Nature Spirits in Rameau’s Io!

 Saturday, April 8th @ Tregaron Conservancy
3100 Macomb St NW, Washington, DC 20008
11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.

Join Opera Lafayette for this exciting musical experience in nature at Tregaron Conservancy, a beautiful natural setting in the Woodley Park neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Our guest artists including Simone Brown (Soprano), Sarah Laughland (Dancer/Singer/Actress/Choreographer), and Lori D’Orazio (Dancer), will lead us on an adventure through the music and dance that is featured in Io, an opera by the 18th century French composer Rameau. We will make our very own masks to help us act out the different characters from the performance!

Opera Starts with Oh! takes place right after Tregaron Conservancy’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt! Take part in both events and double your fun! Here is the link to register for the egg hunt. Space is limited so be sure to reserve your spot soon!

Join Lead Teaching Artist Julia Bengtsson (New York Baroque Dance Company Dancer), for this in-person session of Opera Starts with Oh! 

Come with us as we explore the famous French composer and the musical work of Io that was left unfinished, and will be debuted for the first time with Opera Lafayette in May in New York City and Washington, DC (tickets on sale now)!

We’ll dive into the music with professional singer, instrumentalist, actor, and director Paul Shipper, learning more about what it means to be a musician and expressing emotions through sound. Soprano and voice teacher Erinn Sensenig will take us on a journey into the arias of Rameau’s Io, offering everyone a chance to try out their own opera singing IN A REAL THEATER (see what it looks like below)! You’ll also get to create your very own costume piece to continue the fun at home. We can’t wait to see you there!

Join Lead Teaching Artist Sarah Laughland, for this in-person session of Opera Starts with Oh! We’ll explore the famous Italian composer and artist Giovanni Pergolesi and his musical works, especially his popular comedy La Servante maîtresse and his beloved Stabat Mater.

In a fun, age-appropriate way, we’ll dive into the music of La Servante maîtresse and Stabat Mater together with Violinist and Music Educator Dr. Christopher Ciampoli, and learn more about what it’s like to be a musician.

Actor and Theater Educator Kathryn Zoerb will take us on a journey into the world of Commedia dell’Arte, learning all about acting in Italy during Pergolesi’s time. We’ll even create our own characters!

At the end of the session, each child will have also created and be able to take home their very own costume piece, so they can continue the fun at home! We can’t wait to see you there!

Join us outside at Tregaron Conservancy, a wonderful public park situated between Cleveland Park and Woodley Park near the Zoo.  Together, we’ll rotate through each guest artists’ different activities as we as we dive deeper into Gretry’s Silvain and learn about dancing, singing, and musical instruments that all work to bring the opera to life. We will even be making our own musical Easter Egg Maracas, and each child will get a fun Coloring/Activity Booklet to continue the fun at home!  We are pleased to welcome back Guest Artists Sarah Laughland (dance), Patrick Kilbride (tenor) and introduce new Guest Artist Penelope Musto (cello)!  

Going Back to the Land!
April 16th @ 10:45AM - 12:00PM
Guest Artists: Sarah Laughland, Patrick Kilbride, and Penelope Musto
IN-PERSON:
Tregaron Conservancy
3100 Macomb St NW, Washington, DC 20008

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artist Omar Cruz and a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

Register for the session below - based on a pay-what-you-can model!

Join Lead Teaching Artist, Omar Cruz, for this In-Person session of Opera Starts with Oh! exploring the opera Silvain by André Grétry! 

Silvain was one of Grétry’s most famous operas! This opera focuses on the themes of family conflict and reconciliation.  It follows the story of Silvain, who works as a poor farmer after being disinherited by his rich father for marrying a lower-class woman. Silvain is a great example of opéra-comique (opera with both speaking and signing parts) which was a popular style during the 1700s!   

Gretry’s Silvain
IN-PERSON
Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital
921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20003

Let’s dive deeper into Silvain and learn about all the aspects that bring it to life! We are pleased to welcome back Guest Artists: Sarah Laughland, Jeannette Christensen, and Rachel Felstein!  Together, we’ll rotate through each room’s different activities, which will include dance, costume design, and opera singing as it relates to Silvain! 

