Opera at Your School - Tucson
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
Arlyn M. Brewster OperaTunity Program
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Adapted by Joshua Borths
Based on Don Giovanni (Mozart, Ponte)
Get ready for a fun twist on a classic! In this lively adaptation of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, the notorious Big Bad Wolf meets Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, and friends who must band together to show the Wolf the error of his ways. Using the music and themes from one of Mozart’s great operas, young audiences learn the dangers of bullying, the beauty of friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.
THE DETAILS
We can’t wait to visit your school! OperaTunity brings engaging, student-friendly mini-opera experiences right to your students. No field trip required!
Booking Limit: You may reserve up to two performances. We encourage booking both on the same day whenever possible, however alternate dates can be arranged.
Show Length: 45 minutes including a Q&A session
Language: English
Grades: K-5
Rating: G
Cost: FREE for Title I Schools, All others: $400 (1 performance) | $600 (2 performances)
Location Requirements: 20ft wide, 20ft deep, 9ft tall space at your school.
Provided Materials: Teacher Resource Guide with Lesson Plans
Load in and Load Out time needed: 30 minutes
2025/26 Arlyn M. Brewster Education Teaching Artists
Clarissa Smith, Little Red Riding Hood / Little Pig
Clarissa Christina Smith, a proud Tucson native, is an accomplished soprano, educator, and emerging scholar pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance with a minor in Ethnomusicology at the University of Arizona under Dr. Kristin Dauphinais. For the past several years, she has served as a teaching artist with Arizona OperaTunity, where she brings opera into classrooms and communities across the state, inspiring young audiences with engaging performances and interactive education.
Clarissa’s stage credits include La Contessa in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Oregon State University, University of Arizona, Berlin Opera Academy cover), Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte (Berlin Opera Academy), Rosalinde in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus (University of Arizona), and Suor Angelica in Puccini’s Suor Angelica (University of Arizona and Varna International Music Academy). This season, she will appear as Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel (Arizona OperaTunity, 2025 adaptation). She has also performed in world premieres, including Michael Vince’s Hinterkaifeck at the University of Arizona.
In addition to her operatic achievements, Clarissa is a principal soprano and section leader with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus and a vocal instructor at Operachi School of Music, where she integrates her operatic expertise with her mariachi roots to guide the next generation of singers.
She is the recipient of numerous honors, including first-place awards in the President’s Concerto Competition (2024), the Marguerite Ough Competition (2022), the Amelia Rieman Opera Competition (2022 & 2025), and the Opera Guild of Southern Arizona’s Quest for the Best Vocal Competition (2025).
Diana Peralta, Little Pig / Granny
Diana Peralta, a mezzo-soprano from Mexico City, graduated from the National Conservatory of Music with a degree in Opera and Concert Singing. She earned her master's degree in Voice Performance from the University of Arizona and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree.
Her performances include her debut in 2018 in the title role of Carmen at the San Luis Potosí Opera Festival in Mexico, conducted by Dr. Linus Lerner. She reprised the role with “Opera de México” in Durango in 2019; in Bodrum, Turkey in 2022, and in Jerusalem in 2023.
Peralta's repertoire also includes roles such as Donna Elvira, Cherubino, Zita, Zia Principessa, Ma Moss, Mercedes, Mme de la Haltiére, Jezibaba, Hansel, Charlotte, Lady Rhondda, Sorceress, and the 2nd and 3rd Ladies in The Magic Flute, among others. She has performed as the mezzo-soprano soloist in Natal, Brasil with the OSRN, The Messiah, Symphony No. 9, Mozart's Requiem, and Petite Messe Solennelle in New York City.
Peralta was awarded 1st place in the Amelia Rieman Opera, Marguerite Ough, and "Opera Guild Quest for the Best" competitions at the University of Arizona in 2019, 2022, and 2023 respectively, as well as winning the President’s Competition.
Internationally, she won 1st Place in the Vienna Summer Festival Vocal Competition in New York and was cast as Carmen for Vienna, Austria in July 2020. She was named winner of the "Gertrude Brownlee Bitner Memorial Award" in “Opera de San Miguel de Allende” in Guanajuato and received the "Opera of Panama" Award at the Linus Lerner Competition in San Luis Potosi.
