Since its inception in 2002, the Moving Opera! program has been delivered in secondary schools throughout Queensland, Northern New South Wales and South Australia, presenting opera and music theatre to some 4,600 students in a way that is accessible, exciting and engaging.

The program kicks off its 2011 season Monday, 14 February. Between February and July, the five-member Moving Opera! team will deliver workshops in secondary schools in the Brisbane metropolitan area, the Gold Coast and regional centres in Queensland, including Chinchilla and Biloela (sponsored by CS Energy), Emerald and Blackwater (sponsored by the BMA Community Partnerships Program) and Clermont (sponsored by Rio Tinto), as well as a workshop in Dubbo, New South Wales.

Moving Opera! is an in-school residency program that focuses on the creative process of making opera and music theatre. The program gives students the opportunity to work with five professional artists. For one week, the artists collaborate with up to 35 students to develop aspects of stagecraft, improvisation, singing techniques, movement and stage direction. Program participants achieve a level of personal growth, especially confidence and self-esteem, which affects all areas of their lives. The residency culminates in a showcase performance by the students and Opera Queensland artists to which family, friends and the local community are invited. Admission to the concert is by gold coin donation, with all funds raised going towards music education at the participating schools.

The 2011 Moving Opera! team members are soprano Dania Cornelius, mezzo-soprano Louise Dorsman,
bass-baritone Darian Johns, director Sean Dennehy and music director/pianist Brendan Murtagh.

The Moving Opera! program has been described by parents, teachers and students as ‘life-changing’.

For more information, visit their website or phone (07) 3735 3030 for details about the schedule.