The beginning of a new year. With the holidays past, January is great for promoting events around MLK Jr. and Mozart whose birthday is on January 27. Mozart operas are great for an opera loving audience while Marian Anderson performed at the famous and pivotal March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.

February marks Valentine's Day and Black History Month. Notable birthdays in opera include Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price and Renata Tebaldi. Therefore there are many opera themes to choose from that depict these icons, love and relationships and lovely opera titles with memorable love affairs.

As they say "March roars in like a lion but goes out like a lamb"...or vice versa. March is the transition between winter and spring. Women's History Month and the start of Spring are excellent themes for opera. Therefore opera programs can include: female opera icons, operas with powerful and infamous female characters while continuing the theme of love from February. The start of spring is a wonderful time to celebrate love.

The lovely month of April is the first full month of spring. April is Jazz Appreciation Month, Poetry Month and of course famous playwright, WIlliam Shakespeare's birthday. While using springtime love themes, opera can also be incorporated with the themes aforementioned using George Gershwin's famous opera, Porgy and Bess along with the Shakespeare series. Ancient Greek drama is also an excellent subject to tie into Poetry Month. Biblical operas are also an excellent choice due to the possibility of Easter and Passover overlapping during this time.

The beautiful month of May marks the transition into the unofficial start of summer during Memorial Day. However, this month celebrates diversity in Asian American Heritage and Pacific Islander Month. Opera can be incorporated with operas that interpret Asian culture. The audience will learn how the composers did this and discuss its whether the interpretation is appropriate as a reflection of culture.

June is an excellent time to wind down and recharge for summer vacations and opera. Father's Day is an excellent opportunity to discuss operas with important father figures while Juneteenth allows one to incorporate themes around African American opera subjects.

July is officially the summer slowdown with vacation and relaxation. While it's a free for all month, the opera in movies and commercials is a popular pick for this time along with opera in beautiful foreign lands.

August is the official month to wind down and prepare for the fall. While it's still summer, it's still a great time to discover more opera in film and television. To prepare for the fall, Tanisha has an excellent fall opera preview that can get patrons to check out opera recordings in libraries and beyond.

September marks the end of the summer and the beginning of Fall. Fall is opera season because it marks the beginning of the season at large opera companies globally. September is also Classical Music Month so you have many choices. Popular operas are a great way to welcome the fall season.

Fall is officially here in October with colorful fall foliage and tasty treats. Italian Heritage Month and notable opera icon's birthdays are a great fit for the time. The days also get shorter and spookiness comes in with Halloween. Opera can be incorporated using the Halloween themes or spooky opera titles with ghosts and suspense.

November is the beginning of the holidays and the penultimate month of the year. Since the holidays: Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving are American holidays, I like to incorporate American opera in this month. A notable opera icon's birthday falls in this month too.

The holidays are officially here in December. In the last month of the year, opera can be presented according to plots with holidays or fairy tales used by opera companies during this time of the year.