The Palau de les Arts opens registration for its Educational Program

< It presents its successful educational show 'Detectives at the Opera', which teaches young children how an opera house works
It offers the following workshops: 'Atrezzomania', 'CaracterizaT', 'From Book to Libretto', 'Opera in Construction' and 'VestuArts'
The activity also includes masterclasses with orchestra and stage directors, educational activities with singers and the Cor de la Generalitat (Choir of the Generalitat).

Valencia. The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía opens the application period for its 2014-2015 Educational Program tomorrow, Friday, October 31. Schools can submit their completed application forms, available at www.lesarts.com, until November 23 to participate in the various activities that will take place throughout the season.

The Education Department of the Palau de les Arts proposes for the 2014-2015 Season a wide variety of initiatives to complement the training in the centers, as well as new proposals in order to awaken the interest among students towards classical music and opera.

To mark the start of the concert season in November, Hungarian conductor Henrik Nánási will offer the first of a series of masterclasses. This exclusive opportunity for students of artistic disciplines allows them to observe and analyze the work of leading figures in orchestral and stage direction. Gustavo Gimeno, Davide Livermore, and Jordi Bernàcer are among the exceptional conductors participating in this season's masterclasses.

This proposal also has its counterpart for singing students with 'The Voice of…', an open dialogue between students and established figures of opera who sing in the 2014-2015 Season, in each of their tessituras: soprano, tenor, mezzo-soprano, baritone and bass.

Also, for the first time, as a result of the collaboration between the Palau de les Arts and Cultur Arts Música, third cycle primary school students will get closer in 'Tots a cor' to the work of the Cor de la Generalitat, one of the pillars of artistic excellence of the opera center of Valencia, as well as one of the most prestigious formations in Spain.

Educational workshops 

Practical training is another key component of the Educational Program for this year. 'Opera in the Making' is the first workshop hosted by the Palau de les Arts, aimed at students in the second cycle of Secondary and Baccalaureate levels. Through this initiative, participants learn what happens behind the scenes to put on an operatic production, an approach that will be adapted to each of the titles in this season's program, in addition to Scarlatti's Narciso , presented by the Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo.

The fruitful relationship between opera and literature is also the subject of study in a workshop, 'From Book to Libretto'. After preliminary work in the classroom, students will explore at the Palau de les Arts the particularities of adapting a literary work into an opera libretto, as is the case with Puccini's Manon Lescaut , Bellini's Norma , and Verdi's Nabucco .

'CaracterizaT', 'VestuArts', and 'Atrezzomania' invite students to learn about the work of the technical departments at the Palau de les Arts, such as characterization, costumes, and props. Through a practical demonstration with materials from the operas being performed and prepared at the arts center that month—Donizetti's Don Pasquale and Bellini's Norma —students discover the creation and execution of fundamental elements in the staging, which allow for the contextualization of the characters and the opera's action.

Detectives at the Opera

The Palau de les Arts, in co-production with the School of the Actor, revives in December 2014 one of its most celebrated educational productions, 'Detectives in the Opera', which allows young people to explore all corners of an opera house and thus learn how it works.

The students, transformed into apprentice detectives, decipher riddles, gather clues, and explore the building accompanied by Inspector Römer Just. Their mission is to free Anastasio Galottin, the concertmaster of the Palau de les Arts Orchestra, who has been kidnapped by the envious violinist Gilberto Victorio, who covets the top position in the musical ensemble for himself.

Spectators of the future

One of the main goals of the Palau de les Arts' educational project is to foster an interest in opera and zarzuela among young people, the audiences of the future. For this reason, the Valencian arts center is offering programs this season such as open dress rehearsals for educational groups and educational opera performances.

In addition, the 'Feel the Opera' program allows students from Secondary School, High School and Special Education Centers to witness an operatic performance from the stools located on the second floor of the Main Hall, where they can become familiar with this genre.