STAGE TUBE: Aretha Franklin Promotes National Opera Week 2012

Florida Grand Opera (FGO) is proud to join opera organizations nationwide to celebrate NATIONAL OPERA WEEK (October 26 – November 4), coordinated by OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, with support of the National Endowment for the Arts. In honor of this week, FGO has prepared a series of free digital activities to increase opera awareness and engagement.

Watch Aretha Franklin talk about her love for opera in the video!

National Opera Week celebrates the vibrancy of opera in America today, and brings the inventiveness and excitement of opera to a national audience. The strength and diversity of established opera companies, community opera ensembles and opera training programs across the United States will be shared through free, dynamic activities designed to engage novices, opera lovers and everyone in between.

OPERA America and participating organizations are thrilled to announce legendary artist and opera lover Aretha Franklin as the program's Honorary Chairwoman. "I may be known as the Queen of Soul, but I love opera, which is why I'm delighted to be the Honorary Chairwoman of National Opera Week," declared Franklin. "It would be wonderful to see more people involved in classical music. It truly is enriching.

"From behind-the-scenes tours to enlightening performance talks to Twitter contests and more, there is something for everyone during National Opera Week," states Marc A. Scorca, President and CEO of OPERA America. "National Opera Week draws attention to the creativity and dynamism that propels our field today. We are proud to highlight this depth of opera activity across the United States."

Florida Grand Opera's National Opera Week Events

#Opera101 Twitter Campaign
Twitter, Ongoing

Throughout the week, follow FGO (@FGOpera) on Twitter using the hashtag #Opera101 as we explore lesser known facts about opera and share behind-the-scenes exclusives, peeling back the curtain on this comprehensive art form.

Opera-ween Costume Contest

Facebook, Oct. 29, 2012 – Nov. 4, 2012

This Facebook photo contest is designed to coincide with Halloween celebrations and highlight the innate familiarity of opera. Starting Oct. 29, users visiting the FGO Facebook page will have the chance to enter the contest by submitting a photo of themselves in an opera-related costume. The winner, determined by user votes, will receive an FGO VIP package. The winning photo will be announced on Facebook on Nov. 4, closing out National Opera Week.

OperaTeen Twitter Chat
Twitter, Nov. 1, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Blogger OperaTeen is not just an established opera critic, but also a teenager. This young member of the press will engage in a Twitter Chat with members of FGO's Teen Council, a mentoring program for high school students interested in the arts. The public is encouraged to join us in this chat using the hashtag #OperaTeen2Teen. The chat will focus on discussing how to increase the involvement of teenagers and other young audiences with the opera.

FGO Podcast Launch, iTunes
iTunes, Nov. 3, 2012

FGO joins iTunes by offering a free podcast featuring resident opera experts and staff members. The first podcast episode, scheduled to post on Nov. 2 for free download, will feature FGO's Music Director Ramon Tebar along with Justin Moss, Director of Broward Operations and longtime company spokesperson, as they discuss "What is Opera?".

In-School Informance
uVu, Nov. 4

FGO's In-School Informance program brings singers into the classroom to interact with local students, given a unique perspective on the art form and the career options within it. For the first time, the community will be able to watch this in-school program as broadcast by WPBT's very own uVu channel. This particular informance, taking place Nov. 1 at Everglades High School, will be available to view on uVu on Nov. 4.

For more information about National Opera Week events around the country, visit www.operaamerica.org/operaweek. Join the National Opera Week conversation on Twitter with #OperaWeek.

Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organizations in Florida, celebrates its 72nd year of continuously producing grand opera during the 2012-2013 season, which features: Puccini's La bohème, Nov. 17 through Dec. 8; Mozart's The Magic Flute, Jan. 29 through Feb. 23; Bellini's La sonnambula, Feb. 9 through Feb. 17; and Verdi's La traviata, Apr. 20 through May 5. Subscriptions for all four operas of the season start at $36 and single tickets start as low as $11. Tickets may be purchased by phone at (800) 741-1010 or online at www.FGO.org.

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