Coloratura: The Opera Dolls
The Margo Feiden Gallery is a stunning townhouse in downtown Manhattan, cared for by its charming and eclectic namesake and stuffed to the brim with original works by Al Hirschfeld. Last year I went on a gorgeous fall evening and had so much fun wandering among the priceless art and original architecture that I almost forgot I was there to work. I had the incredible opportunity to help out at the launch party there for Coloratura: The Opera Dolls, a company and product as whimsical and elegant as the place they were debuted.
I got to chat with my lovely friend, the enterprising Christina Hourihan, about her experience as an entrepreneur and why this product is important. Firstly, Christina is one of the three founders of JACOPERA, the company behind The Opera Dolls. All three founders, Jennie Legary, Anastasia Rege and Christina, are opera singers who want to share the joy and grandeur of opera with younger generations. Christina has seen firsthand that children can be just as transfixed by Joseph Haydn as they are by Jojo Siwa.
“I sang the role of Suor Genovieffa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica about 7 years ago. A friend brought her 2 year old daughter to the one hour long opera, and the small toddler was sitting in the audience wide-eyed the entire time, completely mesmerized by what was happening onstage (and was especially drawn to the role of the Princess). The child did not know the storyline, but the little girl enjoyed the performance thoroughly, and even wanted a photo with the singer who played the role of the Princess afterwards.
In 2017/2018, I team-taught a toddler music & ballet class on the Upper West & Upper East sides. The songs used in the class were typical children's songs, i.e. Wheels on the Bus. During a segment of each 40 minute class, I would sing just one song operatically. The energetic toddlers would completely stop and stare at me with their jaws dropped open each time they heard me sing operatically, when they were running around the room only moments prior. It seemed to me that children did and continue to have a positive response to opera. So, we decided to take a leap of faith and create The Opera Dolls!”
When you squeeze an Opera Doll, it’s especially fun to know that the voice that comes out is the voice of one of the founders. Christina says “I am the voice of Adele, Jennie Legary is the voice of Carmen, Anastasia Rege is the voice of Aida, and Anna Royzman is the pianist you hear on every doll. We're hoping to hire different singers for each doll we create once we expand our company to include more operatic characters.”
I was drawn to this company not only because Christina is a friend, but because this is a small business completely run by women with the goal of enriching the lives of children through music. These ladies are the real deal. All three work other jobs and wear many hats, and I’m just so impressed by their passion and dedication to this business.
These dolls make such an incredible gift for the little ones (or opera lovers) in your life, and its one that’s sure to please parents just as much as kiddos. I can’t speak from experience, but I can safely predict I would much rather have my kids toys sing beautiful arias than baby shark all day. I also love the representation in these dolls. Growing up I didn’t see many toys that represented people of color- the only ones that spring to mind are American Girl Dolls. I love that these dolls are a way to make children feel seen, as well as opening up conversations about other cultures and traditions.
Each doll comes with a mini booklet that includes an excerpt of sheet music and a blurb about the character. There’s also an e- coloring book available on the website for just $9.99 full of activity pages and beautiful illustrations by Virginia based artist Michael Sullivan. No matter which doll you decide to gift this year, the lucky recipient is sure to be enchanted by her and learn lots about history and music.
Since you’re here you probably know I love supporting ladies in music any way I can, especially through my concert series, Siren Songs. So do the ladies of Coloratura, so they were kind enough to give me a promo code to share with you! Use the code SIREN20 to get 20% off your purchase at www.theoperadolls.com - and be sure to share photos of your new doll on instagram and tag @theoperadolls.