1243 Elm Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Education and Outreach Programs
Cincinnati Opera, the nation’s second oldest opera company, is dedicated to producing opera for everyone, with a wide variety of programming including the summer main stage series, workshops of new operas, and a series of education and community programs. The Dater Foundation provided support for Education and Outreach programs. After limiting education offerings in 2019 due to staff changes and a reexamination of community’s education needs, Cincinnati Opera redesigned an expanded series education programs for 2020. The programs were developed with local teachers and designed to be a true value-add to curriculums, in addition to spreading the beauty of opera. Planned programs included Opera Storybook, Spirituals in Motion, The Libretto Creation Station, The Literature of Opera and Cincinnati Opera Masterclass.
From January through March, Cincinnati Opera presented 45 activities at nine different schools in the Greater Cincinnati area, reaching 1100 students. The programs presented included Stories, Singing, & Snacks, Opera Storybook Hour, private opera lessons, and in-school artist residencies. Feedback from the schools was overwhelmingly positive, particularly in regards to how well the programs fit in a classroom, within a typical class length. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of schools, the Opera was unable to continue in-school programs. However, the organization was able to pivot to creating virtual content to share with students, including four virtual “Opera Storybook Hours” and a virtual opera summer camp. These programs reached over 2000 students online. Like all organizations, the Opera’s plan for spring of 2020 was completely upended by the COVID-19 pandemic.