Student Night at the Opera

2025-2026 Season dates just announced! Stay tuned for the launch date to request tickets for the new season.

The lights have dimmed. The conductor raises the baton, and the curtain goes up!

Welcome to a night at the opera, free to students in grades 3-12.

Student Night at the Opera provides students and their chaperones access to the final dress rehearsal of our productions at the San Diego Civic Theatre. This program is offered at no charge to qualifying schools and nonprofit organizations.

You’ll hear the opera stars sing accompanied by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, see the cast and chorus in spectacular costumes, watch the backstage set transformations, and be introduced to the performers and crew who make the productions possible. English and Spanish translations projected above the stage let you follow every detail of the action. The audience will see the operas in their entirety.

Participation in this program is by invitation only; please sign up for the operas you wish to attend and your participation will be confirmed by email. Tickets are subject to availability and are not guaranteed. Advance registration is required.

• Study guides for all operas will be made available to all lead teachers and group leaders to introduce students to the operas they will see. Stay tuned for updates on the 25/26 Season. Here are last season’s study guides:
  • La bohème
  • Salome
  • La traviata
• All lead teachers and group leaders are required to attend a pre-opera Zoom workshop for each opera they attend. (Multiple dates and times will be offered for each opera.)
• A minimum of ten people per group, including no more than two chaperones, is required. Maximum number of people per group is 60.
• Each group must have a minimum of one responsible adult chaperone for every ten students, and no more than two chaperones per every ten students.
• Bus transportation will be reimbursed (up to $500 per Student Night event) for Title 1 schools or groups located in Title 1 school neighborhoods only.

Many operas have mature themes and subject matter. Not all operas are suitable for all audiences. Please note age requirements below.

2025-2026 Student Night at the Opera

Pagliacci
By Ruggero Leoncavallo
(Sung in Italian with English and Spanish text projected above the stage)
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
6:30 – 8:30 pm
For Grades 3-12 and chaperones

The tears of a clown can be deadly. Canio is a comic actor in a troupe of street performers touring the Italian countryside. He also has a hair-trigger temper, and there are whispers that his gorgeous wife Nedda might be cheating on him. Leoncavallo’s masterful score includes such extraordinary arias as “Stridono lassù” and one of the most famous tenor arias of all time, the iconic and heartbreaking “Vesti la giubba.”

The Barber of Seville
By Gioachino Rossini
(Sung in Italian with English and Spanish text projected above the stage)
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
6:30 – 9:00 pm
For Grades 3-12 and chaperones

Rossini’s hilarious prequel to Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro was considered a must-see long before Bugs Bunny brought its frenetic overture to an even larger audience. Count Almaviva is in love with the beautiful Rosina, but how can he get past her paranoid and greedy guardian, Dr. Bartolo? Enter the charismatic, quick-witted barber Figaro, who will stop at nothing to play matchmaker for his lovesick friend. Filled with side-splitting hijinks, mistaken identities, and some of the most popular opera music ever written, this Barber will have you rolling in the aisles before you leave humming Rossini’s infectious tunes.

Carmen
By Georges Bizet
(Sung in French with English and Spanish text projected above the stage)
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
6:30 – 9:30 pm
For students in grades 4-12 and chaperones

The most fearless and indomitable heroine in all opera is back! When Carmen tosses a flower to the soldier Don José, he becomes obsessed, leaving his post to join her band of smugglers. But when she loses interest and sets her sights on a bullfighter, Don José may not be able to handle the rejection.

With a score packed with opera classics, including the “Habanera,” the “Toreador Song,” and one of the greatest overtures ever written, you’ll be joining Don José as you fall under the spell of Carmen.

Location: All performances are at the San Diego Civic Theatre in downtown San Diego.

Cost: Tickets are free of charge, but advance registration is required.

New Transportation Reimbursement Guidelines This Season!

1. San Diego Opera will reimburse ONLY Title 1 schools and groups located in Title 1 school neighborhoods for transportation expenses up to $500.
2. You must schedule your own buses.
3. Schools in districts that provide school buses must use those district buses. San Diego Opera is not able to reimburse schools with access to school district buses for charter bus expenses.
4. Only schedule a bus after you have been informed about the status of your ticket request.
5. Within 30 days of attending Student Night, please invoice San Diego Opera directly (the maximum invoice amount is $500) by submitting an electronic invoice to educate@sdopera.org.
6. Each invoice must be addressed to San Diego Opera, identify the school or group, include the date of the Student Night, and bill San Diego Opera specifically for the amount due.

This program is limited to K-12 public and private schools and youth groups from nonprofit organizations or government agencies only. A minimum of ten people per group, including no more than two chaperones, is required.

For more information, contact (619) 533-7000 or email educate@sdopera.org.

Student Night at the Opera is generously supported by grants from City of San Diego Arts and Culture Commission, The Prebys Foundation, and many individual donors who care about introducing the next generation of opera lovers to this art form.