“That was my first opera!” beamed fifth-grader Nessa. She, along with Tilden’s entire student body, was treated to a fully-staged adaptation of Jacques Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffman,” presented by Northwest Opera in Schools, Etcetera (NOISE). This professional opera company performs at Tilden each year, exposing our students to a different opera classic with each visit. The singing, acting, costumes, and sets captivate our kids from start to finish, especially as each opera is adapted with kids in mind. The performance is always over too quickly, leaving the Tilden community wanting more, but perhaps that’s the point.