BWIO Serves the Community: La Toya Lewis' takes her students to see Porgy & Bess
One of my greatest goals with Black Women in Opera (BWIO) is to serve the community through education on opera and the role Black artists play in the field. Throughout our BWIO community, many members are doing this work already. BWIOs like Soprano La Toya Lewis dedicate their talents and energy to equipping the next generation with knowledge on the arts. On January 28, 2020, Lewis took 15 of her students from the Police Athletic League Acting to see the opera Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera.
Tony Danza founded PAL acting to compliment the work presented by the Police Athletic League Teen program. Through activities in the performing arts, the program exposes students to the possibilities in the arts. The program hired a drama teacher and La Toya Lewis as a music teacher to expand their outreach. Lewis along with other staff have helped the program grow from a few students to hundreds of lives changed by its impact. In 2017, Lewis accompanied the students to China. In 2018, the students performed at Carnegie Hall. The students normally attend Broadway shows. Porgy and Bess was their first experience at an opera. Lewis stated, “I’ve taken some of [the students] around the world, and their curiosity and openness to new experiences always inspires me.“
To prepare for their trip to the Met, Lewis taught the students about opera. She thoroughly enjoyed the excitement about opera from her students. “To actually see students excited about Opera felt really refreshing and made me hopeful for the future.” Porgy and Bess Met chorus member Charles Carter performed for the students as a special treat. In addition to the lessons on opera, the student received information on etiquette for dining, conversation and fashion. Lewis instills in her students a sense of belonging that will carry them in any space whether it’s “a high-end restaurant, a luxury hotel or even an opera house.” Black Women in Opera like La Toya Lewis create new opera lovers through their dedication to sharing their gifts with the next generation. Lewis wants her students to know that “thousands of Black people are working in the classical world and if [my students] want to someday, they can too.”