WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?

Opera Project Carmel celebrates the essence of what makes opera so moving and awe-inspiring – the music, the emotions, the story, and the humanity of opera, as well as the singers’ own voices and passion.

The aim of Opera Project Carmel is two-fold: to provide local singers with the opportunity to explore and perform operatic works; and to reach out to the community and establish a foundation of opera awareness and appreciation through performances and volunteer opportunities.

Our performances are held in intimate settings and presented without the obstacles of grand costumes and elaborate staging that distance the performers from the audience. In Opera Project Carmel performances, this immediacy of experience enables audiences to establish a direct connection with the art.

The "Aha!" factor

In our workshop sessions, and our public "informances" (really a performance with narration and dialogue with the audience) we seek to learn more about the operatic literature, the motivations of the composers, and the dramatic and musical intricacies of the music.

In addition to community and audience development, Opera Project Carmel provides accomplished local singers with the opportunity to explore the operatic art form, to derive a high level of artistic satisfaction from the process of exploration and from presenting high-quality performances to the community, and to strengthen as artists in an accepting and encouraging professional atmosphere.

By bringing opera to the Central Coast via this multifaceted approach, Opera Project Carmel will enrich the lives of its participants and the community as a whole, and will help establish opera as a permanent presence in the classical music scene on the Central Coast.

In these times of tremendous economic challenge, the arts can be a uniting factor in the community, and help to bring comfort and a sense of connection to us all.