Funded by the Virginia Opera's Board of Directors and our very own Dr. Stephen Scoper; the Virginia Opera show cased an amazing rendition of a childhood classic: Little Red. The Performance was held Tuesday morning at the Lower Norfolk Academy by the Virginia Opera's in school touring Opera.
As the children flooded the auditorium, you could see the uncertainty as to what they were going to expect. However, as soon as the big bad wolf came on stage and started to sing, you could see a change in the children's faces. Immediately they began to light up, and as the performance progressed, laughter filled the rooms. At the end of Little Red, the children were encouraged to ask the performers questions...hands shot up, waving, flagging, and asking great questions. Mission accomplished, the children were both entertained and inspired! Mrs. Nancy Scoper, wife of Dr. Stephen Scoper, shared her enthusiasm and support as she was amongst the audience during Tuesdays viewing.
Dr. Scoper, being a fan of the fine arts himself, believed it was important to share and expose our youth to the complex and riveting culture we know as the Opera. Sharing the same mission was Educational Program Director, Laura Wigginton. Laura explained to the audience that each performance is carefully selected with consideration on a number of things: entertainment, morals & lessons, and most importantly: stories our children know, love and can relate to.
Per Laura, the artists are all apart of the Virginia Opera's Emerging Artists Program, who are responsible for memorizing their parts before collectively coming together for rehearsal just prior to their opening shows. The nature of the play, whilst educational and entertaining, also displayed wonderful team support, compassion and excitement for each performers craft.
I think it's safe to say the children and adults in the audience, myself included, were given a refreshed image to the fine arts. On behalf of Dr. Stephen and Nancy Scoper, and Virginia Eye Consultants, we would like to give a special thank you to the Virginia Opera for making in school touring performances possible!
For more information on the Virginia Opera and upcoming performances, be sure to check out their web page at: Vaopera.org
The Virginia Opera's: Little Red
John Arida: Pianist/Tour Music Director
Julia Ebner: Little Red
Megan Marino: Mother/Grandmother
Cairan Ryan: Wolf/Woodsman
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