Opera Orlando prepares young singers for the stage through educational and professional-development programs serving a range of ages and experience levels.

The arts have always been an essential part of life—it’s the movies we watch, music we listen to and the performances we experience. At Opera Orlando, the arts are very much alive, offering educational programs that allow students to experience firsthand how this industry works in preparation for their future.

For performers interested in gaining experience starting at a younger age, Opera Orlando’s Youth Company is a program where singers between the ages of 8 and 18 have the opportunity to work with professionals in MainStage productions with a live orchestra and audience in one of the greatest acoustic theaters in the world—Steinmetz Hall. Sarah Purser, education director at Opera Orlando, takes joy from seeing each student grow into the performer she knows they are.

“When I think of the Youth Company, I think about all of the singers who have grown up in the program,” Purser says. “It’s amazing to watch them grow, perform on stage, step into recital settings and learn how to express themselves with confidence, even in stressful performance situations.”

The Apprentice Artists program is specifically designed for undergraduate singers to gain performance experience while working with and learning from staff and guest artists. This program not only differs from others at Opera Orlando, but also from many pre-professional programs at other organizations.

“A lot of programs focus on graduate-level singers or postgraduates,” Purser says. “In this program, undergraduates are working alongside professionals and learning on the job. Not only are they receiving college credit, but they are also getting paid and treated like professionals.”

In-school programs are also available, which introduce and provide students to the world of opera—all from the comfort of the classroom. Within this program, students have the chance to discover in-school opera previews, masterclasses with Opera Orlando teaching artists and invitations to dress rehearsals for MainStage productions.

The in-school opera previews present one of Opera Orlando’s MainStage productions to students. This includes an explanation on the production’s storyline, covering musical highlights and characters as well as a Q&A session with Studio Artists.

Through masterclasses, the classroom environment is turned into a professional setting thanks to Opera Orlando teaching artists. These teaching artists will work with aspiring singers to prepare them for future ensembles and provide students with on-the-spot feedback.

“We tour a full production to the elementary schools, so it’s really important to us that kids are seeing high-quality productions, hearing real music and getting stories told to them in ways that resonate,” Purser says.

As a highly competitive program, Opera Orlando’s season-long Studio Artists program allows applicants to audition for a singular spot per voice type—soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and bass-baritone.

“It is very competitive—for the past few years, we’ve had approximately 600 singers apply each season for the program,” Purser says. “We pick four singers, one from each voice part. We really are listening for voices that fit our season.”

Opera Orlando’s Summer Institute for the Next Generation of Singers allows students to receive the same opportunities as other programs offered, where they receive acting training, vocal coaching and opportunities to sing in master classes with guest artists. This program is not only unique within Opera Orlando, but other organizations too, just like the Apprentice Artists program.

“We want our students to be able to take their life in a direction that suits them and sets them up for success in this field, not just as singers, but as fully formed artists,” Purser says.

Opera Orlando’s educational programs give students a glimpse of what it would be like in the professional world. Not only are they learning and examining professionals through lessons, but they are stepping into the role of being a pro themselves.

“What makes our programs different is simple: Our young singers don’t just take lessons—they perform,” says Opera Orlando artistic director Grant Preisser. “Very few organizations anywhere offer that whole path. We’re not an opera company with an education program bolted on. We develop artists from within this community for lifelong careers in music.”

Opera Orlando
Orlando
(407) 512-1900
OperaOrlando.org