The Los Angeles Opera will host 500 high school students for the dress rehearsal of its upcoming production of “Omar.”

On Oct. 20, 2022, students from Los Angeles Unified School District, Long Beach Unified School District, and Compton Unified School District will get a chance to take in the new work by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels. Additionally, students will get a chance to speak with artists and learn about the behind-the-scenes from the production team including Abels and Lighting Designer Pablo Santiago, who will also be on hand.

The students’ admission to the dress rehearsal is made possible through the LA Opera’s Opera Prep program, which is sponsored by Wells Fargo and the Max H. Gluck Foundation.

“Omar” opens on Oct. 22, 2022 and runs through Nov. 13, 2022. The opera, which recounts American slavery written by Omar Ibn Said who was kidnapped and forced to board a ship bound for South Carolina, stars Jamez McCorkle in the title role, mezzo-soprano Amanda Lynn Bottoms as Fatima, Omar’s mother; bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch, in the dual role of Johnson and Owen; soprano Jackeline Echols, in the role of Julie; and tenor Barry Banks as Hades. Kazem Abdullah conducts and Kaneza Schaal directs.