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OPERA CUBS is the official fan club of Bearitone the Opera Bear @ SAN FRANCISCO OPERA

Membership is FREE and includes the following:

🐾 The quarterly edition of OPERA CUBS NEWS

🐾 Invitations to special family-friendly events

🐾 An annual birthday message from Bearitone

🐾 Discounted tickets to productions at SF OPERA

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Bearitone always loves making new friends! Do you have a friend who would like to become an Opera Cub? We invite you to share this newsletter with them. They can click on the photo above to join the club!

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It's coloring time!!!

Print this page to add a world of color to Bearitone as he strolls the grand halls of the War Memorial Opera House.

Bearitone LOVES to see all the fabulous artwork created by his Opera Cubs! We invite you to share your masterpiece! You can email artwork, photos, and special messages to Bearitone anytime. Just email him at operacubs@sfopera.com

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Here's a special story about one of Bearitone's many adventures in Opera Land. In fact, this was the very first chapter of The Bearitone Tales. In this story, Bearitone visits some of his favorite Divas in the world of opera.

What's a Diva, you ask? A diva is a very important and strong woman who appears in operas. When they're not on the stage, chances are good that you'll find them hanging out with Bearitone back in Opera Land. We're so lucky to have so many powerful divas visiting us at San Francisco Opera each year.

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We have something very exciting to tell you! On Saturday, May 9, we're inviting all Opera Cubs and their friends and families to join us at San Francisco Opera for a very fun afternoon. We'll be celebrating the opera The Barber of Seville, which will be on our stage this summer.

Get ready to stroll a magical town square, eat yummy snacks in an indoor orange grove, visit with a silly barber named Figaro, play games and do craft activities–and best of all–enjoy our singers performing music from the opera The Barber of Seville.

This event will be free and fun for all. A special invitation will be coming your way in just a few weeks. Oh what a grand time we will have together!

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Each spring at San Francisco Opera, we travel around the Bay Area for a special show called Bohème Out of the Box. This April, we'll be driving our magical stage-mobile to Emeryville, Oakland, Woodside, Concord, and even here in the city at Crane Cove Park. Audiences get to sit in the outdoors and watch a special version of the opera La Bohème. (Some of you saw that same story at the opera house last summer! Now's your chance to see it again!)

CLICK HERE for more info. Bearitone can't wait to see you all at one of the shows!

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Celebrating Women's History Month: CAROLYN KUAN, Conductor

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Celebrating Women's History Month: CAROLYN KUAN, Conductor

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Do you know the word "Maestro"? (Say it with me... MY–STRO) It's the special name we use for the person that conducts opera. The conductor stands in front of the orchestra and the stage and makes sure all the music happens at the right time.

Maestro Carolyn Kuan was with us at San Francisco Opera this fall for the world premiere of the new opera called The Monkey King. (Did you see The Monkey King? It was so wonderful! So magical! So fun and powerful!)

🐾 Maestro Kuan was born in China. She moved to the United States of America to study music when she was 14. She is just one of many people who come to our country to share all the wonderful things they can do and help make our home a better place.

🐾 When Carolyn was a little girl, she wanted to be a ballerina. That's sort of like an opera singer, except instead of singing to tell their stories, a ballerina dances to tell their stories.

🐾 Once she was an adult, she almost became a banker! We're so glad she conducts opera instead of counting money! Isn't it interesting how people want to do different things at different times in their lives? What do YOU want to be when you are a big person?

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Bearitone and J'Nai, in her dressing room

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Celebrating Women's History Month: J'NAI BRIDGES, Mezzo-Soprano

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Celebrating Women's History Month: J'NAI BRIDGES, Mezzo-Soprano

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Every March, we paws to remember important women in history. Opera has so many of them! We thought we'd take a moment to recognize strong women who are MAKING HISTORY in opera today.

J'Nai Bridges is an opera singer who travels the world to sing stories to all those who love her. She comes to sing for us in San Francisco quite often. Just this last fall, J'Nai sang in the opera "Rigoletto". While she was in town, she hung out with Bearitone and answered lots of questions about becoming an opera singer. We found out some pretty cool things about J.Nai...

🐾 J'Nai started singing as a young girl in her church. She later sang in her school choir and realized she'd found her passion.

🐾 J'Nai almost became a basketball player! She loved playing basketball, but was having a hard time finding time for practice, games, AND singing. One day, her coach told her she had to choose singing or basketball. I bet you can guess which one she chose! How lucky we are to have her singing stories for us.

🐾 The character she loves to play the most is Carmen. In fact, just seven years ago (before some of you were born!) she came to San Francisco Opera to perform Carmen. We can't wait till J'Nai comes back to San Francisco. How exciting that we'll all grow up watching her sing Carmen and learn new characters to perform.

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Hellooo Opera Cubs!

What a lovely first day of spring we are having here in the San Francisco Bay Area!

Did you miss me?! Like most other bears, I've been busy hibrrrrnating these past few winter months. When not asleep, I've been thinking about all the fun we had during our fall season of storytelling at San Francisco Opera. I got to see so many of you at Opera in the Park, Flower Piano, The Monkey King, and so many fun workshops at our local libraries. Thank you for making Opera Cubs such a fun club to be a part of.

And we have so much more fun planned for us all in the months to come! I hope beary much to see you all soon!

Your friend,

-🐾

Bearitone the Opera Bear