Application
For Financial-Need-Based Scholarships
Because Opera and Performing Arts experiences SHOULD BE FOR EVERYONE!
Bloomington Opera Camp™
By ©Performing Arts Laboratory
Artistically Designed, Scientifically Proven & International Awarded
Mission:
To break open the world of opera and make it a living, breathing experience BY and FOR the community. We bring together people of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels to collaboratively create extraordinary art—proving that everyone has a creative voice worth sharing and that the magic of performance belongs to us all.
Highlights:
🎤❤️🎻 Your Voice Matters Here — No Experience Required
This isn’t an exclusive club for the already-perfected. Whether you’ve never sung a note or you’re a seasoned performer or artists, you will contribute meaningfully. We meet you where you are and guide you to discover—or refine—your unique artistic expression. Your journey is the point.
🌍 👥✨Be Part of Something Bigger Than Yourself
For two immersive weeks, you won’t just take a class—you’ll help build a world. Together, we create a brand-new opera from the ground up while forming deep, multigenerational connections. The pride of opening night becomes a lifelong memory.
🤝🎼🎭🎨 A True “All Arts” Adventure
Don’t just watch opera—live it. Sing, paint, sculpt, design, manage, and create. Explore new passions, see how every art form connects, and leave your own creative mark on Arts History being part of a spectacular WORLDWIDE Premiere.
🌟🎬 Make Arts History as a Founding Performer/Artist
You will be an original performer/artist in the Worldwide Premiere of Seeking/Buscando El Dorado (the BOC 2026 Production). Your name and contribution will become part of its permanent legacy as the opera tours globally and its overture is co-premiered by orchestras and opera companies worldwide.
Where & When?
Auditorium
Monroe County Library
Bloomington, IN, USA
May 26th - June 6th
2026
M-F: 2pm - 7pm
&
S: 10:30 am - 4:30pm
Who can participate?
Everyone aged 7 to 70+ with an artistic interest is welcomed.
If you are interested in singing (as a soloist and in a choir), playing an instrument, dancing, painting, designing, creating, administrate art, and more... This is your opportunity!
No experience is required—this camp welcomes communities, students, and professionals alike!
Isabella Vega
Concertino - CASC Opera Camp™ 2022
(Los Angeles, CA, USA)
"I love this camp. You can learn how to work as a team, do something really nice, and be an artist."
Mikey Hannon
Singer and Soloist (Inti)
Bloomington Opera Camp™
2025 Production
"[The Bloomington Opera Camp] Is a really approachable venue for other people who maybe like me have kind of a hidden talent for Performing, is a great way to use those talents and perform. Is an ambitious but achievable goal which I really enjoyed getting to go after [...] Diego was very consistent in his expectations of the effort we put to it, but also really cognizant of the different levels of musical abilities of the participants.
Mayra Rico
Coordinator - Family Services Recreation, City of Azusa, California (USA)
&
Parent of CASC - Opera Camp™ participants.
"I want to thank Diego [Creator & Music and Artistic Director of the Opera Camp™] for everything he has taught my daughters. Thank you for loving music so much that they couldn't help but fall in love with it too. The confidence they have now, the way they listen to music, the way they talk about it has changed over the summer."
Juan Camilo Baquero
Singer and Soloist (Puma)
Bloomington Opera Camp™
2025 Production
"I had a lot of fun! [...] After the Opera Camp™ I became more comfortable with my new voice [...] Working with Diego is very inspiring, he knows what he does, he really understands what he wants.
The Bloomingtonian
February 6, 2025
"Originally launched in Los Angeles in 2018, Opera Camp™ has been praised for its transformative impact on participants of all ages and skill levels."
Indiana Daily Student
February 11, 2025
"Pioneering the Future: Maestro Barbosa-Vásquez Presents Opera Camp™ to Bloomington Communities as a Model for Sustainable Performing Arts! [...] This innovative, inclusive summer program invites individuals of all ages (7–70+) and skill levels—from beginners to professionals—to collaborate in creating and performing opera together. All Arts. All Communities. Collaborating Together."
Los Angeles
Times
June 2022
"Something totally unique. [...] The core of the program is to allow communities to have a voice in experiencing high-level artistic experiences usually reserved for professionals."
Opera Wire
February 10, 2025
"The Bloomington Opera Camp™ is open to community members and offers unique opportunities for local professional artists and advanced students from local universities. [...] Campers will engage in a fully immersive artistic experience, encompassing singing, acting, painting, sculpture, stage design, instrumental performance, production, arts administration, etc—all contributing to the creation of a complete opera production."
