Opera on Wheels
Touring Presentation – Spring 2011

Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (touring version, sung in English)

Each spring, Toledo Opera’s resident artists go “on the road” to elementary schools in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan. In April and May 2011, they will perform a condensed version of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, perhaps the most popular comic opera of all time. The plot involves a handsome young Spanish count who falls in love “at first sight” with the teen-aged Rosina. However, Rosina is a prisoner in the house of her elderly guardian, Dr. Bartolo, who intends to marry her himself. The count hires Figaro, a clever, witty barber, to help him gain access to Bartolo’s house. This is just the beginning of a plot full of humorous schemes expressed through vivacious and romantic music. Students will respond positively and enthusiastically to a young lady’s desire to find a boyfriend her own age.

For Grades K-6  •  Cost: $500 •  Duration: 45 minutes  •  Maximum Audience: 450

Available: April 4-May 27, 2011

SPRING 2010 PRODUCTION OF THE MAGIC FLUTE HELPS STUDENTS MEET OBJECTIVES

“Many thanks to you all for your excellent performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute at Ayersville Elementary School…Your performance thrilled my students and aided and enhanced my music curriculum objectives in many ways.” (Eileen Rufenacht, Music Specialist, Defiance, OH)

Opera on Wheels is a natural for helping students achieve a variety of Ohio’s Fine Arts and English Language Arts standards. Following are some examples:

• Developing criteria for reflecting on the performances of others;
• Describing the way sound is produced in the human voice;
• Demonstrating audience behavior appropriate for an art form such as opera;
• Identifying universal characters in {the opera’s} story from time periods and cultures;
• Developing an understanding of the human story and identifying themes of a text.

The Barber of Seville Teacher’s Guide (available online in fall, 2010) will indicate how an Opera on Wheels performance can be matched to a number of Ohio’s Academic Content Standards. Students will be learning before, during and after the performance!

If you would like to book a performance, please call Toledo Opera at (419) 255-7464. For more information about Opera on Wheels, contact Loviah Aldinger at 419-255-7464 or laldinger@toledoopera.org.

Opera on Wheels made possible through generous support from:
The Sauder Family Stewardship Fund administered by The Mennonite Foundation
The Stranahan Foundation
Toledo Public Schools Arts Education Project