With modern technology, anyone can carry around a device no bigger than their hand containing hundreds of opera recordings - even videos! This saturation makes it all too easy for us to forget that Opera, and the Performing Arts in general, are not static art forms. The thrill of Opera, in fact any performing art, is the edge-of-your-seat anticipation, waiting to see what transcendent moment the artist on stage - just yards away from you - will achieve next. Pressing a button and hearing exactly the same performance every time, unchanging, seems drab by comparison. How is a student supposed to experience that in a classroom?

Simply put, they can’t. That’s why, in addition to preparing information packages for educators regarding our upcoming productions, WGO’s education efforts are focused on getting and keeping people – students and teachers alike – involved with Opera on a creative, personal level.

Kansas Performing Arts Consortium

Officially formed in October 2011, the Kansas Performing Arts Consortium is a joint venture among the Wichita Grand Opera, Salina’s Stiefel Theatre, and the McPherson Opera House. The Consortium’s mission is to develop cultural excellence and accessibility through collaboration among leading performing arts entities in Central Kansas. Simply put, we will be working together to increase visibility for the impressive quality of performing arts being produced right here in Kansas, and collaborate on performances in multiple locations around the State, giving audiences opportunities to attend great productions with minimal travel. And we will be using these performances as opportunities to develop programs that will bring artists and teachers together and create more opportunities for children to enjoy and be involved in the arts.

Cooperative Education Programs

Since 2004, the WGO has offered a Cooperative Education Program to local colleges such as Highland College, Southwest College, and Hesston Community College. Through this program, students earn college credit by participating in WGO productions.

• Students get to perform in a fully-staged professional opera production, alongside some of the world’s greatest opera singers.
• Students also learn about the technical side of opera production, assisting in various departments such as props, sets, costume shop, and backstage.
• A faculty sponsor takes responsibility to rehearse the students on-site at the school, so students don’t have to commute to Wichita for rehearsals every weekend.
• The WGO provides lodging in Wichita on weekends and during the final “tech week” for the students to attend rehearsals.

WGO Video Archive

All of Wichita Grand Opera’s mainstage performances are video recorded for archival purposes. While these videos are not available for commercial sale to the general public, the WGO will provide classroom copies to educators upon request.

For more information on any of WGO’s educational activities, or to request materials, contact info@wichitagrandopera.org.