Event

The Rap Opera Project

**Tickets will be available at the door.**

We are reimagining the art form of opera to encompass one of the primary social musical languages of today - rap. Master beat boxer/ rap artist Carlos Aguirre will work with youth to help tell their stories through a new hybrid art form. The project will draw on socioeconomic issues affecting youth to create a narrative of their experiences living in San Jose.

The project will culminate in a workshop presentation of scenes from the work on June 24th, 2017, and will include noted artists Cellista and soprano Alexandra Sessler.

Aguirre and Sessler led free writing workshops with San Jose youth throughout the course of Spring 2017. These workshops were held at Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA) and Juvenile Hall in San Jose. Aguirre and Sessler collaborated to teach the youth about both opera and rap, then led exercises to help the youth come up with their own creative texts. These writings will play an integral role in the Rap Opera Project workshop performance.

This project is funded by Silicon Valley Create's X Factor Grant.