It’s the morning of May 2 – a hush falls in Hajjar Auditorium as the house lights dim and the Chickens Opera Company takes the stage. The Lower School audience sits enrapt as “The Quest,” an original ‘opera-in-an-opera’ plays out before them. It is the first of three entirely original operas, written, composed, designed, performed, and managed by fifth-grade students. All young eyes are riveted by the work created by their fifth-grade schoolmates, as the operas continue – a bittersweet coming-of-age story and a fantasy-comedy with malevolent fairies taking over an office. Kindergarteners sit at the edge of their seats, and fourth graders lean in to capture every word and aria, perhaps understanding that next year they will be onstage themselves.
This is the 37th year that Dwight-Englewood School has put on a fifth-grade opera, a legacy project stemming from the Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Creating Original Opera’ program. In fact, D-E has been continually doing this program longer than any other school in the country. Through this project, students start with a blank piece of paper and work together to create an entirely new work, honing their collaborative and problem-solving skills throughout the process.
In Italian, ‘Opera’ means, simply, ‘work’. And there is a lot of work involved in putting on a big show! From creating rich characters and musical motifs, to sketching and painting flats, to learning how to work a light board, 5th graders are continuously involved from the first blank page to the final bows. Students learn quickly that success depends on both teamwork and on taking individual responsibility. They become risk-takers, collaborators, and self-organizers. And the 2024 fifth-grade classmates rose to this year’s many challenges with particular focus and exceptional grace.
We are so proud of this wonderful group of 5th graders! BRAVI, TUTTI!