Collinsville High School hosted Opera on the GO! – Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ educational program for students grades 3-10. On October 22, 2018, students from Collinsville Middle School choir joined CHS choirs for the series of workshops highlighting opera as a musical genre and theatrical experience.
Opera on the GO! at CHS was made possible by a grant from the Maritz Arts and Education Fund for Teachers through the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis.
The two-hour program featured three interactive workshops on singing styles, stage movement, and makeup. Afterward, students had an opportunity ask questions and experience a performance of an adaptation of The Barber of Seville.
The visit to CHS marked the beginning of a 20-school tour by Opera on the GO! which will continue through November 2, 2018.
CHS students will utilize their Opera Theatre training when they present Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian-Carlo Menotti, on Friday, December 14th at 7:00 pm in the CHS auditorium.
Amhal and the Night Visitors is a one-act family-friendly opera. The December performance is in collaboration with the SIU-E Opera Theater Class and Starlight Dance Studio in Highland. Tickets are $5 available at the door.
The 2018 Opera on the GO! abridged performance of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville is directed by Brian Leudloff, a former assistant director at OTSL. Timothy Cheung is the music director and accompanist. The cast includes talented young singers from throughout the country. Michael St. Peter is Count Almaviva, and Gregory Feldmann is Figaro, the barber he enlists to rescue the object of his affections, Rosina, sung by Teresa Castillo. Dr. Bartolo, her guardian, is performed by Andrew Simpson and Rheanna Thelwell is his maid Berta.
Opera Theatre of Saint Louisis funded in part by theRegional Arts Commission, Arts and Education Council,National Endowment for the Artsand theMissouri Arts Council, with audience building programs supported byThe Wallace Foundation. Opera on the GO! is made possible by the Monsanto Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer, dedicated to strengthening the communities where farmers and Bayer Company employees live and work.