Ceci Dadisman is director of communications for Palm Beach Opera, a 2013 winner of Knight Arts Challenge South Florida.

With our free concert, Opera @ The Waterfront right around the corner, we are putting the finishing touches on our custom mobile app to make the concert completely interactive for audience members. We were awarded a $30,000 grant from OPERA America’s Building Opera Audiences grant program.  These funds were used to develop an app that will engage the audience in multiple ways. The app is free and available for download for Apple or Android devices.

The main portion of the app is called “Follow Along.”  When users access this section, they will receive fun facts in real time about what they are seeing on stage.  For example, during the Overture from “William Tell,” app users will see “You’ve probably heard this overture in ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ ‘Armageddon’ and ‘Toy Story 2’” pop up on their screens. The facts automatically populate in the “Follow Along” portion of the app without the user having to refresh the page.

Those who are using the app can also get to know the artists on stage by accessing their bios and headshots in the “Artist” section of the app.  They can also understand what is being sung on stage by visiting the “Translations” portion of the app. Here they will have access to full translations of the all the arias, duets and ensemble pieces.

For those who are unfamiliar with the area or might not know where to park, they just need to tap on the “Parking & Directions” button to get directions to the Meyer Amphitheatre or see a map of the downtown West Palm Beach area.

We are also incorporating social media into our Opera @ The Waterfront app.  With just one tap, concertgoers can post to their own Facebook and Twitter accounts with the prepopulated hashtag, #pbowaterfront.

To download the Palm Beach Opera app, visit iTunes or the Google Play store. Opera @ The Waterfront is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at Meyer Amphitheatre, 104 Datura St., West Palm Beach. Visit the Palm Beach Opera website for more information.