OperaDelaware Julie W. Van Blarcom, Executive Director Leland P. Kimball III, General Director Telephone: (302) 658-8063 Fax: (302) 658-4991 Box Office: The Grand Opera House, 1-800-37-GRAND www.operadel.org SUMMER CAMP FOR ASPIRING YOUNG COMPOSERS For Immediate Release – July 16, 2001 Contact: Amy Watson or Julie W. Van Blarcom Wilmington, DE: How about a summer camp where aspiring young composers get to develop their own original operatic musical piece? This summer, OperaDelaware is collaborating with The Boys and Girls Clubs of Dover and Newark and The Children’s Beach House in Lewes to present programs at their Summer Camps in July and August. The Dover programs will be presented July 16-20, the Newark programs August 13-19, and the Lewes programs July 12 and August 9. Contact Maureen Mooney at OperaDelaware 302-658-8063 to register or for more information. "OperaDelaware has greatly expanded opera education programming for the state of Delaware in 2001, from three programs to seventeen," said Julie W. Van Blarcom, Executive Director. "This is a key component of our mission." In Newark and Dover, camp programs will be based on the study guide for OperaDelaware’s recent hit production of The Cricket in Times Square, along with portions of Opera America’s popular children’s program Music!Words!Opera! Cal Bracken, head of the Vocal Department of The Clydn Center for the Performing Arts in Westchester will present the programs at both summer camps. Mr. Bracken has been both stage director and performer for OperaDelaware and has written theater components for numerous study guides. Melody Daniels and Denise Croney are the Project Directors for the Dover and Newark Camps, respectively. In Lewes, camp programs will include a July 12 course given by OperaDelaware’s own Yoko Hashimoto-Sinclair in techniques for makeup design and application for a class of 9 to 12-year-olds. On August 9, a quartet of singers in costume and a Signer will present a performance of Mini Opera, giving campers the real-world opportunity to see the typical roles sung by sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. The Lewes program at The Children’s Beach House is headed by Diane O’Hara, Director. OperaDelaware's mission is to enrich the cultural life of people in the Delaware Valley by producing opera, educational and outreach programs. The company presents new and traditional operas performed in an innovative way, using a unique blend of nationally-known stars and rising talent. OperaDelaware programs are supported by the National endowment for the Arts, and the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency committed to enhancing and supporting the arts in Delaware.