Through our Opera in the Neighborhood program, children in local elementary schools are provided with an introduction to the world of opera. The process begins with a school visit from a Pittsburgh Festival Opera Teaching Artists, who will engage students with an introduction to opera, voice types, musical styles, dramatic conventions, and ways of telling stories through music. The program then culminates with a fully-staged, age-appropriate opera performance. Students from classrooms across the city come to an auditorium for a performance, which allows them to witness firsthand the ways that various elements come together to tell a story through music. A Q&A session with the director and performers offer students further opportunities to enhance their understanding of the process.