An essay contest in which students can win season subscriptions to the San Diego Opera was announced Thursday by Councilmen Scott Sherman and Chris Cate, and opera general director David Bennett.
Two subscriptions to the 2016 season will be available per City Council district, for a total of 18. Among other things, the opera lineup includes "Madama Butterfly" and the West Coast premiere of "Great Scott."
"It's important that these students see that opera is alive and well here in San Diego, because these students are the audiences of tomorrow, as well as the arts leaders and civic leaders of tomorrow," Bennett said.
He said the contest, "My Voice in the Arts," is open to all students in the city of San Diego in grades 6-12.
Interested students are asked to submit 150- to 400-word essays sharing their own artistic experiences. The essays, which must be submitted by Dec. 16, will be reviewed by a panel of arts educators and leaders, and City Council office representatives.
Local teachers are also encouraged to use the contest as writing exercise.
"What the program does, is it asks students to reflect on a moment when the arts affected them personally, and write their reflections about the experience," Bennett said.
Winners will also receive access to discussion forums, backstage tours and pre-opera lectures.
The program is funded by contributions from the offices of Sherman, Cate and fellow council members Todd Gloria and Lorie Zapf.
Details are online at sdopera.org. For questions, email myvoice@sdopera.org or call (619) 533-7087.
