Opera for the Young
Opera for the Young is a professional, touring opera company based in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1970, it brings professional opera programs to elementary schools throughout the Midwest during its spring and fall tours. With nearly 200 performances, reaching approximately 70,000 children annually, Opera for the Young can be counted among the largest opera outreach programs in the nation.
Opera for the Young’s repertoire include age appropriate adaptations of Massenet's Cinderella, Mozart's The Magic Flute, Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Dvořák's Rusalka, Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Donizetti's The Elixir of Love, Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, and Orpheus Returns: The Case of the Underworld Zoo with music from Offenbach, Gluck, and Monteverdi. The musical scores to these adaptations have been adapted by Bill Lutes, Dan Plummer, and Jeffrey Sykes. Diane Garton Edie has adapted or written original libretti for all of these works.
Diane Garton Edie has been the company's Artistic Director since 1996. Dan Plummer has been General Director since 2009. Clinton Smith has been Principal Coach since 2013.