‘A Conversation Piece for Music’ was the subtitle Richard Strauss gave to his final opera Capriccio, finished in 1941. A poet and a composer vie for the affections of the young, arts-loving Countess Madeleine, and soon get mired in a spat over two issues. Which is the greater art: poetry or musical composition? And what is more crucial in an opera: the words or the music? For Madeleine, settling on an answer proves just as challenging as choosing between her two suitors — and so in the end the decision is left to the audience. By playing in the orchestra, singing and acting on stage, the young participants will explore the libretto and music of Capriccio, seeking answers to the opera’s central question in their own performance.