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artist Omar Cruz and a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

Register for the session below - based on a pay-what-you-can model!

Join Lead Teaching Artist, Omar Cruz, in this online session of Opera Starts with Oh! exploring the opera Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell! 

Dido and Aeneas is a mythical story about the love and betrayal of Dido, the Queen of Carthage, and Aeneas, the Trojan Hero! This opera, is one of the earliest known English operas and was Purcell’s only true opera as it was completely sung meaning it had no talking at all. It is commonly considered Purcell’s greatest theatrical works!

‘Oft She Visits This Lone Mountain’

How do opera singers prepare themselves for these signing roles, representing the characters only through song? Guest Artist and Professional Opera Singer, Cathy Thorpe, will take us through a few arias from the opera and demonstrate how opera singers express emotions and bring their characters to life!

Join us as we dive deeper into the songs and learn about the stories they represent!

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artist Omar Cruz and a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

Register for the session below - based on a pay-what-you-can model!

Join Lead Teaching Artist, Omar Cruz, in this two-part online workshop of The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell – an anonymous adaptation of William Shakespeare's comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. 

The Fairy Queen is a story of myth, secrecy, love, and mystery! This opera, first performed in 1692 (over 300 years ago!), is commonly considered a “semi-opera” or play/opera hybrid because it includes not only operatic numbers, but musical numbers and speaking scenes as well.

In this week’s session we explore Creating Characters with Guest Artist David Connolly, a professional Shakespearean actor, who will use text from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream to lead us on an exploration of Character Creations and how actors bring them to life on stage!

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artist Omar Cruz and a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

Register for the session below - based on a pay-what-you-can model!

Join Lead Teaching Artist, Omar Cruz, in this two-part online workshop of The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell – an anonymous adaptation of William Shakespeare's comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. 

The Fairy Queen is a story of myth, secrecy, love, and mystery! This opera, first performed in 1692 (over 300 years ago!), is commonly considered a “semi-opera” or play/opera hybrid because it includes not only operatic numbers, but musical numbers and speaking scenes as well.

In this week’s session we explore Magical Designs Fit for a Fairy with Guest Artist Jeannette Christensen, a professional costume designer, who will lead us on an exploration of fairy costume, discussing the details that make up a fairy persona, and how to make our own designs using materials we might already have at home! 

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artist Omar Cruz and a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

Register for the session below - based on a pay-what-you-can model!

Join Omar Cruz (Lead Teaching Artist) in the second of a two-part workshop for children on L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi-- an opera based on the Ancient Greek story of Orpheus and Eurydice! Within this dynamic story we will explore the topics of music and dance , artforms the Ancient Greeks believed to be gifts from the Gods to help them appreciate the beautiful parts of life.

This week we will explore how music made the lives of Ancient Greeks more enjoyable with Guest Artist Zuleinette Ralat. More about her below.

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artist Omar Cruz and a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

Register for the session below - based on a pay-what-you-can model!

MEET ZULEINETTE, GUEST ARTIST OF THE WEEK

Zuleinette Ralat is a Puerto Rican multidisciplinary bilingual artist and educator located in New York and traveling frequently to her hometown of Puerto Rico. Studied at the Escuela Libre de Música of Hato Rey and graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with degrees in Music Education and Political Science. She completed training in dancing, singing and acting. While in New York, she has worked with director Luis Salgado and his organisation R.evolución Latina, as well as the Teatro LATEA and Teatro Pregones (PRTT). Is currently a company member and teaching artist at Teatro SEA and also works with People's Theatre Project and Bilingual Birdies. Her most recent self produce works include Respira, Quien no ha amado, nunca ha vivido and La Clase (MicroTheatre NYC). Other productions include Azul, otra vez (BRIC) La Plenopera del Empache, The Pura Belpré Project (Teatro SEA), and El Principito (Republik Teatro Production), performance that earned her an ACE award. She has also been nominated for an ATI Awards and awarded two LATA and an HOLA.

