Opera Interactively Into Schools

The pioneering educational programme for secondary education schools Interactive Opera in Schools is the continuation of a programme that had been successfully implemented by the Greek National Opera in primary education schools from 2012 to 2015. The project is co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund- ESF) by the Operational Programme Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning 2014-2020.

The programme, adapted to the contemporary digital age and the social concerns of modern-day teenagers aims at familiarising students with the art of opera through their participation in an interactive opera production.

Opera Interactively Into Schools will travel across Junior High Schools all over Greece, both live and digitally, with the goal of giving teenagers an original tour of the multi-faceted world of opera. Exploring the creative process behind the scenes, both in regard to space and time, and encouraging artistic experimentation and discovery through the multilevel and inter-artistic nature of the opera genre, are the main objectives if this educational programme. Opera Interactively into Schools is here to introduce opera as a network similar to that of the school community, where conversation, sharing and the feeling of belonging are structural elements for fostering free expression, development and progress.

Students in the schools that will be visited by the Greek National Opera will actively participate in the programme, having the chance to live up close the unique experience of the creative pulse of the making of a performance and get involved in it experientially. Under the guidance of the programme’s educators they will take part in artistic workshops with the goal of co-creating an original sound, music and visual material, which will be integrated into the flow of the performance that will be presented in schools, thus completing the two-day visit of the Greek National Opera.

The students that will participate in the programme from afar will have the chance to attend the performance digitally and explore the world of opera and music theatre through the educational webpage Opera Box. With the help of webinars, the educators will guide school teachers through the programme’s learning goals, enhance the understanding of the work that will be presented as part of the programme, and propose practices for strengthening creative expression in class as well as methods of creatively using the Opera Box tool.

As part of the programme, the GNO presents the new hilarious opera of Kornilios Selamsis Offenbach’s La belle Hélène, with a libretto by Alexandra K*, directed by Yannis Kalavrianos, and with sets, costumes and video animation by Petros Touloudis.

 

Programme planning & implementation: GNO Learning & Participation Department

Coordination manager: Panina Karydi

Tour manager: Konstantina Christou

Educational planning: Kiki Kerzeli, Michalis Moschoutis, Kalliroi Papadopoulou, Ann-Kristin Sofroniou

Implementation of the educational workshops: George Andriotis, Zoi Arvaniti, Ioanna Loutsia, Zoi Lyra, Isidora Papadouli, Chrisoula Politidou

Music historian: Artemis Ignatidou

Communication manager: Myrsini Vasilopoulou