In-School Program

Since its inception, Opera Lafayette has been conducting in-school educational programming in Washington, DC. In 2008, Opera Lafayette partnered with the Alliance Française to bring educational programs to two Washington, DC, public schools with students participating in interactive classroom sessions with Opera Lafayette artists. The overture to Le Déserteur was the first to set out the themes and describe the story of the opera, so by choreographing the overture with director/choreographer Catherine Turocy, students learned and participated in the central dramatic action of the story. The company's young-artist singers also brought the fun of Le Déserteur to a family/community performance at the Atlas Perfomring Arts Center in Northeast Washington, DC. By learning the popular 18th-century song which closes the work duirng the in-school sessions, students were able to join the cast in singing the opera's final scene at the performance.

The programs expanded to three schools in the 2009-2010 season. At the family/community performances, students presented arwork they created in response to the music and story of Les Arts Florissants, and sang the final chorus from Philidor's Sancho Pança. In 2010-2011, third-grade students in three schools learned French vocabulary from Clérambault's La Muse de l'Opéra, and demonstrated this new knowledge for their families before attending a full performance of the work. In 2011-2012, Opera Lafayette will offer in-school programs related to Duetto/Duo and Paisiello's Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

If you are interested in bringing Opera Lafayette to your school, please email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .