Fifth-Graders Attend The Magic Flute at The Met

Stratford School students, teachers, and parents gather for a group shot at Lincoln Center.

The entire fifth grade class from Stewart and Stratford schools-nearly 400 students in all-recently traveled to Manhattan to attend a dress rehearsal of Julie Taymor's magical production of Mozart's sublime and mystical opera Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) at the Metropolitan Opera House.

The production featured Ms. Taymor's creative costumes and puppetry and an internationally acclaimed roster of accomplished young singers, including soprano Isabel Bayradkarian and baritone Nathan Gunn, under the musical direction of James Levine.

Among the characters in the opera are the Queen of Night, a prince and princess separated by fate but destined for one another's arms, and a compelling assortment of bears and serpents.

Each year, fifth graders have the opportunity to attend a professional opera performance thanks to the generosity of the Garden City PTA, which maintains a school membership with the Metropolitan Opera.

Stewart School fifth-grader Alexander Ferzola, left, with his father Charles and classmates, at Lincoln Center.

Students at both schools have been studying Die Zauberflöte in preparation for attending the performance. In June, Stewart School fifth graders will perform the opera for students from Stratford and others. The annual student opera performance is a unique, decades-long tradition at Stewart School.

Stratford School students on their way to Die Zauberflöte.