The intimacy that characterizes Gotham Chamber Opera's performances also characterizes our arts-in-education program. The program began in 2002 with free preview performances for hundreds of students and teachers, followed by discussion sessions with performers and musicians. In 2005, the program was expanded to include in-class residencies, developed with teachers at Gotham Chamber Opera's partner school, the High School of Economics and Finance. In 2007, the residency program's scope was expanded to include the Allen-Stevenson School, our first partnership with an elementary school.

The goal of Gotham’s education program is to enhance students’ understanding and enjoyment of opera and classical music through direct interaction with our productions. To accomplish this, we provide teachers with education packets that include the opera's libretto in translation, a CD of selections, and a host of classroom materials, including background information on the work and composer, suggested discussion topics, classroom activities, related web sites, and glossaries.

Gotham Chamber Opera's preview performances have been attended by students from Seward Park High School, the High School of Economics and Finance, University Neighborhood High School, the High School of Art and Design, Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, Norman Thomas High School, and the Allen-Stevenson School, City College, Hunter College, The Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College of Music, NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Columbia University, Vassar College, Barnard College, and Rowan University. Discussion sessions following the performances provide intimate access to the artistic process, as students share their reactions with our singers, stage director, and artistic director.

The in-class residency program entered its fourth year with our recent productions of Scenes of Gypsy Life and Ariadne Unhinged. In these residencies, Gotham Chamber Opera's teaching artists collaborate with classroom teachers to develop specific curricula that complement student coursework. Past topics have included character and story development in opera, careers in opera, and opera and non-profit finance. In each residency, teaching artists provide opportunities for students to articulate their impressions of and critical responses to the opera's music while preparing them to attend a full preview performance. To support these in-class sessions, teachers and teaching artists attend professional development workshops that aid in planning appropriate themes and activities.

The purpose of the in-class residency program is to help students establish a context for the appreciation of opera, both in their course of studies and in their lives beyond school. The students, teachers, and singers have found this in-depth collaboration extremely rewarding. We look forward to continuing our arts-in-education programs with Joseph Haydn's Il mondo della luna in 2010.