
The theme for the 2009 OLP sixth grade opera was "competition", and the thesis was "A little competition can be good, but if you get psycho about it, it 's like a wildfire out of control." The title of the opera was Dare Devils, and the company name was "Out of the Box Opera". The opera was performed three times for audiences made up of family, friends, and school groups.
"Creating Original Opera" is made possible by the support of the O.L.P. Home and School Association, and grants from the Metropolitan Opera Guild, and the G.E. Foundation.
O.L.P. is proud to have been chosen for this wonderful project which helps build strong skills for the future!
