Opera in small bites

Created, produced and performed by John Huebner

In collaboration with New York professional pianist, Saffron Chung

What is Opera in Small Bites?

Opera in Small Bites is a multi-cultural music project that brings live opera to less affluent, younger, more diverse and inclusive audiences around the world. Opera in Small Bites includes a series of free, 45-minute opera concerts performed by John in venues such as theaters, churches and auditoriums. Opera in Small Bites also includes impromptu performances with John singing opera on street corners and mountaintops and in restaurants, parks and hotel lobbies. Any time John can expose people to the beauty of live opera is a manifestation of Opera in Small Bites.

Opera in Small Bites: A musical vision for a better tomorrow

(1) A world where all people, regardless of age, class, culture, ethnicity, race or financial means, have the opportunity to hear and appreciate live opera songs.  

(2) A world where countries and their people use the power of music to promote and achieve peace and harmony and as a vehicle to fight against causes that divide the world’s people.

(3) A world where young people are encouraged and have the opportunity to sing and perform on a global stage using song and music as a cultural exchange to learn and appreciate the similarities and differences of people around the world. 

Traditional Opera Challenges

The challenge in attracting a new generation of younger, more diverse people to opera include:

(1) Affordability. Opera tickets can be expensive, sometimes a minimum of $50 a ticket.

(2) Time Commitment. Operas can have long run times of up to 4+ hours.

(3) Accessibility. Operas are typically held in elegant, formal venues that may seem intimidating and inaccessible.

(4) Expectations. More formal dress is expected which may alienate some.

Opera in Small Bites: a new expression of Opera

John conceptualized Opera in Small Bites as a way to eliminate the barriers of traditional operas to attract new fans:

(1) Opera in Small Bites is always free and open to the public.

(2) Opera in Small Bites ranges from at most a 45 minute concert for larger audiences to individual arias for smaller audiences.

(3) Opera in Small Bites is performed at public venues and more informal settings.

(4) Opera in Small Bites creates an informal atmosphere brought TO communities where a diverse array of people are just encouraged to enjoy.

Opera in Small Bites Performances

August 26, 2019 - HELSINKI, FINLAND - Helenski City Museum, Villa Hakasalmi, Opera in Small Bites Solo Concert

September 1, 2019 - BLACK SEA, RUSSIA - FINLAND St. Pete’s Ferry Line - Princess Anastasia

September 16, 2019 - ANTWERP, BELGIUM - MAS Modern Museum

September 18, 2019 - ST. GERMAIN-EN-LAYE, FRANCE - Les Flaugeux

November 10, 2019 - BAGAN, MYANMAR - Buddhist Monastery and Temple

November 22, 2019 - UBUD, INDONESIA - Manukaya Public School

December 29, 2019 - BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - Colon Teatro

January 1, 2020 - EL CALAFATE, ARGENTINA - Hotel Armado

January 10, 2020 - S. SHETLAND ISLANDS, ANTARCTICA - Oceanwide Expeditions Cruise

January 11, 2020 - ORNY ISLAND, ANTARCTICA - Mountaintop

January 21, 2020 - CUSCO, PERU - La Osteria Restaurant

February 12, 2020 - BOGOTA, COLOMBIA - United Church of Bogota

March 11, 2020 - CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY - Ceramics Museum

March 14, 2020 - CAIRO, EGYPT - Abu Shakra Restaurant, Pyramids of Giza Pre-Show Dinner

The Creative Inspiration for Opera in Small Bites

After conceiving of Opera in Small Bites, John collaborated with reknown New York Professional Pianist, Saffron Chung, on the music program. With the goal of keeping the performance to 45 minutes; a length where audiences could remain engaged, John selected songs from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Alessandro Scarletti and Domenico Scarletti while Saffron selected pieces from Bach, Schubert and Poulenc.

Opera in Small Bites becomes a reality

The potential for Opera in Small Bites to become a reality started when John was accepted into multiple programs that offered international performance opportunities during the summer of 2019. Performing in the opera The Bassirids with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival in Austria during the summer of 2018 fueled a burning desire in John to continue his opera studies and to one day sing on the international music stage. First, he was invited to perform an opera solo in the New York Honors Concert at Carnegie Hall in June, 2019. Next, he was accepted into the Scholar’s Division of the prestigious National Children’s Chorus and invited to perform in South Korea and Japan in July, 2019.  Subsquently, John qualified as a Finalist in the prestigious Honors Performance Series (less than 2% from over 10,000 international nominees) and was invited to perform at the Sydney Opera House in Australia in August, 2019.  

When Finland’s Ministry of Tourism invited John to perform Opera in Small Bites during the Helsinki Festival at the end of the summer of 2019, his music vision became a reality. Realizing the potential opportunity to continue his international performances, John decided to take a gap year from high school and perform Opera in Small Bites concerts all around the world.

By the end of his gap year, despite a tour cut short by COVID-19, John had shared his music with a diverse mix of people in 15 countries and on 7 continents who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to experience live opera. By performing in places such as Finland, Egypt, Colombia, Myanmar, Russia, Indonesia, Belgium, Antarctica, Turkey and Peru, he was able to use “Opera in Small Bites” to bring a new opera experience to people in those countries. Numerous people told him that it was either the first time they heard opera signing or the first live opera aria they had ever heard in their lifetimes. 

John had indeed successfully created a vehicle to make opera more accessible and inclusive for a diverse range of people. His motto is, “if someone hasn’t heard opera, they can’t be a fan.” 

The Power of Music

While John was in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, he learned that those three Baltic countries sang their way to independence. Yes, it’s true! The 4-year-long Singing Revolution included a human chain of 2 million people, spanning across the three countries, simultaneously singing patriotic songs which helped propel the Baltic countries towards peaceful independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. The power of singing!

While in South Korea, John had an opportunity to sing in a joint performance with the National Children’s Chorus and the Lindenbaum Festival Orchestra, which consisted of youths from South Korea and North Korea whose families had defected to South Korea. The performance was held at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) during the 2019 Lindenbaum Peace Festival to promote unity and harmony through music and was broadcasted live on South Korean television on July 13, 2019.

John’s experience at the Lindbaum Peace Festival demonstrated a powerful way that young people can use singing and music to make a difference in the world and inspired him to take the gap year so that he might use Opera in Small Bites to inspire other young singers.

Press Coverage

April 23, 2020 - Article in the Broadway World Opera

Teen Opera Singer Achieves His Goal of Singing on All Seven Continents

April 22, 2020 - Article in the The Beach Reporter

How a Manhattan Beach teen opera singer achieved his goal of singing on seven continents

April 26, 2020 - Article in the The Daily Breeze

Coronavirus cut short his tour, but Manhattan Beach teen still sang on 7 continents