SCHOOL 34 KIDS STAGE THEIR OWN OPERA

Could you see yourself performing in an original opera? How about writing the script or composing the music for one?

It's hard to imagine children undertaking such a great task. But a group of fifth- and sixth-graders at Eleanor Skillen School 34 proved it can be done. Students ranging in age from 10 to 12 produced their own opera, Future: Triumph Or Doom?

Beth Brooks, a music teacher, and Eddie Kilty, a fifth-grade teacher, helped the children with the production. More than 105 kids auditioned; 50 were chosen. They performed at their school and at the AUL building Dec. 13.

The kids who participated also learned about commitments. The kids had to schedule their time well because they still had classes and homework on top of their rehearsals.

The opera project was made possible by a grant from the Metropolitan Opera Guild and the National Endowment for the Arts.