Opera in an Hour Movies

Introduce your students to opera with one of our Opera in an Hour Movies.

 

Opera in an Hour Movies are abridged versions of San Francisco Opera mainstage performances, that are available for free for teachers at educational institutions in the nine Bay Area counties to use in their classrooms. Lesson plans and educator materials are also available for each movie for a richer, deeper learning experience for students.

All Opera in an Hour Movies, excluding Cinderella and The Girl of the Golden West, are sung in English with English subtitles.

Lesson Plans & family FUN activities

Browse through our collection of Educator Materials and Lesson Plans with fun educational activities you can do with your kids and students!

Bizet’s Carmen

Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love

Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Puccini’s Girl of the Golden West

Rossini’s Cinderella

Rossini’s Barber of Seville

  • Woman singing in the opera Carmen

    Bizet’s Carmen
    This beloved opera tells the passionate tale of the alluring Gypsy girl Carmen, the Spanish soldier who loves her and the spirited bullfighter who comes between them. Recommended for ages 10 and up. View the trailer for this movie! 

  • Woman singing to children

    Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love
    In this delightful comedy, the course of true love is made smooth by a “magic” potion. The production is set in Napa Valley circa 1915. Recommended for ages 5 and up. View the trailer for this movie! 

  • Actor playing the flute

    Mozart’s The Magic Flute 
    The story of a prince and a bird catcher’s journey to rescue a beautiful princess. Along the way they find their true loves and discover wisdom and forgiveness. Recommended for ages 5 and up. View the trailer for this movie!

  • Actors performing Girls of the Golden West

    Puccini’s Girl of the Golden West
    In opera’s version of a classic Western, we meet a crafty criminal, a suspicious sheriff and a tough frontier woman with a tender heart. The dramatic love triangle is set in California during the Gold Rush. The opera is sung in Italian, with English subtitles and recommended for ages 8 and up. View the trailer for this movie! 

  • Man and woman holding hands

    Rossini’s Cinderella
    With an open heart and determination, Cinderella triumphs over her mean-spirited relatives. The opera is sung in Italian with English subtitles and is recommended for ages 7 and up. View the trailer for this movie! 

  • Man singing

    Rossini’s Barber of Seville
    In this classic opera, Figaro, Seville's favorite barber, helps two young lovers find their happily everafter. Join them in a series of disguises, tricks and comic twists and turns. Recommended for ages 5 and up. View the trailer for this movie!

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