OUR OPERAS
Click on one of the images below to learn more about each of our operas.
All our original operas are available to purchase at Stageplays.com.
These operas were written and arranged by Opera is Awesome CEO Linda Suda, Artist in Residence and Certified Arts Teacher, South Carolina Arts Commission, Fayetteville Arts Council/Cumberland County, NC. Academic research has shown that when children participate in the performing arts, they experience an increase in self-confidence and self-expression, which results in an improvement in their scholastic achievements.
Please contact us if you are interested in bringing any or all of these unique and amazing operas to your school or organization for your children to perform, with free workshops offered by none other than the writer who penned them, Ms. Linda Suda, CEO.
It Ain’t Over ‘Til the Scientist Sings is a children’s opera focused on how the arts and sciences complement one another. Utilizing the beautiful music of opera and musical theater, this opera centers around the original idea of celebrating the arts through the eyes and hearts of the great minds of scientific discovery, such as George Washington Carver and Leonardo da Vinci.
Dialogue in English with a sprinkling of Italian breathes life into what can be achieved by listening to both sides of the brain. This lively presentation takes us from Verdi’s La Traviata and Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers to Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. The opera runs for approximately 45 minutes.
Opera is Awesome is a “learning opera” for children and audience alike. Utilizing the beautiful music of opera and musical theater, the opera centers around the original idea of teaching the audience about the singer’s vocal apparatus.
The vocal apparatus is divided into four parts—the vocal cords, diaphragm, resonators, and articulator—which come to life in order to best exemplify their individual functions. The lyrics of each piece have been changed to augment the story line. Dialogue in English with a sprinkling of Italian brings all of the ideas into focus and makes learning about a potentially complicated subject interesting and fun.
During the opera, the audience is introduced to such characters as Donahue Diaphragm and his ever-present barbells; Vic and Vinnie Vocal Cords, two lovable gangsters, Martha Mouth and her cheerleading sub-parts, and Arturo Articulator, a diction aficionado, just to name a few. This romp takes us from Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus and Bizet’s Carmen all the way to Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Verdi’s Rigoletto.
What is this Thing that is called Love?, our newest children’s opera, speaks to the many forms of love in all of our lives.
As the opera opens, a group of alien beings arrive at the school’s performance. No one seems to notice them because everyone nearby is in costume and make-up.
The aliens approach the narrator of the play and explain that they are on a mission of the utmost importance; they are to find out why this thing that is called love is so important to humans.
The alien leader explains that their people need something to fill a void that their technological advancements cannot. The narrator invites them to stay and listen to the children’s opera. The narrator is convinced that all their questions will be answered.
The opera utilizes the music of Gounod, Mozart, Bizet and others to illustrate how the art of love is realized in many forms. This opera beautifully applies the style of recitative in Italian, which is the art of sung/spoken speech. The libretto and fresh new lyrics, suitable for children, are coupled with great pieces from opera and are humorous for all ages to enjoy.