We are thrilled to announce that Creative Fellowship Initiative entered a new partnership with Opera on Tap, a not-for-profit corporation with 501(c)3 status based in NYC, USA. This is our first collaboration with art educators outside the EU which we hope will add another perspective and a cultural twist to our program.
Starting from mid-April together we will be cooperating on two projects aimed at educating the young public on culture and arts.
This year Opera on Tap will be leading the participatory module of Creative Fellowship’s show case engaging more than 45 fellows from North Macedonia, Ukraine, and Guatemala in a collaborative experience between students, educators, teaching artists from Opera on Tap, and internationally acclaimed opera singers from around the world. The module will be based on the “Playground Opera” virtual edutaining experience developed by Opera on Tap educators in collaboration with US nationally recognized foundations and educational organizations, including the West Harlem Development Corporation, the Seth Sprague Educational & Charitable Foundation, Enduring Ideas Award from Teach for America’s Reinvention Lab, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Playground Opera builds lasting relationships with educators and students and presents creativity as a life skill essential for success. In this program, fellows will get to know about the fundamentals of opera and learn from Opera on Tap’s teaching artists how to sing, dance, tell a story, create a costume, and make a video. After 6 learning sessions the students will create video content that will be integrated into a culminating opera film based on Rossini’s La Cenerentola.
Part of our collaboration with Opera on Tap will include the fellows’ participation in the the Playground Opera Research Project funded by the Renee Fleming Foundation, led by Opera on Tap. The project will research into the effects of Playground Opera on the development of empathy and social-emotional learning in children. Under the supervision of the University of San Francisconeuroscientist Dr. Indre Viskontas the study will track improvements in emotional regulation, and other cognitive and social skills by surveying children and teachers who participate in the program.
ABOUT OPERA ON TAP
Opera on Tap began as a small monthly gathering of ambitious, classically-trained singers looking for more performance opportunities. OOT has grown into a producing organization that has gained a loyal audience base and national recognition as an innovative force on the classical music scene. Through its Chapter program, which now has twenty-five vibrant national and international chapters, OOT has created the world’s largest network of operatic performers, creators, and supporters.
Along the way, Opera on Tap has developed the Immersive Opera Project, New Brew, and other programming that commissions living composers, and performs works of contemporary composers. Opera on Tap’s flagship education program, Playground Opera, educates children in the world of opera, music and theatre across the globe. Opera on Tap is headquartered as a national organization in Brooklyn, NY and, in addition to supporting our chapters around the world, presents locally produced programs intended to adhere to our mission of community engagement through opera.
ABOUT RENÉE FLEMING FOUNDATION
The Renée Fleming Foundation is committed to helping to build the future of music and health research, as well as nurturing emerging artists, through targeted projects and support of recognized organizations doing this crucial work. The Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
ABOUT DR. INDRE VISKONTAS AND HER RESEARCH
Dr. Indre Viskontas, a neuroscientist at the University of San Francisco, will partner with Opera on Tap to conduct research that tracks improvements in students’ emotional regulation and other cognitive and social skills. Viskontas, who is a member of the Opera on Tap Advisory Council, is an opera singer and director with a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience. Besides being on the faculty of USF, Viskontas is also a faculty member of San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
