World Opera Day
Image Credit: Kilyan Sockalingum
World Opera Day is celebrated annually on 8th February.
It is a day for discovering and celebrating the world of Opera.
Opera is a form of theatre in which music has a leading role and the parts are taken by singers, but is distinct from musical theatre.
Typically a collaboration between a composer and a librettist, it incorporates a number of the performing arts, such as acting, scenery, costume, and sometimes dance or ballet. The performance is typically given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble, which since the early 19th century has been led by a conductor.
However it can be tricky to define the difference between a musical and an opera, but mainly it is to do with the style of singing used. Opera tends to be sung in an 'operatic style' and feature little dialogue.
Here is where you can find out more about opera
- Wikipedia has an extensive article about the history of opera.
- Brittanica also has a wide reaching article about the origins and history of opera.
- Kidzsearch has a slightly more digestible summary of Wikipedia's article!
- The Metropolitan Opera website has excellent plot summaries of the most popular operas.
- Opera Guide UK has listings of where you can see opera and operetta in the UK.