Adventure Club is a preschool and elementary school-age care program designed to meet the needs of working families by providing high quality care before and after school. All-day care is also offered on non-school days and in the summer at select sites.
Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) is a unique program that offers parents the opportunity to go to school and learn along with their child! Parents are their children's first and most important teachers. It has been proven that children whose parent
Our early childhood preschool program brings preschool age children together with the goal of offering engaging, nurturing, creative learning opportunities in a safe and enriched classroom.
Welcoming a baby, whether through birth, adoption, or surrogacy can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time! We're here to support you as you begin this journey.
Step into the creative process and witness the spark of transformation. The St. Croix Valley Opera Master Class Series invites you to an intimate and inspiring afternoon where emerging artists step into the spotlight to share their musical gifts and receive personalized coaching fromrenowned professionals across diverse performing genres. These immersive sessions allow audiences and participants alike to explore the techniques, artistry, and vulnerability required to grow as a consummate performing artist. Each master class is more than a lesson—it’s a living performance lab, where students perform for a master teacher and receive real-time feedback, guidance, and encouragement in front of a supportive audience. Instructors may revisit musical moments, introduce new vocal or physical warm-ups, and invite group reflectionor audience impressions to deepen the educational experience. Whether you’re a student, a fellow performer, or simply someone who loves the arts, this series offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the artistic journey—one note, one phrase, and one breakthrough at a time. Curriculum Highlights● Live Coaching & Performance: Artists perform selections and receive constructive, interactivefeedback.● Genre-Inclusive Instruction: Classes span opera, musical theatre, jazz, pop, folk, and instrumentalperformance.● Artist-Audience Dialogue: Engage with master teachers and performers through Q&A or reflectionmoments.● Holistic Techniques: Instructors may incorporate breath work, physical movement, emotional access,storytelling, and style coaching.● Immediate Application: Artists often experience rapid growth and transformation by applying new tools in real time.
September theme will be Audition Techniques- Whether you’re pursuing musical theater, classical voice, pop, or stage acting, this high-impact master class from St. Croix Valley Opera will deepen your understanding of the full audition experience. This session goes beyond the basics of song choice and stage presence to explore advanced topics like industry expectations, casting mindsets, and how to present yourself authentically and professionally in high-stakes environments. Ideal for performers of all ages and genres who are ready to sharpen their audition skills and gain a competitive edge.
November theme will be Song Interpretation-Whether singing from opera or Broadway, jazz standards or folk music, every song tells a story. This class will explore ways to find the deeper intention of a song and a stronger connection to its lyrics. We will focus on stage presence, communicating with your audience, and developing new and authentic interpretations of a piece to make it your own.
PLEASE NOTE THAT CLASSES FOR SEPTEMBER IS ON SEPTEMBER 21ST, NOT SEPTEMBER 28TH AS PRINTED IN THE CATALOG.
Jennifer Eckes, Vocalist/Actor/Choreographer, Cabaret Impresario for St. Croix Valley Opera and host of Opera on the River
Jennifer has been singing professionally in the Twin Cities region for over three decades, on stage in theatrical productions and as a concert soloist. She has performed in leading roles and ensembles alike with companies such as the Ordway Center, Artistry Theater, Plymouth Playhouse, Skylark Opera Theatre, Mill City Summer Opera, and many others, including over 30 productions with the Minnesota Opera. As a versatile vocalist, Eckes has found many musical revues, jazz/pop concerts and cabaret opportunities throughout the region, at venues such as the Bloomington Center for the Arts, Hastings Arts Center, Hanifl Performing Arts Center, Phipps Center for the Arts, Bryant-Lake Bowl, Turf Club, Honey Lounge, Crooners, Brix Music Café, Nicollet Island Inn, and the MetroNOME. Her voice has been called "crystalline" and "rock solid", by reviewers, often praised for her warm stage presence and her “engaging gift for song”. Jennifer holds a B.A. in vocal performance from Luther College and was twice a fellow of the Cabaret Conference at Yale University, where she developed her passion for the Great American Songbook and the art of song interpretation. You can find and follow her on YouTube (Jennifer Eckes), Facebook (Jennifer Eckes, vocalist), and on Instagram (@jennifer_eckes_sings).
St. Croix Valley Opera is a non-profit organization designed to produce high-quality musical art performances for the bright and vibrant local and regional east metro communities surrounding Stillwater, Minnesota. We wish to provide educational, performance, and employment opportunities working in the arts alongside established professionals, granting valuable experience for local emerging performing artists, aspiring to fulfill their dreams of taking the next step toward professional career advancement in the performing arts.
Our vision is to establish Stillwater and its surroundings as a regional music cultural center with a vibrant community of emerging and professional performing artists. Our continued vision for our opera/musical theatre company is to curate an ongoing regular season of Opera/Musical Theatre productions in Stillwater focused around offering local/regional talent the opportunity to gain valuable professional performance experience making them more attractive to move from that emerging stage of a career into a full professional career, sustainably bridging the arts in this region to the rest of the nation/world in the process. We have big plans!
St. Croix Valley Opera , Jennifer Eckes
