Launch of new Educational Opera Initiative
NEW YORK – Teatro Grattacielo in collaboration with Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy have partnered with celebrated Filipino-American painter Lolita Valderrama Savage to launch a new educational initiative. The program, Tableaux Amico Fritz, is an extension of Teatro Grattacielo’s recent production of L‘Amico Fritz by Pietro Mascagni, which premiered in New York City in August 2021.
Tableaux Amico Fritz is a free, educational interdisciplinary dialogue that aims to introduce youth to Opera, Painting and Italian Language in a simple, straightforward way. Tableaux combines five scenes from the opera of Mascagni with five selected paintings from Lolita Valderrama Savage. Each scene and painting are connected to a trigger word meant to engage youth in stimulating conversations around themes of love, self-acceptance and happy coexistence. The trigger words include Earthiness, Transitions, Traditions, Spirituality, and The Power of Love.
“Teatro Grattacielo is proud to add to the educational dialogue about opera and arts in the world. We are happy to be working with artists such as Lolita Valderrama Savage to bring awareness of Opera and Italian Language to our younger generations,” said Stefanos Koroneos, Artistic Director of Teatro Grattacielo.
This initiative supports Teatro Grattacielo’s mission to educate youth about the Italian performance style and promote the expansion and appreciation of Opera to younger audiences. The 1-hour course was designed to not only educate youth about the world of Opera, but it serves to inspire youth to explore different forms of self-expression through various forms of art.
"Everyone should know that arts and music are the secret to putting people together. Having my name and my paintings connected to Mascagni's opera is an honor. Painting and music can blend together beautifully and harmoniously in the same way that we can as diverse peoples,” said Lolita Valderrama Savage, visual artist and painter.
Tableaux Amico Fritz launched on February 1 and will continue through October 31. To further encourage learning, Teatro Grattacielo is offering two (2) $500 scholarships to students who write the best essay about the project. The deadline for scholarships is October 31, 2022, and winners will be announced in December 2022. The judges panel will include Stefanos Koroneos, Lolita Valderrama Savage, Professor Susan D. Tolliver, Ph.D. and Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. If you wish to participate, please email Omar Howard at contact@grattacielo.com.
Teatro Grattacielo is a non-profit opera company that helps to revive great, neglected masterpieces, assist young singers in advancing their careers and educate youth about Opera and Italian performance style. Teatro Grattacielo believes that it is the role of artists to help see the world in new ways. Over the past 27 years, Teatro Grattacielo has produced many U.S. Premiers, while fulfilling its mission to ensure that the scope of that achievement includes the vast diversity of artistic voices, cultures, disciplines, and traditions found in our own New York Community and around the globe.
Teatro Grattacielo
8 East 69th Street, New York, NY 10021
Visit www.grattacielo.org