Program areas at Palm Beach Opera
Pbo's core programs are fully staged world-class Opera productions featuring a professional orchestra, internationally acclaimed soloists, conductors, directors, and scenic designers, as well as local chorus and stage crew. Pbo attracts a diverse audience of over 20,000 Opera lovers and makes a significant contribution to the economic health and social vitality of Palm Beach county. This year, the Opera produced three main stage operas: madama butterfly, cosi fan tutte, and falstaff. The annual fundraising gala featured the internationally renowned tenor, piotyr beczala. Past galas have showcased singers such as diana damrau, michael fabiano, joyce didonato, matthew polenzani, and renee fleming.
Pbo's education and community engagement programs are delivered to a broad segment of the community through free or low-cost presentations and activities designed to broaden awareness and enthusiasm for the art to people of all ages. Programs like concerts in the classroom, pbo studio, storytime series, Opera rehearsal 101, Opera discovery series, anima, opening night dinners, and lunch & learn, provide a deeper appreciation of the Opera art form to over 7,000 individuals annually. Pbo serves over 3,000 local young people through our education programs, providing supplementary educational materials for educators that fit state academic standards.
Pbo offers three artist training programs. The pbo studio program is free to high school students who wish to receive training and preparation for a future college degree in the vocal arts. The bailey apprentice artists are emerging post-graduate singers who perform in the company's education and community engagement programs (see below), and sing in the chorus throughout the season to gain stage experience. The benenson young artists are more advanced singers who cover lead roles and sing smaller roles for the mainstage productions, and sing in orchestral concerts. All programs receive vocal, musical and dramatic training in masterclasses and coaching. Both young artists and apprentice artists sang in this season's inaugural resident artist showcase presented at the cornelia t. bailey Opera center.