This Thursday, June 15, 2017, Opera on Tap is putting on Gaetano Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love” as part of its annual Playground Opera Series.  The series was started several years ago and takes part in the playground of a public school in the NYC area.

The program allows school children to get involved in the creation, production, and performance of the opera.  The students are guided by professionals in the opera community and write the libretto, design the costumes, sing in the chorus and explore the overall experience of how exciting the exploration of creating and producing an opera truly is.

The production is literally set on the school’s playground and this year, the show returns to Harlem’s PS 129 for the third year in a row.  The company hopes that in 2018 it will be able to bring this program to more schools in the area, getting more kids involved in the experience.

The performance is arranged by Jeff Hudgins. Mr. Hudgins writes music, plays the saxophone, clarinets, and co-leads Brooklyn’s own Bombay Rickey.  He’s worked with numerous other musicians in different programs and is a founding member of Collide Quartet, which is a quartet meant for people who don’t like saxophones.