What is an opera? For three decades, Opera to Go has been answering that question for students all over New England. Opera to Go is a repertory company founded in 1972 to introduce children to opera in schools. Originally affiliated with Young Audiences of Massachusetts, in 1989 the group won the National Young Audiences/GE Artists in Schools Award. The company presents about 150 performances a year in New England area schools, introducing children to the expressive power and beauty of opera. In addition to their school appearances, Opera to Go has appeared at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Sanders Theatre, The Gardner Museum, WGBH Radio, and First Night in Boston and Fall River.

Opera to Go's most common program, entitled Introduction to Opera, explores the basic elements of opera; arias, duets, and recitative. Throughout the program, volunteers from the audience are enlisted to assist in this discovery of opera, until everyone is prepared to join in a spontaneously composed opera, based on a fairy tale or historical event. This improvised finale is never the same twice, and amply demonstrates how exciting opera can truly be. Opera to Go also creates interactive versions of classic operas, including The Magic Flute, Rigoletto, Carmen and La Boheme, where members of the audience and community are enlisted to help with the onstage action, and the whole audience is drafted into service as an opera chorus!