The Atlanta Opera

This year, The Atlanta Opera Studio Tour features En Mis Palabras (“In My Own Words”), a bilingual Spanish and English opera.  The Atlanta Opera Studio Tour has a long history of presenting operas for children grades K-5, but this is the first time we’re presenting an opera for tweens and teens in grades 6-12.  En Mis Palabras is enjoyable for everyone, though, so bring your friends and families to see one of the two remaining public performances.

In En Mis Palabras, you’ll experience a story about young Ana Maria, a Hispanic teenager struggling to find her own voice and identity.  At the same time, her father has difficulty allowing her to blossom into who she wants to be.  It’s an age-old parent-child dilemma to which any one can relate, no matter their cultural background.

 

Jayme Alilaw as Ana Maria.

 

En Mis Palabras is told through the eyes of Ana Maria, an artist who loves to draw and sketch. During Act I, the opera takes place in two different rooms within Ana Maria’s house, and then it transitions into a totally new look for Act II. The staging is very real, immediate, and contemporary to keep the production feeling very intimate.

 

Stephanie Sanchez as the Grandmother and Ivan Segovia as the Father.

 

The Atlanta Opera’s production of En Mis Palabras strives to make opera accessible and relevant without pandering, telling the story with the use of music and drama. “If the visuals, the story, and the music are good, the people will like it because of the quality and because of the questions it raises, not because it’s an ‘opera,’” explains Alison Moritz, stage director for En Mis Palabras.

 

Jayme Alilaw as Ana Maria and Pedro Carreras as her brother Rodolfo.

 

 Alison Moritz goes on to explain the personal benefits of experiencing this opera.  “I was introduced to opera at a pretty young age.  I saw my first opera when I was nine years old, and I was instantly hooked. For me, the best case scenario would be for a student to see this tour in their school and, if their interest is piqued, follow up by attending an opera at the Cobb Energy Centre or by participating in some of the Atlanta Opera's other educational programming. I love opera and, to me, it can be as modern and personally engaging as going to the movies or watching good television - I'd love to share this with high schoolers.”

There are two upcoming community shows of En Mis Palabras, and tickets are only $7.  Buy your tickets in advance or at the door.  Take this opportunity to experience opera with your family!

Dates and Locations for En Mis Palabras

Friday, January 24, 2014, 7 p.m.
La Amistad at The Lodge at Peachtree Presbyterian Church

3417 Roswell Road, Atlanta, GA 30305

Saturday, February 1, 2014, 7 p.m.

The Atlanta Opera Center

1575 Northside Drive NW, Building 300, Suite 350, Atlanta, GA 30318

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