Singing Our Praises
“I thought, as did all of the audience members, that today’s concert was OUTSTANDING!! It was pure perfection. The children were completely engaged and enthralled, as was I.
Bernardo and Victoria had fantastic rapport with the kids, and the SD Children’s Choir was a wonderful addition.”
Longtime concert attendee & donor
Classics4Kids Performance
“Today, my husband, my 2 grandkids, and I came to your Enchanted Tail performance. It was a wonderful program...the orchestra, opera singers, children's choir, and the opera story were outstanding. What a great opportunity for the students and their chaperones in the audience as well as my grandkids to be introduced to such a marvelous music experience!”
Retired music teacher & classroom docent
Classics4Kids Performance
“The props were really fun and
got the kids involved.”
- HAPPY PARENT
"My girls loved the witch!"
- HAPPY PARENT
"I am so impressed with Opera4Kids. They are a talented group of professionals and their delightful production of "The Enchanted Tail" totally engaged our musical theatre students. I look forward to working with them again in the future."
Donna Marie Minano
arts educator and co-founder
Inland Valley Repertory
“All three of my kids (different ages) were paying attention!!!!”
- HAPPY PARENT
"I took my surrogate granddaughters (ages 4 and 6) to your Classics for Kids performance a couple of weeks ago and they were absolutely mesmerized!!!!! Seeing the look on the faces of those 2 little girls- well, it’s exactly why you’re doing what you’re doing. They’re still singing the songs and their mom is wondering if you have a soundtrack available so they can sing in the car. Thank you for your excellent performance!!! You might have created lifelong opera lovers!"
Former Docent and surrogate grandma
Classics4Kids Performance
“My 4-year-old sat down for longer than 30 minutes! It was incredible.”
- HAPPY PARENT
"First off, we loved it. My son sat in my lap and was rapt the entire time. I think the run time is PERFECT. And all the elements are so spot on! From the design (love those water colors on the projector) to the costumes (the fox outfit is so cute and just cartoonish enough), the lyrics are so clever and easy enough for the kids to follow, and both of your performances! You guys sound so amazing, and the amount you play directly to the kids is just enough. He followed the whole story and he's still not even 4!"
Broadway performer
Classics4Kids Performance
"I can’t believe it’s never occurred to me until just now to get a video of “my little girls” singing it- you have no idea how much they LOVE The Enchanted Tail!! But I’ll be with them again soon, and I’ll ask their mom if I can video them and send it to you.
Thanks, Victoria!"
Happy Grandmother
The princess and the fox by Susie, 3yrs old
"Enchanted Tail serves as a delightful introduction to opera for all ages. It takes some of the most recognizable music from the vast operatic repertoire and creates an original story that is humorous, relevant, and engaging to children of all ages. Any child with even a passing interest in theatre or music will instantly be charmed by this inventive piece, and adults will spend the rest of the day humming the delightful tunes."
Edward Wilensky
Director of Communications
San Diego Opera
"You all are amazing! It was a packed house and I wish we had more of a performance space for you all to utilize. The space while intimate and familiar to our kiddos, turned in to a concert “pit” situation with the amount of fandom you all created. Kids on shoulders and on top of walls and standing in the other rooms, spilling out to the halls and into the main museum exhibits; it was wonderful to see!"
Victoria McKellips
Senior Membership Coordinator
The New Children's Museum
“I might be able to convince my boys to go to other performances now.”
- HAPPY PARENT
"The Enchanted Tail has it all! Professional singing, an accessible and engaging story, and real audience interaction. They had the students hanging on their every word!"
John Gabriel
Education Director
San Diego Opera
I had the pleasure of seeing "The Enchanted Tail," an original one-act fairy tale opera presented by Opera4Kids. The children were engaged and actively responding to the story throughout the performance.
Most opera I've seen written for educational purposes have been either original, unfamiliar music, or truncated versions of full-length operas. The writer of "The Enchanted Tail," Victoria Robertson (who also performed the role of Witch/Princess) intertwined her lyrics with well-known classical themes. What an inventive way to introduce students to classical music standards! I highly commend Opera4Kids for their fresh and fun approach to introducing children to classical music. Any school or youth organization would benefit from a presentation of this delightful production.”
Wendy Kikkert
Former President
The Intimate Opera Company
The Enchanted Tail performance was an absolute hit with our families at The New Children's Museum! We had a line across the entire Museum floor to get in...and once the performance started, the children were absolutely entranced. Most of the children were between ages 2 and 5, and they managed to remain engaged for the entire performance (which is an incredible feat). They hung on Victoria's and Bernardo's every word (note!) and enthusiastically interjected with "bravos" and applause at the right moments, as prompted by the performers.
The show was perfect for our audience--it was well paced, entertaining and funny, yet also instilled important lessons about friendship and empathy...with the bonus of introducing the "littles" to opera as an art form and teaching them how to be good audience members--a lesson that they will carry for their entire lives. And, as a parent, it was a rare pleasure to enjoy every minute of the performance myself (I can't say that my toddler and I enjoy the same entertainment very often!). Victoria and Bernardo are incredibly talented, professional opera singers--the real deal. Their trained voices rang out and reverberated through the Museum, enchanting us all, even those (children and adults alike) experiencing opera for the very first time.
Erin Decker
Vice President, Development
The New Children's Museum
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