Who Wants to be an Opera Singer?

Today, I surprised Gemma with tickets to Who Wants to be an Opera Singer?, part of the LA Opera's Saturday Mornings at the Opera.

The performance was at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, in downtown Los Angeles. Doors opened at 10 a.m. For an hour before the show, there were all sorts of activities, including "Dance Like a Gypsy," opera character finger puppets, and Make Your Own Opera Glasses. There were also vocal warm-ups, a postcard station, and a Make Your Own Opera Helmet.

Here is Gemma learning to dance like a gypsy...

The dancers also taught us how to waltz. (The adults in charge of the all of the activities were really excellent. They knew what they were doing, they knew how to work with children, and they genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves.)

Gemma made a "Carmen" finger puppet...

She also made these...

Upstairs, the children sat on cushions on the floor, while the parents got to sit in chairs. Win-win for everyone.

The show was structured like a game show, with a host (baritone), an announcer, a plucky maestro, and three contestants: an overly confident tenor with a Brooklyn accent, a mezzo-soprano with stage fright, and a bubbly soprano.

The show included songs from The Barber of Seville, Madama Butterfly, Carmen, and La Traviata, and Die Fledermaus. The singing was, of course, excellent. I was also impressed by how funny all of the performers were.

It was such an enjoyable experience that when one woman said they still had tickets available for a performance in May, I went straight to the box office and bought tickets for Verdi's Opera Tales. 

After that, maybe we'll try a full-length opera. Humperdinck's Hansel & Gretel is part of the LA Opera's upcoming season. 😊