Since our beginning in 1978, we have given more than 5,400 performances,
starting with 27 performances our first year and increasing to over 200
performances each season in recent years. We produce a new one-act
opera each year for for grades K-8 and have done 38 productions for
over 1.5 million children since our inception. Last year alone we
brought the magic of opera to over 60,000 children. We have been
well received by teachers and students alike in every elementary school
in the area. No other group has brought opera into the Fresno schools.
The
appeal of opera is universal. This fact is reflected in our current
cast, which includes performers of Basque, Irish, Italian, Mexican, Dutch, German, Russian, and Jewish descent. Opera embodies the best elements of all of the
performing arts and familiarity with it expands the students'
educational experience. This is particularly important in today's world
of television and video games, when our show often provides the sole
exposure to live stage performance during the critical developmental
years. The experience we supply also teaches students proper behavior
and manners when viewing a live cultural event in public.
A copy of the 8-page educational booklet goes to every teacher and is available on our Web site (www.SierraChamberOpera.org) for teachers to print out and use in their classes and for upper grade students to visit. It contains
information about the opera they will see, opera in general, and
pre- and post-performance activities. Over the years, we have included
visual puzzles and mazes, vocabulary matching games using words found
in the opera, foreign words used in the show and a bibliography for
teachers. We
also supply extra teaching aids to those who prepare special education
students for our visits. These materials, which are delivered to the
schools by volunteers two weeks prior to the show, are regarded by
teachers as a significant enhancement to the value of our work.