About Presto!

Presto was formed in 2009 when The Stern Grove Festival contacted the San Francisco Opera and asked if they could create a children’s program for their summer festival. The opera forwarded the request on to Kristen Jones and Jennifer Ashworth, two teaching artists who saw a unique opportunity to create a new kind of opera program for children; one that would be fully interactive, and not explain opera, but would teach by doing. It was a huge success! Stern Grove then invited Presto to teach a summer camp program, and with an expectation of 30 or so children, we had more than 100 sign up. We were thrilled to hear classical songs gleefully performed by children who had never heard of opera before, and we began to dream bigger.

Shortly after this, Grace Cathedral commissioned Presto to write a family friendly and interactive Christmas program. Our first performance in 2011 had an audience of about 400 people, and we doubled audience size each year, continually adding more performances. By 2018 Presto was selling out multiple performances, and had added an Easter production, a Children’s Choir, and a Summer Camp.

Today Presto has moved into the San Francisco Unified School District, bringing our unique perspective and love of storytelling through music to a new group of children, letting them experience the thrill of a stage production, and foster growth in their confidence, courage, and independence.

About the Founders

Kristen Jones

Kristen Jones

Co-Founder

Jennifer Ashworth

Jennifer Ashworth

Co-Founder

Kristen Jones and Jennifer Ashworth are teaching artists that perform at schools throughout the Bay Area. Both natives of Southern California, they met in 2004 during a production of “Iolanthe” with Lamplighters Music Theater, and soon thereafter began working together as teaching artists for the San Francisco Opera Guild.

Both women have degrees in Vocal Performance; Kristen a BA from Principia College, and Jennifer her BA from UC Berkeley and MM from Holy Names College. In addition to performing with a variety of local opera companies Jennifer is the director of the MAD Band, a middle school instrumental program that she founded in 1998. Kristen has been teaching and directing children’s arts, theater and music programs since 1995, is the soloist at Ninth Church of Christ, Scientist, and a founding member of The Century Sisters, San Francisco’s only vintage vocal harmony trio.

Working together for the San Francisco Opera Guild, they have written and continue to perform six children’s operas. In 2009 they created Presto! Interactive Opera, which brings opera off the stage and into the community.

Emmett Van Slyke – Media Producer

Emmett Van Slyke is a Composer, Sound Designer, Multi-Instrumentalist, Producer, Audio Engineer, Educator, Videographer and Photographer with an expertise in managing projects, budgets and talent from a multi-faceted perspective. http://www.emmettvanslyke.com/about/