Education

MetroPelican Opera, the education/outreach wing of the New Orleans Opera Association, was founded in 1988 by Arthur Cosenza. He chose Metro to represent the 7-parish population base of New Orleans, and Pelican for the state bird. MetroPelican has subsequently toured throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

MetroPelican intruduces students to the opera with in-school programming and free Student Previews.

To book MetroPelican programming, call the Opera's education director at 504.529.2278, ext. 222 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Student study guides are available prior to each of the productions.

Educational programming is underwritten by a generous grant from the Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation, with additional support from the Selley Foundation.

2009-2010 MetroPelican prices, grade levels and availabilities are subject to change

• View a video sample of MetroPelican by Young Audiences/Arts for Learning.
• Read a letter of appreciation for our programming from a local teacher.

In-school Programming

Opera a la Carte

September 2009 through May 2010 - bookings dependent on artists’ availability
Two singer/actors invite students to join them onstage during our lively 40-minute journey through opera's "greatest hits." Using famous excerpts from The Barber of Seville, Carmen, Hansel and Gretel, Il Trovatore and The Magic Flute, we explore the history of opera, foreign language terms and even career opportunities. Best of all, MetroPelican's most popular offering proves that opera can be FUN!
Grades pre-K – 5
$235 single

Hansel and Gretel

January through May 2010 - bookings dependent on artists' availability
Our delightful 45-minute version of this classic favorite has already introduced thousands of children to opera and continues to enchant new audiences. The fully staged and costumed reenactment of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale is perfect for the holidays or any other time of the year.
Grades pre-K – 5/Family groups
$385 single

A Celebration in Song

February 2010 – bookings dependent on artists’ availability
This engaging program is designed to coordinate with Black History Month. All ages will delight in the kaleidoscope of African songs, storytelling, poetry, spirituals and selections from both the Broadway stage and opera.
Grades pre-K – 12/Adults
$210 single

Student Preview

After experiencing MetroPelican performances at your school plan to attend a complete opera during our exciting 2009-20010 season. Student Groups are invited to attend our "Preview Performances" - the final dress rehearsal of each opera - FREE OF CHARGE! Choose one or all four of the operas, which are at The Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Preview Performances are sponsored by the Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation, which also covers the cost of printing our popular student study guides.

For K-12 groups, the suggested ratio of students to teachers is 10/1, to comply with the wishes of our generous patrons. Please note that all productions will feature English supertitles (translations) projected on a screen above the stage, so the action of the opera can be understood at all times.

To register your group call the Opera's education director at 504.529.2278, ext. 222 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Tosca - by Giacomo Puccini (in Italian with English supertitles)
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009, at 7pm
Puccini’s beloved work was premiered in Rome 100 years after the events of the opera supposedly took place in the Eternal City. Set during the turbulent Napoleonic wars, this melodrama seethes with both romantic and political passion. Opera singer Floria Tosca is in love with the painter Mario Cavaradossi, who daringly aids the prison escape of Angelotti, his friend and former republican ally. After Mario himself is captured and tortured, it appears that Tosca can save his life only by yielding to the cunningly evil Chief of Police, Baron Scarpia. Tosca cries that she lives for “art and love,” but in the end takes her own life rather than submit to the enemy. Heartbreaking arias, soaring duets and powerful choruses combine in this verismo masterpiece.

Roméo et Juliette - by Charles Gounod (in French with English supertitles)
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009, at 7pm
Gounod’s opera debuted at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris in 1867, eight years after Faust. The composer again turned to a great work of literature - Shakespeare’s timeless drama of doomed love between two teenagers from rival families in 14th-century Verona. Many of the most famous scenes from the play are captured in the opera: Mercutio’s charming Ballad of Mab, the Fairy Queen; Juliet’s breathless arrival at the Capulets’ ball; the nocturnal balcony farewell of the young couple; their secret marriage by the kindly Friar Laurence; flashing swordplay that results in the deaths of two young men; the touching bedroom scene; the magic potion; and the final, anguished meeting of the “star-crossed lovers.” Gounod lavished on this score a sure hand with a distinctively French touch, creating some of his most beautifully memorable music.

Messa da Requiem - by Giuseppe Verdi (in Latin with English supertitles)
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010, at 7pm
The most operatic of all sacred works, the 1874 Requiem takes its rightful place in a season of treasures from the late Romantic period. The closing “Libera me” section was conceived in 1869, as part of a mass written by 13 different composers to honor Rossini after his death. That effort was abandoned, to Verdi’s frustration, but five years later he resolved to bring a Requiem to completion as tribute to Alessandro Manzoni, the Italian poet, novelist and humanist. Verdi’s admiration for the writer brought out his best – the music is infused with rhythmic vitality, sublime melodies and dramatic contrasts. He recycled a duet from Don Carlos and chose a quartet of singers from the European production of Aida for the Milan premiere, which he himself conducted. Join internationally known soloists from today’s operatic stage, the New Orleans Opera Chorus, and choral groups from throughout our community for this special event.

Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) - by Richard Wagner (in German with English supertitles)
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010, at 7pm
The composer’s own stormy sea voyage from Germany to England may have provided impetus for his inspired treatment of the famous legend. The Flying Dutchman, having struggled to round the Cape of Good Hope during a whirling gale, recklessly swears to complete the task, even if it takes an eternity. He is condemned by the forces of darkness to sail until Judgment Day, unless he meets a woman willing to die in order to save him. Permitted to land only once every seven years to seek redemption, the Dutchman’s ship docks in a Norwegian coastal town where he encounters Senta. Already obsessed with the gloomy myth, she is torn between her lover Erik, and the compelling, mysterious stranger. Wagner’s wild and haunting opera, first heard in 1843, is his earliest work to be performed regularly worldwide. Don’t miss this powerful close to our season!