Tulsa Opera makes reading 'sing' for Tulsa families at free event

Opera Story Time is a community engagement event put on by the Tulsa Opera. Last year the opera company reached over 40,000 people outside the theater through these types of programs. "We just want to bring this music into the community and make sure that people have the chance to experience it in any way that they can," said Marketing & Development Manager Alex Johnson.

Opera Story Time

Each Opera Story Time event is free. They last 45 minutes to an hour and include about four songs performed by the company's opera singers. "It is just our way of giving back to the community, engaging with them, and letting them know that opera is alive and being sung by people who live in Tulsa," said Johnson.

In between the music, the singers will read picture books to the kids and their families.

Reaching a Younger Audience

The crowd at Opera Story Time is generally made up of kids from infancy to 8 years old. It is a much different group than what the Tulsa Opera see's at its concerts in the theater. "We have it in wide open spots where kids are welcome to move around, it is not dark like it is in a theater, people can get up, they can dance along to some of the songs, and engage in the books that we are reading," said Johnson.

Grace Wallace is a mother of two and brought her kids Llewyn, 5, and Maeve, 3, to Opera Story Time after seeing it shared on social media. "We are always looking for things to do in the summer and I thought that it would be fun to come here," she said.

Her kids loved it, even though opera is not the music they typically go for. "I studied opera in college, so I sing to them all the time and they ask me not to, so this is my way of sneaking it in," Wallace jokingly said.

Spotlight on Opera

A new program called Spotlight on Opera is bringing 35 students and opera professionals to Tulsa this summer. They will learn, study, and perform opera over a 5-week period beginning on Saturday, July 12. The concerts will be at venues across the city. For more information and tickets visit the Tulsa Opera website.