| Many American opera companies currently produce opera for young audiences as part of comprehensive education and outreach programs. The premier opera company of the South, Houston Grand Opera, offers opera for young audiences throughout Southeast Texas via its touring company, "Opera to Go!" As a significant part of its programming, Opera to Go! has presented the eight children's operas of Mary Carol Warwick in rotation nearly every season since 1993; six of these works have been designated Houston Grand Opera world premieres. Mary Carol Warwick (b. 1939), a long-time composition student of Carlisle Floyd, is an American composer whose works include chamber music, art song, musical theatre, and opera.;This dissertation seeks to make available information regarding current trends in education and outreach programming for youth by American opera companies, the history and development of Opera to Go!, and the life and works of Mary Carol Warwick. Chapter 1 of this study summarizes the types of education and outreach currently offered nationwide in order to provide context for the study of Opera to Go! and Warwick's operatic writing. Chapter 2 explores the growth and development of Opera to Go!, tracing its origins as a small-scale, independently-owned company through its years of affiliation with and ultimate ownership by Houston Grand Opera. Chapter 3 consists of a biography of composer Mary Carol Warwick, discussing Warwick's background, musical training, and approach to composition with special emphasis on her work with her mentor, Carlisle Floyd. Chapter 4 presents a detailed theoretical analysis of her one-act children's opera, The Princess and the Pea. Chapter 5, the conclusion, includes suggestions for further study.;Several appendices contain lists of Opera to Go! world premiere casts, staff, repertoire, and milestones, as well as letters and drawings sent to the company by children. The appendices also include a complete list of Warwick's compositions, including published works and CDs, a photo of Warwick, and a handwritten recommendation letter by Carlisle Floyd. Additional appendices consist of information relating to The Princess and the Pea: costume and prop lists, song and aria descriptions, examples of recurring themes and motives, and a musical style map exploring Warwick's heterogeneous approach to composing for the stage, in which she juxtaposes and combines the musical styles of Gioacchino Rossini and Arthur Sullivan, in addition to her own compositional voice. |
