Access Opera: Tosca

Welcome to the Tosca Education Resources page!

Tosca
By Giacomo Puccini

Austin Opera’s much-anticipated return to live performance is an innovative outdoor staging of Puccini’s Tosca at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) Germania Insurance Amphitheater. Educators and students had the opportunity to experience this unique production via a livestream during both performances – Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 7:30pm and Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 7:30pm.

Austin Opera’s Access Opera: Tosca curriculum is an innovative multi-media unit, complete with TEKS-aligned lessons, activities, assessments, and an Animated Listening Map. This curriculum is designed so you can teach Tosca in the time frame that works best for you and your students. Designate an entire class period and share the complete lesson using the accompanying PowerPoint. Teach it in shorter sections. Here is what that might look like:

  • Day 1 – Background (composer info, synopsis) and first listen of featured music selection
  • Day 2 – Listen a 2nd time, including suggested activities/assessments from the lesson
  • Day 3 & beyond – Listen to some of the alternate versions; try a new activity/assessment; explore SEL connections; Go over Audience Etiquette materials

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Germania Insurance Amphitheater at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a Formula 1 racetrack located just 15 miles outside of downtown Austin. The two performances of Tosca are set for Thursday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. and will feature the Austin Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Timothy Myers, the company’s Sarah and Ernest Butler Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor. David Lefkowich (2018’s La traviata) will direct the massive outdoor production, which will employ more than 125 local artists and stage crew who have been out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Making their Austin Opera debuts in Tosca are a trio of important international artists. A recent Opera News cover star, soprano Latonia Moore is Tosca, the fiery diva caught in the crossfire of love. A native of Houston, Moore has recently sung Tosca at Washington National Opera, Opera Australia, and in Rouen, France. Tenor Adam Smith makes his role debut as the heroic Cavaradossi, and baritone Aleksey Bogdanov is the evil Scarpia. Texas singers take on many of the opera’s supporting roles.

Tosca is one of opera’s most popular and enduring classics, and returns to the Austin Opera stage for the first time since 2014. The first act’s booming finale, the “Te Deum,” will have a unique visual complement in Austin’s stunning sunset, adding ethereal power to the full force of the Austin Opera Orchestra and Chorus. The second act’s most anticipated moment is Tosca’s “Vissi d’arte,” one of the most famous arias in all of opera, in which Tosca reflects on art, love, and faith as she reaches the most pivotal crossroads of her life. In the final act, Cavaradossi will sing his signature salute to the stars, “E lucevan le stelle,” under the blanket of stars in Austin’s evening sky. And in the opera’s thrilling finale, Tosca will make the ultimate leap of faith in a moment of staging not to be missed in this site-specific production.

Go to https://austinopera.org/opera/tosca/, then scroll down and click on the RED tabs to discover more information about this production.

ADDITIONAL ONLINE RESOURCES
Kiddle.co – Tosca for KIDS (appropriate for all ages) https://kids.kiddle.co/Tosca

OPERA NORTH Tosca in a Nutshell https://www.operanorth.co.uk/news/tosca-in-a-nutshell/

METROPOLITAN OPERA Tosca Study Guide https://www.metopera.org/globalassets/discover/education/educator-guides/tosca/tosca.17-18.guide.pdf

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA Tosca Education Materials https://sfopera.com/discover-opera/education/schools/classroom-materials/tosca/

BOSTON LYRIC OPERA Tosca study Guide https://issuu.com/bostonlyricopera/docs/tosca_study_guide_1718season_mk_fin

CLASSIC FM – Puccini’s Tosca: A Beginner’s Guide https://www.classicfm.com/composers/puccini/guides/puccini-tosca-beginners-guide-opera/mario-cavaradossi-enters/

THE OPERA 101: Tosca https://www.theopera101.com/operas/tosca/

VIDEOS
OPERA IN BRIEF: Tosca – from The Dallas Opera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4mkWEpDA0Q