Lyric Opera 2024-2025 Issue 7 - La bohème

71 | Lyric Opera of Chicago “I thought I was going to have to do a lot more work to get kids to be interested in opera, but they come to it already interested,” Ingebrigtsen observes. “And the students pick up on you being excited. All you have to really bring is the love that you feel for opera and the excitement you have to be there, and they’ll respond to that immediately. It’s wonderful.” Of particular note is the annual class trip to Lyric through Lyric’s Opera Discovery Project. The sixth graders are attending the dress rehearsal of La Bohème ; they will then be prompted to reflect on their experience through a creation of their choice — a Spotify playlist that delves into a character’s motivations, perhaps, or a modern reproduction of a select scene. “It’s one thing to sit in your seats and watch a story unfold, or to write an essay about it,” says Elise LaBarge, Lyric Unlimited Learning Programs Manager. “It’s another thing to rewrite the scene with your friends and get up and act it out.” And creating these memories for the students often motivates them to return to opera and the performing arts. Being exposed to live performance at a young age can be life-changing for those who have never experienced it before. After all, each performance comes with its own unique moments and challenges. And as younger generations grow up in an increasingly technological world — with content ever-present at their fingertips — it’s special to have an experience that cannot be replicated. “Even in our shows, our kids know unexpected things happen,” explains Cholod. “We do two big performances a year. We might skip a couple of pages, or make a mistake and fix it. They may forget a line and improvise, and then they’re rock stars. Everybody remembers that. Performing is very special. It’s almost like a lost art form.” Hitch Elementary’s regular participation in Lyric programs also builds a culture of opera in the school, according to LaBarge. “They value the program for all of its layers,” she notes. This appreciation then creates important curricular connections for students, which LaBarge and Cholod both cite as an important component of Lyric’s partnership with Hitch. There is a significant overlap between the themes explored in Lyric Unlimited programs, for instance, and those explored in a language arts class, such as character motivations and narrative structure. Ingebrigtsen notes that she utilizes natural connections between science and the Bernoulli effect on vocal folds; poetry and the libretto of an opera; and the diverse languages that make up genres of opera like zarzuela. While Ingebrigtsen’s role may provide students with an entry point to opera, her work extends far past a mere introduction. Thanks to passionate educators like Cholod and Davis, she is granted the opportunity to watch people being “bitten by the opera bug.” The countless hours put into education and program administration by everyone involved serve to ensure opera is a continuous presence in the younger generation’s lives. “When an opera touches you… you can’t measure that,” Cholod explains. “You can’t quantify that, because those are the experiences that touch your heart and your soul. That’s the magic of music.” At a recent career day at Hitch Elementary,some students considered a specialized profession.