Projects OverviewIn the 2019-2020 school year, Little Opera underwent tremendous change and weathered two major transitions, as we moved into our partnership with Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and then subsequently pivoted to executing the program on an online platform due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program’s core programming focused on serving students in grades 2-7. We spent the school year with two cohorts of students: The Mendelsshons (Grades 2-4) and the Tchaikovskys (Grades 5-7). In early March, Little Opera, along with the world, halted. As it became increasingly clear that the spread of the virus would continue for some time, we took Little Opera into the online realm of Zoom and began to hold our classes virtually. Taking what had already been created prior to COVID, our two groups created a video presentation of the operas they wrote, becoming true virtual pioneers. These videos were then compiled and edited by our heroic teaching artist, Danny Clay, and were then presented to our community live via Zoom in late May. Additionally, we continued our partnership with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which generously hosted our winter preview concert. In lieu of an in person summer camp this year, Little Opera created an opera box activity kit that students engaged with autonomously, providing check-ins with teaching artists along the way. We also welcomed Ava Harmon into our Little Opera family as our intern. She provided endless technical and administrative support as we ventured into virtual classrooms. |
Photos by: Christina Swindlehurst Chan
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The After-School Program
A SNAPSHOT of the our programming in numbers:
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Photos by: Christina Swindlehurst Chan and Ava Harmon
Highlights from the operas our students created this season:
The Stovetop Phoenix
The Mendelssohns | Grades 2-4
Created and performed by Little Opera’s Season 9 Mendelssohn class (Flower Hailun Huang, Ronan McDougall, Siena Rodriguez, and Noelia Sapper), led by teaching artists Erin Bregman, Danny Clay, Jenny Hanson, Eva Langman, Matt Morgera, Gertrude Stookey, Susan Swerdlow, and Suzanne Vradelis. Video production and accompaniment by Danny Clay.
Video premiere on May 31st, 2020.
Video premiere on May 31st, 2020.
The Warehouse of Horror
The Tchaikovskies | Grades 5-7
Created and performed by Little Opera’s Season 9 Tchaikovsky class (Danah Aroonchaipirom, Joseph Bogart, Emmy Cutler, Lyla Cutler, Sappheirra Ellison, Henry Faison, Delia Hodak, Gabriella Jaakkola, and Donna Masangcay), led by teaching artists Erin Bregman, Danny Clay, Jenny Hanson, Eva Langman, Matt Morgera, Gertrude Stookey, Susan Swerdlow, and Suzanne Vradelis. Video production and accompaniment by Danny Clay.
Video premiere on May 31st, 2020
Video premiere on May 31st, 2020