Education

To encourage and promote opera in the Greater Dayton area, the Guild sponsors a variety of adult and children’s education programs. Find a program you’d enjoy and plan to attend or be a volunteer.

Children’s Traveling Opera
An updated Children’s Traveling Opera taken from Bizet’s Carmen is being offered for elementary school students in the Greater Miami Valley area. At the schools visited by the Guild production, students are selected to pantomime and act all the roles except the part of Carmen, who is portrayed by a professional singer. Volunteers from the Guild coach the young actors backstage as the plot progresses. The program concept is unique among opera education programs presented across the nation.

Download Study Guide (DOC)

To arrange for your school to have this program, call Effie Sue Kemerley at 937/429-2308

Opera Marionettes
This troupe of dedicated volunteers runs marionette shows with opera themes for the education and enjoyment of preschool, kindergarten, first and second grade students and teachers throughout the Miami Valley. To participate or invite the program to your school, contact Nora Stang, 937/832-3713.

Opera Guild Vocal Competitions

The High School Vocal Competition program was established in 1973 to award scholarships to outstanding young people in Montgomery and nearby counties. Applicants must be enrolled in the 11th or 12th grade of high school. Accredited professionals and teachers in the music field select the winners. First prize is a monetary award of $600; second place is $450 and third place is $300. Contact Linda Menz, 937/572-3594.

The Tri-state College Vocal Competition (established in 1989 for Ohio) expanded to three states in 2006. Any man (age 19-23) or woman (age 18-22) who attends college in Ohio, Indiana or Kentucky, or is a resident of those states and attends college elsewhere, is eligible. Up to six finalists are selected by audiocassette entry, then they compete before a panel of nationally known judges. The monetary awards are $2,500 for first place; $1,500 for second place, and $400 for the Fran Michael Audience Favorite Award. All other finalists will receive $150. Contact Kathy Brown, 937/296-0543.

Student Dress Rehearsal
Students from across the Miami Valley have the opportunity for a rare treat – seeing a full-dress rehearsal of Dayton Opera’s production of Puccini’s La Boheme, Wednesday, October 19, 2011, at 7 p.m. For many, it will be their first exposure to Grand Opera! In previous years over 800 students filled Schuster Center to experience dramatic musical tragedy. Click here  for more information.

Remembrance Fund
The Remembrance Fund helps support the Guild’s Vocal Competition programs. Gifts made in observance of a birthday, anniversary, promotion or other event, as well as those remembering the lives of loved ones, help further the dreams and goals of many talented young people. Gifts should be sent to: Evelyn M. Lewis, 3104 Carrier Avenue, Dayton, OH 45429, 937/299-4825.