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