Sounds of Learning

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! To celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday we are dedicating this week's webisode to the feasts of opera! Video Clips of the Week! Our first video clip comes from the most famous dinner scene in all of opera, the Brindisi from Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata . The Brindisi, or drinking song, takes place at a lavish dinner party in early 18th century Paris. Tenor Placido Domingo plays Alfredo, who is in love with the hostess of the party and proposes a toast to love. Violetta ( Teresa Stratas ), the woman Alfredo is in love with, tries to thwart his advances by calling love folly. Our last clip comes from the Metropolitan Opera production of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel . After becoming hopelessly lost in the woods, hungry and tired Hansel and Gretel fall asleep. In this production, the children dream of a feast catered by fish and a dozen chefs. Opera on the Air! On Saturday, November 19th at 1 PM radio...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! Today marks the world premiere of Nico Muhly's opera Dark Sisters in New York City which will be coming to Philadelphia in June. To celebrate this exciting premiere, we take a look this week at the works of young American composer, Nico Muhly. Video Clips of the Week! Nico Muhly was born in Vermont, Muhly received his bachelor's degree in English from Columbia University and his masters degree in music composition from the Julliard School. Only 30 years old, Muhly has already composed over 50 pieces and has written music for everything, from electric violin to movie scores. The first video clip is an example of Muhly's modern music style, a percussive piano piece performed by Nico Muhly himself called "Skip Town". "Skip Town" performed by Nico Muhly Muhly has been especially praised for his choral works. Growing up as a boy chorister, Muhly fell in love with choral music. The next clip is a choral piece call...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! From October 29th to November 6th people all over the country are celebrating National Opera Week. This week we take a look opera in your community! Video Clips of the Week! Our first video clip is from the National Opera Week last year. On October 30th, 650 people gathered at Macy's in downtown Philadelphia to perform Handel's " Hallelujah Chorus " in a Random Act of Culture . This huge surprise received national recognition and has had over 7 million hits on YouTube. Our next video clip is from a 2010 Random Act of Culture at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. Singers from the OCP Chorus surprised hundreds of market shoppers in this stirring rendition of " Brindisi " from Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata . Our final surprise performance comes from this year. On April 2nd members of the Keystone State Boychoir surprised parents and children alike with the street children's chorus from Carmen at t...