Student Night at the Opera

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.

To receive an invitation to attend, please email your name, your school or group name, the school or program’s address and telephone number, your email address, and cell phone number to educate@sdopera.org. If you attended the operas in the past, you are automatically on our list.

We will send an invitation to participate on August 19, 2024. Participation in this program is by invitation only; once you receive the invitation, 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.

New for 2024-2025:

• A minimum of ten people per group, including no more than two chaperones, is required.
• Once confirmed, lead teachers and group leaders will receive a link to the opera’s study guide approximately six weeks prior to attending.
• Lead teachers and group leaders are required to attend a virtual workshop to guide them in the use of the study guide and to help them prepare their students to attend the opera.
• Bus transportation will be reimbursed for Title 1 schools only (please see below for more information).

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

2024-2025 Student Night at the Opera

La bohème
By Giacomo Puccini
(Sung in Italian with English and Spanish text projected above the stage)
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
6:30 – 8:00 pm
For Grades 3-12 and chaperones

La bohème, the timeless opera composed by Puccini, follows the lives of a group of struggling artists, including the poet Rodolfo and the seamstress, Mimì, as they navigate love, friendship, and hardship in 19th-century Paris. Full of some of the greatest melodies and arias Puccini ever composed, La bohème remains an opera for those who are in love, and for those who remember. We open our 60th Season with La bohème, the same opera that opened the very first season of San Diego Opera.

Salome
By Richard Strauss
(Sung in German with English and Spanish text projected above the stage)
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
6:30 – 8:15 pm
For students in grades 6-12 and chaperones
Please note: this opera contains mature themes and staging.

Salome tells the biblical story of Princess Salome, who becomes infatuated with John the Baptist, a prisoner in her step-father King Herod’s court. When she is promised anything she wants by King Herod, Salome demands the head of John the Baptist, which Herod delivers to her – at a price. Strauss’s ground-breaking score reflects the dark and unsettling themes of the story and every role makes extraordinary vocal and dramatic demands on the artists.

La traviata
By Giuseppe Verdi
(Sung in Italian with English and Spanish text projected above the stage)
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
6:30 – 9:15 pm
For students in grades 6-12 and chaperones

Experience the passion and beauty of La traviata. Verdi’s timeless masterpiece transports you to the dazzling world of 19th-century Paris where Violetta Valéry, a courtesan, falls in love with the young nobleman Alfredo Germont. Despite their passionate affair, societal conventions and family interference threaten their happiness, and Violetta is forced to make a heartbreaking choice.

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.