Santa Fe New Music Youth Opera Project—The Language of Birds
About the Opera
As a cornerstone of our youth outreach, SFNM presents The Language of Birds, a two-act opera
originally premiered in 2004 by the Sarasota Opera. Inspired by an adaptation of a Russian fairy tale
by award-winning children’s author Rafe Martin, and showcased at the 2004 Opera America
convention, The Language of Birds will feature an overall cast of 100 children ages 8-18.
The cast will work with a professional artistic and production team, with a professional chamber orchestra
in the pit. There will be three performances in Santa Fe at the Lensic Performing Arts Center, and one in Albuquerque at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in March, 2009.
A True Collaboration
With Schools & Community
This project is an innovative interschool collaboration between a performing arts organization, the public schools, and the community at-large. Students from Santa Fe Public schools will be involved in the production, including from Turquoise Trail Elementary Charter School and Santa Fe High, as well as from other schools. Public school children will comprise most of the cast, and will be involved in the project over a six-month period. Participation is tuition-free.
Involving Scores of Children In a Multi-Arts Experience
Teacher interest in involving their students in this production is very positive, and several other components of the project involve children outside of the cast. Elementary school students will create murals of bird scenes and other artwork, which will be digitally transferred, animated, and used as digital renderings in the performance, serving as the scenic backdrop; and pre-school four-year olds will learn nonsinging “super” roles to appear onstage as baby flock members. An online blog allows educators and classrooms to share curricular and other avian themes statewide.
Overall, the project will serve the following number of children: 100 local youth as cast members; 800+ public school fifth-grade students through SFPS “PASS” Program; 15-20 Pre-K non-singing supers; 400+ visual art-makers. Of the 3,000 audience
members anticipated, 1,600 will be children under age 18; 2,000 will be ethnic minority.
A World-Class Artistic Team
The artistic leadership for this project is deeply experienced at the highest levels of the international opera scene. With support from foundations and community leaders, Santa Fe New Music will seek to provide workshops and classroom training with the artists and classes of the participating schools.
Making Art Kids Relate To
When he was commissioned by the Sarasota Opera in 2003, composer and SFNM Artistic Director John Kennedy sought a children’s story that was sophisticated enough for all ages, but also had overarching themes of personal growth and community transformation. “In The Language of Birds, I found a tale that is easy for children to recognize, with a simple lesson that we can all be transformed by the gifts we receive from each other—and most of all, that wisdom can come from the most unlikely of voices, including birds.”
Worthy of mention: many of the musical themes were derived from actual birdsong. Also, Kennedy is adapting the original score slightly for the New Mexico staging, to include birds that are more indigenous to New Mexico. Look for Mountain Jays and other local avian friends in the cast!
This Program and SFNM’s Mission
It is crucial for arts organizations to find tools that directly impact lives. Community and youth projects like these are a key component of Santa Fe New Music’s work to demystify the music of our time and bring performance and living art to people across ages and demographic boundaries. Through the longstanding collaborative partnership with organizations such as the Santa Fe Opera, the Santa Fe
Desert Chorale, and others; the goodwill and respect we enjoy from the artist and creative community; the expansion and diversity of our devoted audience base, and our personal commitment to children and education; we are confident in assuming the lead role of this youth opera initiative.
Help Make it Happen!
A community project like this can change young lives, and influence parents, siblings, classmates, and friends alike — while creating a celebratory community event that will give us all something to be very happy about and proud of. Santa Fe New Music welcomes the involvement and financial support of the community in bringing this wonderful experience to our children and families!
Please make a tax -deductible contribution to help us realize this ambitious project!
