Opera is a fascinating mix of music and theatre that helped inspire American Broadway theater. The art has been around since the late 15th century, and the term “opera” is derived from the Latin word opus, or “work.” During the 17th century, men did not allow women to sing on stage, not even in the chorus. Instead, they would use castrated men, or castrati to sing the alto, mezzo, and soprano parts of the opera. The first popular castrati were Baldassare Ferri. Town folks would travel miles to meet him outside the city and would fill his carriage with flowers.
However, many argue that women have always been involved in opera, but they were often relegated to such minor roles that hardly anyone noticed. And while today there are a lot of famous female opera stars such as Montserrat Caballé, who famously once sang with Freddie Mercury, Cecilia Bartoli, Birgit Nilsson, and Anna Netrebko, just to name a few. However, opera still faces the growing challenges of a culture that has moved on from some of the sexist, racist, and insensitive attitudes that still dominate opera. Thankfully, a newer generation of opera stars is making changes that will allow everyone to enjoy the art better. And many of those young new stars are starting their craft very early. Take the little girl in this 2012 video, for example, who with her father is seen singing.
Image via YouTube
Her name is Miranda Pazhik. She and her father, Eduard, are both singing in Kraków’s town square, located in Poland. You can see in the video that the little girl is absolutely fearless, tackling high notes like a seasoned pro! We have a feeling that she’s going to make a big splash in the Opera world someday.
Image via YouTube
You can watch as little Miranda, and her dad entertains the crowd in the heartwarming video below.
