“If we do not instill a love of the arts in our children, there will be no more arts for our children to love.” Staci K. Pendry Mission: Enrich our Children, Enrich our Lives, Enrich Jacksonville
Storytelling through Music – Porgy and Bess Suited for: Middle and High School Teachers. No prior background or knowledge of opera or music required. Educator Workshop Date and Time: Saturday, September 13, 2014 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Catered Luncheon Included, Four Professional Development Points for DCPS teachers Location: LaVilla Middle School of the Arts, Music Room Performance Date and Time: Friday, February 6, 2015 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 pm (approx.) Four Additional Professional Development Points for DCPS teachers Location: Times-Union Performing Arts Center, Jacoby Hall Ticketing Availability: 500 teacher/student/chaperone seats to our dress rehearsal for those teachers that attend our accredited training and utilize the training within their classroom before the opera. Application Deadline: Friday, September 5, 2014. Porgy and Bess Opera Overview The Jacksonville Symphony, in an educational venture with Opera Jacksonville (Metropolitan Opera Educational Partner and Representative) is offering a unique opportunity to bring the art of storytelling through music to NE Florida teachers and their students. Porgy and Bess, a 1920’s based opera on the life, loves and tragedies of descendants from plantation slaves living in Charleston along “Catfish Row” is uniquely American. Composer George Gershwin immortalized this culture and gave us classic songs such as “Summertime” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and an all-star cast will present a rare, special performance of this Gershwin timeless American classic. Presented in concert form, it brings to musical life a modern staging of the early African American form of oral storytelling. The story of Porgy and Bess has direct links to Jacksonville history. The long chain of outer islands, stretching from North Carolina to Northeast Florida, once housed large plantations from which the people depicted in Porgy and Bess originated. Slaves from these islands developed a distinct cultural heritage, known as Gullah toward the North and Geechee toward the South. Today a dedicated number of Gullah/Geechee descendants, including a close knit society in Jacksonville, preserve and honor their heritage.
Opera Jacksonville
300 Water Street Suite 250, Jacksonville, FL 32202
www.operajax.org
904-269-3929