She debuted internationally the roles of Zita and Zia in Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica in Medellin, Colombia during the Festival Lírico Internacional SASO-Prolírica de Antioquia, and collaborated singing with the Tucson Symphonic Orchestra to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.
For three years she has been singing for the OperaTunity project with Arizona Opera alongside pursuing her doctoral degree in Voice Performance.
Sophia Su, Collaborative Pianist
Sophia Su is a collaborative pianist currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Arizona under the guidance of Dr. Daniel Linder. She holds a master’s degree in Collaborative Piano from the University of Texas at Austin.
Sophia has served as a rehearsal pianist and coach for the University of Texas Butler Opera Center, with operatic credits including The Tender Land, Le nozze di Figaro, Carmen, Dido and Aeneas, La clemenza di Tito, and Eugene Onegin. She has also performed at the Miami Music Festival, Chicago Summer Opera, and the International Lyric Academy in Italy.
In demand as a collaborator for both vocalists and instrumentalists, Sophia recently worked with the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and served on the coaching staff for UA Opera Theatre’s productions of Thumbprint and Così fan tutte. As a soloist, she won first prize in the University of Arizona’s 2023–24 President’s Concerto Competition and third prize in the 2023 Trester Competition. She has performed in master classes for distinguished artists including Dr. Diego Caetano, Dr. Catherine Kautsky, and Steven Vanhauwaert.
In addition to her performance accomplishments, Sophia has contributed to opera productions in various roles, including harpsichordist, chorus master, and coaching staff, demonstrating her versatility and leadership in the field.
Joshua Borths, writer (operaclassroom.com)
Joshua Borths is a stage director, writer, educator, and dramaturg. He has directed numerous professional productions, given over five hundred public lectures, and written more than eight children's operas that have introduced hundreds of thousands of young audiences to opera across the country.
Originally from Cincinnati, OH, Borths is currently the Director of Opera Theatre at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA and the Company Dramaturg at Des Moines Metro Opera. Borths comes to Virginia after having served as the Resident Scholar at Virginia Opera, Director of Opera & Musical Theater and Professor of Music History at Capital University in Columbus, OH, and as Director of Education at Arizona Opera.
At Virginia Opera, Borths gave popular opera previews and curated numerous educational experiences. At Capital University, Borths produced and managed all of the opera and musical theatre programming while also serving as the Professor of Music History. Additionally, he created a joint Resident Artist Program with Opera Columbus creating innovative programming for both institutions. With Arizona Opera, Borths more than doubled the reach and scope of department through innovative programming and cultural engagement. By the end of his tenure, the Department of Education reached 70,000 people annually.
Known for his thoughtful and imaginative productions, Borths most recently directed "The Flying Dutchman" for Des Moines Metro Opera and "Hansel and Gretel" for Opera Montana. Borths returns to Des Moines Metro Opera in 2026 to direct a new production of Puccini's "Tosca." Previous production include an “uproariously funny new production” (Arizona Daily Star) of The Barber of Seville for Arizona Opera and a “beautiful, even poetic” (Opera Today) new production of The Falling and the Rising. Additional upcoming productions include Three Decembers, La traviata, and Dialogues of the Carmelites.
Past favorite productions include Rusalka, Florencia en el Amazonas, Hansel and Gretel, The Tragedy of Carmen, Madama Butterfly, La clemenza di Tito, Suor Angelica, Dido & Aeneas, and L'elisir d'amore. As a stage director of musical theatre, Borths has directed Parade; Camelot; Kiss Me, Kate; and The Music Man, among others. Borths has also directed gala performances featuring Frederica von Stade and Joyce DiDonato and staged the southeastern premieres of Soldier Songs and La Hija de Rappaccini.
Additionally, Borths has hosted podcasts, written acclaimed surtitle translations of popular operas, and interviewed illustrious artists including Jake Heggie, Gregory Spears, David T. Little, Jonathan Dove, writer Thomas Mallon, and Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Jane Smiley.
As an educator, Borths has taught at the University of Richmond, Shenandoah University, been a Visiting Professor at the Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam), directed Maryland Opera Studio, and was a guest panelist at the Opera America Conference. He collaborated with TED Ed on their first opera resources and was featured in Opera News for his innovative approach to opera education.