From community reports
HOUSTON — Houston Grand Opera (HGO) announces plans to present a series of free, family-friendly summer programs designed to engage and inspire young audiences. The company’s teaching artists will travel to community centers and public spaces throughout Houston, offering music, interactive storytelling, and enriching activities that introduce children to the magic of opera and the performing arts.
“Every child in Houston deserves the chance to experience the wonder of opera,” says HGO General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor. “By bringing these programs into libraries, community centers, and public spaces, we’re removing barriers and creating joyful, welcoming experiences for families throughout the city. As a parent myself, I’ve seen firsthand how moments like these can light a spark in a child’s imagination. We cannot wait to share our art form with Houston families this summer.”
The company will be offering three types of programs as part of this initiative. Intended for grades Pre-K-5, Opera to Go! offers fully-staged, high-energy, 45-minute operas at the region’s schools, libraries, and community venues.
This season’s production is Mo Willems’s Bite-Sized Operas!, a double feature of operatic works, both based on children’s books by bestselling, Emmy Award-winning author Mo Willems and featuring music by Grammy Award-nominated composer Carlos Simon. Slopera! shares the story of Piggie and Elephant, two best friends who learn to appreciate one another’s differences. Don’t Let the Pigeon Sing up Late!, starring The Pigeon and companions A Pigeon and Ima Pigeon, recounts The Pigeon’s losing battle against bedtime. The show will be presented in a bilingual English and Spanish edition.
Sing! Move! Play! (SMP), intended for grades Pre-K-2, celebrates opera’s greatest hits through action-packed workshops filled with singing, rhythmic movement, and creative play, while sharing music from classic operas.
This summer’s featured music includes:
• Carmen, Bizet’s ever-popular opera
• Italian Favorites, opera’s greatest hits
• The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart’s timeless comedy masterpiece
Storybook Opera (SBO), intended for grades Pre-K-2, brings children’s books to life through song as HGO teaching artists present an engaging and enjoyable introduction to opera for students.
This summer’s featured books include:
• The Armadillo’s Dream by HGO chorister Dennis Arrowsmith, about an armadillo with opera-star dreams (bilingual)
• Agua/Agüita and Fuego/Fueguito by Jorge Argueta, about water and the natural world (bilingual)
• Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang, about a student’s quest to make the perfect dragon
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears, a perennial favorite
• Maria’s Magical Musical Adventure, about a young girl who travels through time to meet Vivaldi (bilingual)
• Opera Cat by Tess Weaver, about a cat and her opera-diva owner
• The Three Little Pigs, a classic fable
• Westward Ho, Carlotta! by Candace Fleming, about an opera singer who follows her dreams out West
HGO gratefully acknowledges the supporters who have helped bring this programming to Houston: The Brown Foundation, Inc., ConocoPhillips, H-E-B, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, National Endowment for the Humanities, Powell Foundation, Shell USA, and The Wortham Foundation, Inc.
Storybook Opera has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
For more information, visit HGO.org/Community.
HGO’S SUMMER SCHEDULE: FREE PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN
Harris County Public Library System
June 17 @ 11 a.m.: North Channel Branch, SBO/Maria’s Magical Musical Adventure (bilingual)
June 18 @ 11 a.m.: Aldine Branch, SBO/Maria’s Magical Musical Adventure (bilingual)
July 7-11 @ 11 a.m. daily: Sing! Move! Play! Camp at North Channel Branch—a week of singing, dance, crafting, and more
July 15 @ 11 a.m.: Aldine Branch, SBO/Three Little Pigs
July 21-25 @ 11 a.m. daily: Sing! Move! Play! Camp at Jacinto City Branch—a week of singing, dance, crafting, and more
July 21-25 @ 11:30 a.m. daily: Sing! Move! Play! Camp at Atascocita Branch—a week of singing, dance, crafting, and more
July 31 @ 2 p.m.: Stratford Branch, SBO/Opera Cat
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