For many people, the notion of attending an opera is a foreign concept, even if the performance is held in their own city. So how can this 400-year-old art form become accessible and even enjoyable for young people today? That is, in fact, a chief goal of the Atlanta Opera, which has partnered with Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School to bring performances to campus that will be relatable as well as immersive.

In the 2018-2019 academic year, Lower School students enjoyed a performance of “The Barber of Seville.” This year, “Hansel and Gretel” will come to campus, and fourth- and fifth-grade students will take part in the show with puppetry as well as singing. They will be provided with costumes from the Atlanta Opera. “This will immerse students in opera in a very different way, which helps to demystify opera and engage younger children,” Heidi Domescik, director of fine arts, said.

In the last school year the Upper School traveled to see “West Side Story” and this year they and Middle School will see a different interpretation of “Cinderella” called “La Cenerentola.” Ms. Domescik hopes that students also will be able to take advantage of attending dress rehearsals at the Opera, which are free and open to the public, with advance registration.

Witnessing unique translations of well-known stories can be very powerful for audiences, according to Jessica Kiger, audience development and education manager for the Atlanta Opera. “Enough can’t be said about social-emotional learning through song and storytelling,” she said. “The live human interaction is amazing and a 45-minute show on the school campus is a wonderful way to introduce students to opera.”

The Atlanta Opera has offered its studio tour program, which visits area schools, since 1979 and has served more than 1 million students. Because the score is re-written and adapted for students, and usually sung in English, students can understand what they are seeing and hearing. In addition, the Opera provides teachers with cross-curricular activities that they can use before and after the shows. For example, they may study the show for a science lesson on sound travel or they may study the history of opera and the countries of origin for some famous operas.

The partnership between HIES and the Atlanta Opera is a key goal of the Fine Arts Department. With 88 percent of students across all divisions enrolled in fine arts courses, the collaborations with local organizations such as the Opera and the High Museum of Art help to feed the interests of students as well as their families. The relationships would not be possible without several key components.

“The arts curriculum has more flexibility than other areas and the administration has been very supportive,” Ms. Domescik noted. “We’ve received very positive feedback from the Arts Alliance and parents.”

Supportive parents include Mike and Lys Paulhus, parents of rising fourth-grader Caroline and rising third-grader Camille. With Mr. Paulhus on the board of the Atlanta Opera, the close relationship between HIES and the Opera will sustain for years to come.

“We were attracted to HIES partly because of the school’s commitment to the arts,” he said. “Part of the Opera’s strategic plan is accessibility and community engagement. Opera is not something kids would necessarily be exposed to and it’s good to see different types of art. Kids can appreciate opera at an earlier age than you think.”

Mr. Paulhus said that the student audiences at HIES can expect a wonderful performance from the studio artists who are traveling with “Hansel and Gretel.”

“They are classically trained and highly talented but they are younger performers in the earlier stage of their careers,” he said. Being a little younger than a mainstage Atlanta Opera singer, he said they can appeal to the student audiences in a different way.

Lower School students will see and perform with “Hansel and Gretel” on
May 5, 2020, and Middle and Upper School students will see “La Cenerentola” on a date to be determined.

— Christina Mimms