I am writing this on the day the Scouts were supposed to be returning from 10 days in Austria...

Heading into week four of THE GREAT DIVIDE, I thought I might take a moment to reflect upon what nearly a month of virtual arts education, training, and play looks like. 

Well...it has been unique: frustrating, innovative, inspiring, hilarious and strange.

While classroom teachers and directors have been scrambling to try to keep their classrooms on task, music and theater educators are faced with a slightly different challenge: How to keep students engaged in art form that is all about the LIVE experience, while understanding that engagement in some form of creative art is what is going to keep us all going emotionally, spiritually, and even physically during this shelter in place necessary directive.

Here at San Francisco Opera Guild we have been...

Meeting for the first time last month, the Madrigals--our new little sibling Opera Scouts ensemble--is underway!  Jumping into singing and storytelling this fall, these seven young artists, aged 7-11, are busy creating their own opera which will be performed at the December Scout recital.  They are also working on solos and holiday songs for the upcoming holiday album.  Many of them joined the Scouts to see Hot Mikado last night at 42nd Street Moon, and a fun night was had by all.  Make no mistake...these are the students to watch!!

Opera America, the National service organization for opera hosted its annual conference in San Francisco this year, and for the first time teens from around the country converged to participate! Earlier this month five Opera Teens came to San Francisco from Miami, Portland (Maine), Los Angeles, and D.C. and were met by eight of our own Opera Scouts who served as hosts for the conference.  The Teens and Scouts attended sessions on Examining Traditions, Exploring Business Innovation, and Deepening Civic Practice as well as break-out sessions on keeping opera relevant and artists in the community.  Additionally they had their own session and roundtable in which they introduced their home councils and troupes, and gave reports about the state of the art.  Ever polished, articulate, and passionate, these young artists spoke about their goals, dr...

Yesterday was an exciting day for the Opera Scouts! International Opera Superstar Deborah Voigt gave a masterclass.  Five of our Scouts got up and sang and received coachings on arias and art songs. Not only did they receive coaching in vocal technique and interpretation, but the students onstage and in the audience came away with valuable advice on professionalism, comportment, and being a working singer.  Bravi tutti!

Opera Scouts were honored to welcome patrons to San Francisco Opera Guild's holiday event, Dinner on the stage.  It was a fun evening! We rehearsed, we took the stage and performed in the gorgeous space for guests before a sumptuous dinner.  The decor, the ambiance, were perfect.  And we sang beautifully!  And of course had to take advantage of the swanky lounge in the outer lobby on our way out...

October 24 was an exciting day in the Taube Education Studio at the Wilsey Center for Opera.  It was the day we recorded our Holiday Album, released today! With 14 tracks featuring solo and group work from the Opera Scouts, and wonderful piano stylings of John-Elliott Kirk, this album is a spirited and tuneful salute to the holiday season.  After weeks of rehearsal and fine tuning, the singers came together extremely professionally to showcase their joy and love of music in one delightful holiday offering.  Get your copy now before they are all gone! At just $20, this keepsake will warm your December for years to come.  Info/orders: guildeducation@sfopera.com

Please join us to celebrate the end of the year and our fabulous trip to Italy!

On Wednesday, May 23 at 7pm we will come together to sing, laugh, and be merry.

The evening will include:

Vocal recital featuring the Opera Scouts

Merit Badge ceremony and Project Presentation

Scout and parent testimonials

Italy multi-media presentation

2017-18 Graduation!

Plans for 2018-19 and beyond!

Join us!

We have arrived!

It was a long journey--nearly 24 hours of travel, thanks to the Air France strike.  Luckily our outstanding team at Concert and Study Tours (Yay Naomi and Patt!), who facilitated all our Italian adventures, were on it, and got us home!

Our final wet, rainy day in Rome was punctuated with a jovial group dinner at Trattoria Polese near the Piazza Navona.  After hours of slugging through the downpour, we opted to arrive in style by several taxis.  After dinner we had our final reflection which was moving, humorous, heart-warming, and deeply emphasized the purpose of this adventure:  to foster growing curiosity about the world, and know something bigger is out there--in art, in culture, in politics, in life.

The students articulated their experiences beautifully.  Several of them saw their very first opera, right there i...