L'Opera per Bambini

[Tara]

"Figaro, Son qua! Figaro, Son qua! Figaro qua, Figaro la, Figaro qua, Figaro la...." the sound of an operatic voice may be one of only a few things that can draw D.C. residents inside midday on a beautiful Sunday. Yesterday afternoon, The Casa Italiana Language School was the site of an interactive presentation for children on opera music favorites. Ms LaPenta, the founder of Paramica, a children's book publishing company based in Milan, narrated a retelling of Cioacchino Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Accompanying actors performed three of the opera's arias between the narration. The children were given one of four hand puppets: Figaro, Rosina, Don Bartolo and il conte d’Almaviva. Meanwhile, Ms. LaPenta, with her sweet voice and thick accent, continued to keep the children engaged with their puppets by asking certain characters to participate at different times.

Paramica is different from other children's book publishers. The books feature bright and vivid illustrations that pop off of eco-friendly paper to engage children to appreciate the beauty of an Opera story. Additionally, the books help children to learn the native language of opera. Each book is written in Italian, but contains English, Spanish, Japanese, and French translations beside the Italian text. Also, the website (www.paramica.com) allows you to listen to arias from selected operas.

Casa Italiana, which hosted the program, is a cultural and language school attached to the Holy Rosary Church in Washington D.C. Holy Rosary, the only church in D.C. to offer mass in Italian, has been a cornerstone of the Italian community since 1913. Together the Holy Rosary Church and Casa Italiana continue to provide cultural education to Italians and those interested in Italian culture alike.

For more information about any of the above organizations, heck out these web links:

http://www.holyrosarychurchdc.org/casa.htm
http://www.holyrosarychurchdc.org/
www.paramica.com

[Tara]

Stupenda! le illustrazione sono molto belle! Saro` avvenimento di piu nel U.S.?

[Luca De Luise]

Hi Tara,
I'm Luca the illustrator of the book "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" published by Paramica. I was looking for some information about the event at Casa Italiana after talking with Monica Lapenta last morning. Your description of the presentation brougt me right into the event, as if I were there! Thanks a lot. Moreover, I used part of your post to describe the event on my official website. You can visit www.lucadeluise.com

Grazie ancora e apresto! Luca