Opera, Orchestra and the Magic of Figaro:

A Remarkable 10-year-old Girl Takes the Stage

Upcoming Maestra Kaiya

This blog post was written by Maestro Tom Jensen of Inside the Orchestra

We see tens of thousands of kids each year with Inside the Orchestra, but at Iowa Elementary School in Aurora last Monday, one charming fifth grader named Kaiya stood out from all the rest.

Kaiya is not your ordinary 10-year-old. During our concert, she sang along with Chad Reagan, our baritone from Central City Opera. Kaiya knew the Italian lyrics from 'Largo al factotum' the "Figaro" aria we showcase at every program. She knew all the words, and the orchestra members took note!!! Later, when we were doing the guest conductor portion of the show, cellist Wayne Templeman literally jumped out of his seat telling me to call on this little girl who was conducting a three pattern with her body and soul! 

Central City Opera singer and Maestro Jensen

Needless to say, Kaiya was a brilliant conductor. I had to find out who this person was and where she found her passion for music at such a young age. As it turns out, Kaiya plays guitar. Her father is her instructor and she refers to him as a "master" guitarist. She loves chords and one of her favorite bands is Metallica (Really? A fifth grader who is in to a heavy metal band??) Kaiya started guitar at age seven, so she has been playing for three years. She practices one to two hours each day, owns three guitars - one of which is a Gibson, which I believe she favors. She discovered the opera aria from a TV show and watched it over and over memorizing the lyrics.

Kaiya loves all kinds of music and wants to learn the piano, clarinet and the tuba. Wow! The best part is that Kaiya wants to be a composer. I believe with the nurturing from her remarkable father and her Iowa Elementary music teacher, Ms. Peacock, she will achieve her goal.

For the third year, Central City Opera is partnering with Inside the Orchestra to introduce opera and orchestra to elementary school children across Colorado. Check out Central City Opera's calendar for Tiny Tots Inside the Orchestra (ages 6 and under) performance dates in January.