Explore opera!
Madison Opera offers a wide range of education and engagement activities for both adults and students.
Student activities include the Student Matinee and the High School Apprentice Program.
Opera Up Close offers an in-depth look at each production, including an artist roundtable.
Opera Talk with Kathryn Smith returns this season. In these free online talks, Kathryn goes down varied rabbit holes of opera and its centuries of history. Find out details here.
Community previews are offered in retirement communities, and a digital version of each preview will be available to the broader public. Find out about Digital Previews here.
Community Previews
Every season, Madison Opera brings free previews of our operas to local retirement communities. Madison Opera staff offer a multimedia look at each opera – their composers, their histories, and details of our upcoming production – and a Studio Artist performs an aria from it.
Salome Community Preview
Thursday, October 6, 7 pm
Capitol Lakes
Trouble in Tahiti / The Seven Deadly Sins Community Preview
Wednesday, January 18, 7 pm
Capitol Lakes
The Marriage of Figaro Preview
Thursday, March 30, 7 pm
Capitol Lakes
If you are interested in an opera preview for your organization, contact us and we will see if we can schedule one!
Opera Up Close
Madison Opera’s popular series of behind-the-scenes previews of each opera returns! General Director Kathryn Smith leads a multimedia exploration of the history of each opera, followed by a roundtable discussion with the production’s leading artists and creative team.
Save these dates to join us at the Madison Opera Center:
Salome Up Close
Sunday, October 30, 1-3 pm
Trouble in Tahiti / The Seven Deadly Sins Up Close
Sunday, January 29, 1-3 pm
The Marriage of Figaro Up Close
Sunday, April 23, 1-3 pm
Opera Up Close is held at The Margaret C. Winston Madison Opera Center. Admission is $20 for non-subscribers, $10 for 2 show subscribers and free to 3 show subscribers, payable at the door. Subscribe and save up to $60 on Opera Up Close tickets.
High School Apprentice Program
Madison Opera’s High School Apprentice Program offers high school juniors and seniors the unique opportunity to explore the world of professional opera. With behind-the-scenes access to rehearsals and performances, one-on-one interaction with professional artists and industry experts, and guidance on training, the apprentices receive a thorough introduction to the production process and careers in the performing arts. Many former apprentices have gone on to sing in the Madison Opera Chorus.
The program is free to students and generously underwritten by Madison Opera’s supporters.
Applications for the 2022/23 season are closed. Applications for the 2023/24 season will open in early September.
Questions? Contact Samantha Garcia at garcia@madisonopera.org.
SPONSORED BY
The Deepika and Rajesh Family in Memory of Lalita Rajaraman
Student Matinee
Now in its fourth decade, the Student Matinee program brings thousands of middle and high school students from across Wisconsin to a school-day performance at Madison Opera. In recent seasons, students have seen productions of La Traviata, Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci, Carmen, and The Magic Flute.
In the 22/23 season, we will offer a Student Matinee of The Marriage of Figaro on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Registration is now open at www.madisonopera.org/matinee.
Please contact Chloe Agostino at agostino@madisonopera.org for more information.