Given your interest in the arts, I wanted to let you know that the Metropolitan Opera is launching the 5th year of The Met: Live in HD. Sponsored by Bank of America, The Met’s award-winning series of live opera transmissions to movie theaters around the world will reach approximately 15,000 students in 29 school districts in 21 states during the 2012-13 season. Might you be interested in speaking to Rena DeSisto on why Bank of America prioritizes funding the program?
Best,
Lauren
Lauren Davalla
For Bank of America
617-520-7027
ldavalla@webershandwick.com
The Metropolitan Opera’s Groundbreaking HD Live in Schools Series Enters Fifth Season With Widest Reach Ever
The program, which uses opera to teach music, theater, history, and English Language Arts, will reach approximately 15,000 students in 29 school districts across the country
In-class workshops prepare students to attend live movie theater transmissions of operas, direct from the Met stage, and make connections between the operas and other curriculum
New York, NY (October 25, 2012) – The Met: HD Live in Schools, a national program that provides students, teachers, and administrators with educational resources tied to select live transmissions of Metropolitan Opera performances, will reach more students and teachers in its fifth season than ever before. The program, which provides educational resources geared to select performances from The Met: Live in HD—the Met’s award-winning series of live opera transmissions to movie theaters around the world—will reach approximately 15,000 students in 29 school districts in 21 states during the 2012-13 season.
Five new districts have joined the program this season: North Clackamas Schools in Milwaukie, Oregon; Waterloo Community Schools in Waterloo, Iowa; New Orleans Area Public Schools in New Orleans, Louisiana; Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, California; and Buffalo Public Schools in Buffalo, New York.
Since the program launched nationally in 2008, it has reached more than 55,000 students across the country. This season’s featured operas are Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, Handel’s Giulio Cesare, and three operas by Verdi: Otello, Aida, and Rigoletto. Each opera was chosen based on a mixture of factors, including the opera’s applicability to general curriculum, scheduling with school calendars, and entertainment value. In New York City, students will study all five featured operas, while school districts across the country will choose four titles from the list to focus on.
“We are honored to continue our support of the Metropolitan Opera’s HD Live in Schools,” said Rena DeSisto, International CSR and Global Arts and culture executive at Bank of America. “The program exposes students, teachers and administrators to internationally renowned singers and riveting productions. Bank of America is proud to help bring opera to classrooms and communities across the United States.”
The Met has created a specially-designed HD Live in Schools educator guides for participating teachers and administrators that includes classroom activities, musical highlights, story synopses, accompanying audio clips, post-opera activities, and student resources — tools designed to help students become familiar with the operas before viewing the transmissions. This season the Met invited representatives from each school district to participate in a three-day teacher conference at the Metropolitan Opera. The conference focused on strategies to incorporate opera into the classroom, including presentations from a variety of teaching artists, a backstage tour, an opera performance, and interactive workshops.
More information on each opera, as well as a complete list of participating school districts, is available below. Major funding for HD Live in Schools is made possible by Bank of America, with program support provided through a partnership with the New York City Department of Education.
National Participants in HD: Live in Schools
1. Academy District Twenty (Colorado Springs, CO)
2. Albuquerque Public Schools (NM)
3. Atlanta Public Schools (GA)
4. Bethlehem Central School District (Bethlehem, NY)
5. Bethpage Union Free School District (Long Island, NY)
6. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools (NC)
7. Clark County School District (Las Vegas, NV)
8. Dallas Independent School District (TX)
9. Duval County Public Schools (Jacksonville, FL)
10. Emerson School District (Emerson, NJ)
11. The School District of the City of Erie (PA)
12. Fargo Public Schools (ND)
13. Helena School District (MT)
14. Jefferson County School District (Golden, CO)
15. Manitowoc School District (WI)
16. Memphis City Schools (TN)
17. Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (TN)
18. Salt Lake City Public Schools (UT)
19. San Antonio Independent School District (TX)
20. San Diego Unified School District (CA)
21. Santa Rosa City Schools (CA)
22. Tulsa Public Schools (OK)
23. Washoe County School District (Reno, NV)
24. SAU 1 and 29 (Keene, New Hampshire)
25. North Clackamas Schools (Milwaukie, OR)
26. Waterloo Community Schools (Waterloo, IA)
27. New Orleans Area Public Schools (LA)
28. Oakland Unified School District (CA)
29. Buffalo Public Schools (NY)
HD: Live in Schools Operas for 2012-13
Saturday, October 13, 2012 - L’ELISIR D’AMORE (12:55 p.m. ET)
Anna Netrebko and Matthew Polenzani star in Bartlett Sher's new production of one of the greatest comic gems in opera, as the fickle Adina and her besotted Nemorino. Mariusz Kwiecien is the blustery sergeant Belcore and Ambrogio Maestri is Dulcamara, the loveable quack and dispenser of the elixir. Maurizio Benini conducts.
Saturday, October 27, 2012 - OTELLO (12:55 p.m. ET)
Verdi’s Shakespearean masterpiece returns to the Met with Johan Botha in the title role opposite the acclaimed Desdemona of star soprano Renée Fleming. Semyon Bychkov conducts.
Saturday, December 15, 2012 - AIDA (12:55 p.m. ET)
The Met's unforgettable production of Verdi's ancient Egyptian drama stars Liudmyla Monastyrska as the enslaved Ethiopian princess caught in a love triangle with the heroic Radamès, sung by Roberto Alagna, and the proud Egyptian princess Amneris, sung by Olga Borodina. Fabio Luisi conducts.
Saturday, February 16, 2013 – RIGOLETTO (12:55 p.m. ET)
Director Michael Mayer has placed his new production of Verdi’s towering tragedy in Las Vegas in 1960. Piotr Beczala is the womanizing Duke, Željko Lucic is his tragic sidekick, Rigoletto, and Diana Damrau is Rigoletto's daughter, Gilda.
Saturday, April 27, 2013 – GIULIO CESARE (12:00 p.m. ET)
The opera that conquered London in Handel’s time comes to the Met in David McVicar’s lively production. The world’s leading countertenor, David Daniels, sings the title role opposite Natalie Dessay as Cleopatra. Baroque specialist Harry Bicket conducts.
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Contact:
Lee Abrahamian / Peter Clark / Sam Neuman
Metropolitan Opera
(212) 870-7457
labrahamian@metopera.org / pclark@metopera.org / sneuman@metopera.org
