Portland Opera to Go

For more than 20 years, Portland Opera to Go (nicknamed POGO) has shared opera experiences with communities around the region.

*Students attend a POGO performance of* The Barber of Seville | Photo by Garrick Antikajian

Ty Chiko as Edward Cannady and Naomi Steele as Beatrice Morrow Cannady in *Beatrice* | Photo by Chris Kim

*Shenanigans in* The Barber of Seville | Photo by Garrick Antikajian

*Students enjoying operatic adventures* | Photo courtesy of Portland Opera

*Careful! A witch! POGO shares* Hansel and Gretel | Photo by Jonathan Ley

*The bohemians of* La Boheme | Photo by Garrick Antikajian

*Students soak in* The Magic Flute | Photo courtesy of Portland Opera

*Jorge-Phillipe Belonni Rosario as Figaro in* The Barber of Seville | Photo by Garrick Antikajian

Shizue: An American Story for Fall 2024

This fall, Portland Opera to Go will present Shizue: An American Story composed by Kenji Oh with a libretto by Dmae Lo Roberts. This new piece illuminates the life of the remarkable poet and artist Shizue Iwatsuki.

Shizue lived an extraordinary life as an inspiring artist with an adventurous spirit, in Hood River, Oregon, despite facing bigotry and imprisonment in American concentration camps, with thousands of other Japanese Americans during World War II. She became a leader in her community, celebrating Japanese culture and heritage while embracing American citizenship. Through it all, Shizue embodied the concept of gaman, which means “enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.”

This opera is the second of Portland Opera’s Our Oregon Project, which commissions youth operas that highlight the experiences of Oregonians through a variety of lenses. This production is perfect for young audiences from 4th through 12th grade. In addition to the performance, Portland Opera offers an arts integrated curriculum and classroom visits.

Explore this production here.

Our Oregon

We are excited to be preparing for the second opera in our multi-year project to commission original operas highlighting the experiences of Oregonians and will be followed by operas about Asian and Pacific Islander, Native American, and Latinx communities. All will be developed with K-12 schools and communities in mind and toured throughout the state and region in subsequent years.

In 2022 we premiered the first opera in this program, entitled Beatrice, by composer Dave Ragland librettist Mary McCallum. This 50-minute opera, intended for middle grade audiences, shares a biographical story of civil rights activist Beatrice Morrow Cannady.

Distance Learning: Opera Elements

In response to the pandemic, Portland Opera has partnered with Portland Public Schools and Gresham-Barlow School District to create Opera Elements, a series of 3 virtual lesson plans and activities for students. Made up of both synchronous and asynchronous activities, these lesson plans focus on 3 main topics: the voice, the building blocks of opera, and composing.

Access Opera Elements here!

Students will have the opportunity to learn more about the different voice types with the Portland Opera Resident Artists and Manager of Education and Community Engagement, Alexis Hamilton, create their own arias, and learn more about composing from Portland Opera’s Co-Artistic Advisor and Composer, Damien Geter.

How do you POGO?

Each year, the Portland Opera to Go company performs 50-minute versions of operas for students. These are sung in English, or English and Spanish as bilingual productions. Some favorite past productions have been Cinderella, The Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel, The Elixir of Love, The Barber of Seville, La Bohème, and Beatrice, the first original commission of the Our Oregon series. The company travels over 5,000 miles throughout Oregon and southern Washington to spark the imaginations of students, educators, and teachers. So far, more than 275,000+ people have engaged with Portland Opera to Go.

“The children loved it. It never ceases to amaze me how well the children engage... And it does my heart good to see [them] enjoy it so much. By allowing the children to interact, you give them a voice”
- An educator from Ontario, Oregon

Performances happen in school gyms, libraries, cafeterias, classrooms, and community centers—all with full costumes and portable scenery. Integrated in-class workshops are available as part of the POGO experience, as well as teacher guides highlighting curricular connections aligned with state standards.

We believe that the arts are an essential part of every student's development. Our program focuses on schools with economic and geographic barriers to accessing performing arts experiences. Over 50% of schools visited are Title I schools in rural communities. We've shared POGO performances in Oregon and Washington—as well as parts of California, and Idaho.

Can I see POGO with my family, rather than at school?

Every year, we share two public performances of our Portland Opera to Go touring production here in Portland. These performances are family-friendly and accessible with live audio description and American Sign Language interpreters.

Can I share POGO with my school or community?

We would love to share the magic of opera with you! If you are an educator interested in bringing Portland Opera to Go or Opera Elements to your students, please contact Alexis Hamilton, Portland Opera’s Manager of Education and Community Engagement by emailing ahamilton@portlandopera.org.

Alexis Hamilton

Manager of Education and Community Engagement

Support this program. Make a gift today.

POGO Champions

Portland Opera to Go is generously supported by the BNSF Foundation, Drew & Sue Snyder, PGE Foundation, Reser Family Foundation, Rose E. Tucker Trust, Roundhouse Foundation, RW Naito Foundation, The Standard, John & Carol Steele, with additional support from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the Arts Education & Access Fund.

With additional support from:

Portland Opera is grateful for the ongoing philanthropic support from our individual patrons and generous donors, James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, Marie Lamfrom Charitable Trust, National Endowment for the Arts, Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Community Foundation, Regional Arts and Culture Council, including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and the Arts Education & Access Fund.