In early August, Long Beach Opera hopes to show that opera can be as engaging for children as it is for seasoned music lovers.
Throughout the first week of August, the company’s education program will return to the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Honda Pacific Visions Theater with “Acquaprofonda” (“Deep Water”), a free, half-hour opera that combines environmental awareness with an accessible, family-friendly story about courage, compassion, and the power of speaking up.
Presented in English with free admission, “Acquaprofonda” follows Serena, a young girl who discovers an ailing whale poisoned by plastic pollution. As she uncovers the connection between the whale’s illness and a factory contaminating the sea, Serena inspires the adults around her to confront environmental destruction and stand up for what’s right.
Designed with younger audiences in mind but still tackling timely themes, the opera has already earned acclaim. Originally commissioned by Italy’s Teatro Sociale di Como in co-production with the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma as part of the country’s Opera Education Initiative, “Acquaprofonda” received the prestigious Filippo Siebaneck Award for excellence in music education and youth engagement.
Scenes from Long Beach Opera’s “Acquaprofunda,” which will be performed at the Aquarium of the Pacific for free in early August. (Photo courtesy of Andres Leon/LBO).
Scenes from Long Beach Opera’s “Acquaprofunda,” which will be performed at the Aquarium of the Pacific for free in early August. (Photo courtesy of Andres Leon/LBO).
Scenes from Long Beach Opera’s “Acquaprofunda,” which will be performed at the Aquarium of the Pacific for free in early August. (Photo courtesy of Andres Leon/LBO).
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Scenes from Long Beach Opera’s “Acquaprofunda,” which will be performed at the Aquarium of the Pacific for free in early August. (Photo courtesy of Andres Leon/LBO).
Long Beach Opera introduced the work to American audiences last year in a newly translated English-language production, and its return speaks to both its popularity and the company’s growing commitment to cultivating the next generation of opera lovers.
One of the production’s greatest attractions is its score by Italian composer Giovanni Sollima, a celebrated cellist.
A true virtuoso, Sollima has built an international reputation for astonishing technical command, frequently performing music that pushes the instrument beyond traditional boundaries while blending classical traditions with folk music, jazz, rock and Mediterranean influences.
As a composer, Sollima brings that same adventurous spirit to his music, creating scores that are emotionally engaging and rhythmically alive — qualities that make “Acquaprofonda” especially effective for audiences of all ages.
The libretto comes from acclaimed Italian novelist and screenwriter Giancarlo De Cataldo, with an English adaptation by Elle Moody that makes the story resonate with American audiences while preserving its universal message.
Visitors to the opera at Aquarium of the Pacific in August can participate in activity sessions beginning 30 minutes before and continuing after each performance, including hands-on art projects, photo opportunities, and Q&A sessions with the cast.
Running just 30 minutes, “Acquaprofonda” offers an ideal introduction for young children while giving adults an opportunity to experience contemporary opera in an unusual and inspiring setting.
Head to longbeachopera.org/acquaprofonda to reserve for your free ticket.
‘Positive Fragmentation’
Fragmentation has long been one of postmodernism’s defining ideas. Breaking narratives, shattering images, rejecting notions of one truth. It’s all rather intellectual.
But when it’s done well, fragmentation can be deeply touching. The most compelling contemporary artists understand that brokenness can reveal just as much as wholeness.
That idea lies at the heart of “Positive Fragmentation: From the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation,” on view Sept. 27 at the Long Beach Museum of Art’s Ocean Boulevard campus.
Organized by the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the exhibition brings together more than 180 prints by some of the most influential contemporary artists working today, each using fragmentation not simply as a visual device, but as a way of rethinking how we see the world.
Rather than presenting fractured forms as symbols of postmodern chaos, “Positive Fragmentation” embraces disruption as an act of possibility.
The Long Beach Museum of Art at 2300 E. Ocean Blvd. (File photo by Kyusung Gong)
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The Long Beach Museum of Art’s downtown campus. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
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The Long Beach Museum of Art at 2300 E. Ocean Blvd. (File photo by Kyusung Gong)
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Feminist scholar Lucy Lippard coined the term “positive fragmentation” to describe an artistic approach that dismantles accepted images, stories, and assumptions before rebuilding them into something richer.
That process has been especially significant for artists from historically marginalized communities, who have often had to reconstruct identities left incomplete by traditional narratives.
The exhibition showcases an extraordinary roster of artists whose approaches to fragmentation are as varied as their mediums and subjects. Visitors will encounter the psychologically charged work of Louise Bourgeois, the layered abstractions of Julie Mehretu, the razor-sharp social critiques of Jenny Holzer, the haunting silhouettes of Kara Walker, the Afrofuturist collages of Wangechi Mutu, and far more.
Across over 180 works, viewers will find no single definition of fragmentation, but rather, an invitation to consider how breaking apart can become an act of creation.
To learn more or get tickets, visit shorturl.at/s3gq2.
‘Jazz on the Bay’
The Long Beach Symphony invites guests to take advantage of the summer in “Jazz by the Bay” on Sunday, Aug. 2, with an intimate fundraising event held on the waterfront terrace of a private Long Beach Peninsula residence overlooking Alamitos Bay.
Designed as an exclusive summer gathering, the event pairs great live music with fine dining, scenic coastal views, and the chance to support one of the Symphony’s most important missions: music education.
Leading the performance is Brian Scanlon, the Long Beach Symphony’s acclaimed saxophonist, whose career spans orchestral performance, jazz, studio recording, and touring.
Audiences can expect an afternoon of jazz that balances technical brilliance with the spontaneity and warmth that have made the genre a cornerstone of American music.
Guests of “Jazz by the Bay” will also enjoy wine and beverage service alongside a curated selection of chef-crafted light bites prepared by Chef Julio Nascimento, allowing the culinary experience to unfold alongside the music.
Alamitos Bay serves as the backdrop, of course.
Beyond its idyllic setting, though, the afternoon serves a meaningful purpose. Proceeds directly benefit the Long Beach Symphony’s music education programs, which introduce children and teens throughout the community to orchestral music through school partnerships, youth performances, and educational initiatives.
Plus, while many know the Long Beach Symphony for its classical concerts at the Terrace Theater, its musicians are equally at home exploring jazz, pops, film scores, and other genres that broaden the Symphony’s reach and invite new audiences into its orbit.
With limited seating and an intimate venue, “Jazz by the Bay” offers an opportunity to experience world-class musicians in a gorgeous setting.
For more info and tickets, check out shorturl.at/aqBqJ.