Join Omar Cruz (Lead Teaching Artist) in the first of a two-part workshop for children on L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi-- an opera based on the Ancient Greek story of Orpheus and Eurydice! Within this dynamic story we will explore the topics of music and dance. 

This week we will explore dance and how it was an important art form for the Ancient Greeks because they believed it was a gift from the Gods to help them appreciate the beautiful parts of life. 

Guest Artist Sarah Laughland (more below) will lead us on an exploration of Ancient Greek Dances!  

While one session is enriching for kids, we suggest they participate for the entire month to learn about the story.

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artist Omar Cruz and a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

Register for the session below - based on a pay-what-you-can model!

MEET SARAH, GUEST ARTIST OF THE WEEK

Sarah is a performer, photographer, and dance educator & choreographer. She lives & works between the Washington DC area and Southwest Virginia after spending 5 years at Barter Theatre (Abingdon, VA), where she performed in 33 plays & musicals. In the DC area, she most recently performed at Imagination Stage (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) and Theatre J (Lovesick). She currently teaches dance for multiple studios around the region. She adores learning, and is constantly striving for new and improved ways to move, strengthen, & communicate. She holds her B.A. in Music Theatre from Seton Hill University.

Journey to the underworld through music and song as we learn about how the talented musician Orpheus set out on a journey to save his love Euridice.

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artists and joined by a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

Guest Artist: Flutist Delandria Mills

Flutist, Songwriter, Educator, and Author Delandria Mills is carving a place in the music industry with her unique combination of jazz, classical, and gospel music. A native of Houston, Texas, Delandria earned her undergraduate music bachelor’s degree from Prairie View A&M University and two graduate degrees from The Peabody Conservatory of Music: a master’s degree in classical flute and a graduate performance diploma in jazz. As a classical flutist, she has served as principal flutist of the Baytown Symphony and assistant/associate principal flutist while at Peabody. She is the author of a new book about a preteen discovering the world of sound and music around her. Demi's Flute fills the hearts of young music students and others alike, who are learning to express themselves while finding value and substance in the world around them. For readers between the ages of nine and thirteen, but a fun read for all ages. In the Summer of 2019 the picture book version of Demi's Flute, for younger readers, was released.   

Journey to the underworld through music and song as we learn about how the talented musician Orpheus set out on a journey to save his love Euridice. This week’s Guest Artist: Soprano Teresa Castillo.

While any one session is engaging and enriching as a drop-in, we encourage you to sign up for all sessions in the series to follow the full story and learn all the elements that bring it to life.

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artists and joined by a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

Guest Artist: Soprano Teresa Castillo

Costa Rican-American Soprano Teresa Castillo, has been hailed by the San Francisco Gate as a “standout, bringing [vocal] power and florid elegance,” and by Opera News for exhibiting “a clean, concentrated sound, and a lovely, intelligent musicianship.” Teresa has performed the title role of Guonod’s Romeo et Juliette. Recent competition prizes include the Cooper-Bing Competition, the George London Foundation, the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition, Opera Index Competition, The Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition and the Altamura/Caruso International Voice Competition.

Join us for a transforming story about love and art as we learn about a sculptor's creation that comes to life through story-telling and sculpting. This. week’s guest artist is scenic designer and artist Vincent Gunn.

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artists and joined by a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

Guest Artist: Vincent Gunn

Vincent is a New York based scenic designer and scenic artist. Select design credits: Thunder Rock (Metropolitan Playhouse),The Drowsy Chaperone (St. Bart’s Players), The Yellow Wallpaper (IRT Theatre), A Bright Room Called Day (Stella Adler), Murder for Two (New London Barn Playhouse). He assisted Reid Thompson in creating statues forLa Susanna at Opera Lafayette/BAM Fischer. Vincent has assisted designers at venues such as the New York Philharmonic, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Roundabout Black Box. He can most recently be found painting murals at the American Dream Mall.

