Resource Center: Opera 24/7
Opera resources, information, podcasts, and sounds are available all day, everyday.
Links to helpful educational content we authored and sites that we used when putting together our education programs for the 2008 Spring Season.
GENERAL OPERA
Readings
- Philip Gossett. Divas and Scholars: Performing Italian Opera (Unversity of Chicago Press: 2006) – University of Chicago musicologist and expert on Verdi and Rossini shares insights into how Italian opera comes to the stage.
- Joseph Kerman. Opera as Drama: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition (University of California Press: 2005) – Using a case study format, Kerman eloquently addresses why opera as an art form exists, and why people keep coming back for more.
- Paul Robinson. Opera, Sex and Other Vital Matters (University of Chicago Press: 2002) – Erudite humanities professor, Paul Robinson, writes “an eclectic work that will appeal to any reader interested in the continuing relevance of ideas to life.“
Resources
- Opera keyword definitions and pronunciations (pdf)
- Opera word search – Test your knowledge of key opera words – Level 1 (pdf) and Level 2 (pdf)
- Opera crossword puzzle – Test your knowledge on definitions of key opera words - Level 1 (pdf) and Level 2 (pdf)
- Blank stage (pdf) – This activity is great for kids to work on reading comprehension. We recommend you read them a story from one of the kids opera story books above and then ask them to draw a scene from the opera.


