Freeing spirits at juvie hall

They shuffled in single-file lines -- heads lowered -- as they made their way to the gymnasium. For these incarcerated youths at the Central Juvenile Hall facility in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, it was time for lunch . . . and a bit of opera?

“When would a girl like me ever hear opera?” said a female detainee, dressed in the facility’s gray uniform, her hair pulled back in a bun.

That was the point.

In a first for the detention center, three members of Los Angeles Opera performed Friday afternoon for about 100 or so incarcer- ated teens as part of the “writer’s retreat” conducted by InsideOUT Writers, or IOW, a nonprofit program that teaches creative writing to kids in L.A. County’s juvenile hall system. There are no requirements to join the program; participation is voluntary.

“This is a chance for the kids to be exposed to something they would never be exposed to otherwise,” said Sheri Lin, the writing program’s director.

The 30-minute program, which commenced after a lunch of burritos and taquitos, included classics -- performed by Eli Villanueva (baritone and composer), Karen Vuong (soprano) and Daniel Faltus (pianist) -- from the operatic and musical theater, such as the “Largo al factotum” from Rossini’s “Barber of Seville” and “Torreador” from Bizet’s “Carmen.” Each prompted giggles and snickers from the uninitiated audience.

But it was the lyrical content of the remaining selections that won their close attention: “Walls, cells, chambers / All of these can hurt / We may grow like a flower / But we’re captured in the dirt / In our minds we know love / But our hearts captured pain.”

“Captured,” with music by Villanueva and lyrics written by a teen identified only by his/her age and housing unit, had its debut Friday. It was one of four original songs composed by Villanueva -- who serves as resident stage director for L.A. Opera’s education and community programs -- from words written by teens in Central Juvenile Hall.

“When I started reading these poems,” Villanueva said, “they just sort of produce this instantaneous reaction. There’s pain in each of them . . . but also a shadow of hope in each of them. And it’s truly amazing. They touch you in such an intense way.”

Lin selected 11 poems written by students in 2008 and 2009. From those, Villanueva chose four and composed music for them. Titles included “Ghettoprophecy,” “If I Played My Song Backwards” and “Safe” (written by a young woman who was in Friday’s audience).

“It was a challenge choosing which ones to compose music for,” Villanueva said. “And once that hurdle is reached, it’s finding that emotion that they’re feeling, giving a realness to their experience. I hope, from this, it will inspire them to write more . . . and to find the strength to grow from their experience so they don’t find themselves back here.”

‘I’m grateful’

L.A. Opera’s participation is part of the IOW annual writer retreat, which honors the students’ writing and usually includes a guest performer or speaker. The inaugural collaboration with the opera was initiated by Eva Stern, a philanthropist and chair of the IOW board of directors whose husband, Marc I. Stern, happens to be L.A. Opera chairman and chief executive.

And the gymnasium reflected the students’ appreciation: Posters adorning the bleak walls read “Welcome L.A. Opera.”

“It was really nice of [the L.A. Opera] to come down here,” said a male detainee. (As requested by Central Juvenile Hall authorities, all minors interviewed for this articlehave been kept anonymous.)”Am I a fan of opera? Heck no. But you know, people just think of us as criminals. They don’t want to give us a chance. So I’m grateful that they looked past our mistakes to spend time with us.”

Attendees also included L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and IOW board members.

The nonprofit writing program launched in 1996 and now conducts 41 weekly creative writing classes in L.A. County’s three juvenile halls: Central, Los Padrinos, and Barry J. Nidorf.

The program doesn’t dwell too much on the mechanics and grammar of writing; rather, its focus is serving as an emotionally creative outlet for the incarcerated youth, whose ages range from 12 to 18. It also includes an alumni component to support members once they are released from juvenile hall.

As each class ends, students are invited to read their work aloud.

And it was the same on Friday evening, with the young writers approaching the microphone.

No operatic vocal gymnastics. Just their voices. And their words.

yvonne.villarreal @latimes.com