Photo Credit: New York Baroque Dance Company, Justin Coates

Join us for a transforming story about love and art as we learn about a sculptor's creation that comes to life through story-telling and sculpting with guest artist, dramaturg Peregrine Heard.

While any one session is engaging and enriching as a drop-in, we encourage you to sign up for all sessions in the series follow the full story and learn all the elements that bring it to life.

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artists and joined by a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

guest artist and dramaturg Peregrine Heard

Photo Credit: New York Baroque Dance Company, Justin Coates

Journey to an enchanting land with this opera-ballet filled with fairies, gnomes and muses through dance and costume design with professional costume designer Anna Kjellsdotter.

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artists and joined by a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

Guest Artist: Costume Designer Anna Kjellsdotter

Anna Kjellsdotter is a Swedish costume designer and cutter specialized in historical costumes and research all over the world. After a few years at Hong Kong ballet as head of costume department  she is now working at the Royal Swedish Opera.

Throughout the years Anna has been working more and more with costume design for stage and  Swedish television. 

Journey to an enchanting land with this opera-ballet filled with fairies, gnomes and muses through dance and costume design with professional Baroque dancer Julia Bengtsson.

While any one session is engaging and enriching as a drop-in, we encourage you to sign up for all sessions in the series to follow the full story and learn all the elements that bring it to life.

About Opera Starts with Oh!

Opera Starts with Oh! is a series of educational lessons created by Opera Lafayette to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artists and joined by a new guest artist for every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children pre-k and up. More about the program here.

Featuring Guest Artist: Dancer Julia Bengtsson

Swedish-born dancer and choreographer Julia Bengtsson came to New York in 2012 to immerse herself in diverse opportunities that have ranged from classical ballet and experimental theater, to baroque opera and film. She has choreographed and performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, UN Headquarters, Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center, and Alvin Ailey Dance Center. 

Bengtsson performed in her first Baroque Opera in 2010 under director Karin Modigh and has since performed in European and American productions by New York Baroque Dance Company.

Photo Credit: Julia Bengtsson / Paul Brissman

Praised by The Washington Post, Washington Parent, and on Austin Public Radio, Opera Starts with Oh Online! is back.

This free family program by Opera Lafayette was created to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artist, choreographer, and dancer Tamrin Goldberg, and featuring new guest artists every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children three and up!

About this Unit: How the West was Sung featuring Philidor’s The Blacksmith

Join Tamrin Goldberg (teaching artist, choreographer, and dancer) with a soon-to-be-announced guest artist for this session exploring Opera Lafayette’s production of The Blacksmith. Adapted and translated from an 18th-century French opera comique called Le maréchal ferrant, this light-hearted, cowboy tale is now set in the 19th-century American West and incorporates sing-along American folk songs alongside French arias.

ADMISSION IS A PAY WHAT YOU CAN STRUCTURE.

Praised by The Washington Post, Washington Parent, and on Austin Public Radio, Opera Starts with Oh! is back for the first in-person session since January 2020.

This free family program by Opera Lafayette was created to introduce young audiences to the magic of opera! Led by teaching artist, choreographer, and dancer Tamrin Goldberg, and featuring new guest artists every unit, Opera Starts with Oh! is perfect for families with children three and up!

About this Unit: How the West was Sung featuring Philidor’s The Blacksmith

Join Tamrin Goldberg (teaching artist, choreographer, and dancer) with guest artists soprano Emilie Faiella, bassist Doug Balliet and more for this session exploring Opera Lafayette’s production of The Blacksmith. Adapted and translated from an 18th-century French opera comique called Le maréchal ferrant, this light-hearted, cowboy tale is now set in the 19th-century American West and incorporates sing-along American folk songs alongside French arias.

ADMISSION IS FREE BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

DUE TO PRECAUTIONS TAKEN FOR COVID-19 ADMISSION IS LIMITED SO SIGN UP TODAY!

The Hill Center
921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20003