UNM, Santa Fe Opera organizes summer camp for children

SANTA FE, N.M. – This year, the Santa Fe Opera is teaming up with the UNM Music Prep School for a unique summer camp.

“We tend to have come to have kids come out of this camp and be able to say, down the line, hey, I sang opera, I created an opera, I created an ostinato,” co-director Charles Gamble said.

Over the course of a week, a group of students – in third through sixth grade – will work with professionals to write and perform their own, original opera.

Gamble says it could be a single, 10-minute story or a series of operatic sketches. Students will decide the plot, characters, music, set design and everything else it takes to put a show together.

"It’s gonna go fast, you know, but that’s the that’s our mission,” he says.

Gamble says students do not need any music, theater or writing experience because that’s not the point.

"It’s really going to be focused on creating a safe, supportive space for students to not only create but create collaboratively," he said.

The opera is offering two different sessions this summer:

• June 6-10, Santa Fe
• June 13-17, Albuquerque

Opera representatives say there are up to 20 spots in each session that parents can register their kids for online.