Diva Joyce sets up high-school students channel
mainJoyce DiDonato, ever an online pioneer, has created her own video channel Opera Rocks, as a place for shy high school students to share their opera passions. She believes kids who love arts can be isolated at school. Here they can meet in secret.
Joyce is funding the site herself and will run it for the students and will be a constant presence on it with posts, videos, diva interviews, photos and messages.
She says:
‘I’ve noticed a fabulous trend from social media about young opera lovers: often times in high school, they will feel as if they are the only person on the planet who likes opera because they may be the only one at their school who (secretly!) has a passion for it. Through social media, however, they can connect across cities, states, even countries. Many times a group of 15-20 of them have saved up and made the trip to their “first live opera”, and they meet at the stage door to complete their experience full-circle. It’s been one of the most encouraging things I’ve seen in this business. I am simply giving back to them, letting them know they are not alone, and providing a platform for them to connect and share this wonderful, eye-opening world of opera.’
I’m of retirement age and could use such a channel. I’ve often been the only opera lover among my colleagues and carpoolers. What a wonderful idea. I definitely hope it succeeds.
Brilliant idea. At school I was considered weird because of my love for opera and classical music. Fortunately I had two close friends who were opera lovers, but we were all isolated. I went to opera school, but was not good enough to become a professional, but did become a writer. I turned my experience and passion into my first novel, Vissi d’arte.
Good for Joyce. She has long championed kids in the arts and refutes the “opera is dying” mantra. She is a powerful ambassador for opera and has the intelligence and energy to really make this initiative work well.