I created Opera at Cal to help educate and inspire audiences about opera through events, education, and experiential activations. At first developed at the desires of Cal Performances and UC Berkeley, and then supported by the Geballe Research Fellowship through the Townsend Center, I worked with the Bay Area arts community to help develop audiences and show that opera is relevant both academically and artistically in the modern age.

OPERA AT CAL
Devoted to developing Opera-loving audiences in the Bay Area through educational and experiential activations.

ROLE
Creator

AN INTRO TO OPERA COURSE

After auditing the Bay Area opera community, through conversations with the major presenting and creative organizations, I determined that there were very few opportunities for audiences to learn about opera. After more in-depth conversations with Cal Performances (who was later staging Philip Glass’s opera, Einstein on the Beach), and the Merola Opera Program (the training program connected with the San Francisco Opera), I proposed the creation of a UC Berkeley class that would help introduce opera to students (both young and old).  

The class, which was offered the following Spring, covered highlights from the entire history of opera from multiple angles: musical, cultural, historical, political, and more. I developed the curriculum and led several other instructors who split giving lectures, and the class was attended by UC Berkeley students, as well as audited by members of the bay area community.

After the conclusion of the course, my curriculum was integrated into educational materials for Cal Performances. 

EINSTEIN ACTIVATION

I worked with Cal Performances’ marketing department to create an activation that supported their upcoming presentation of Philip Glass’s opera Einstein on Beach. They wanted to engage with students who could take advantage of a 50% off discount. I produced a flashmob-style pop-up performance.

I first reached out to The Defiance Project, a dance company local to the area. After recruiting volunteers from the student population (with the goal of them then also telling their friends and generating additional word of mount impressions), we choreographed and rehearsed the activation, which was set to Glass’s music.

The activation took place on Sproul Plaza at noon on the week of the event. Armed with signs and teams ready to talk to people engaging in the event, the activation generated thousands of impressions for Einstein on the Beach as well as immediate and residual ticket sales. Those interested were then able to walk across the plaza and purchase their tickets at the box office a few hundred feet away.