A Bright, Young Voice

How appropriate: As a child of the 1980s, 16-year-old Jessica Tivens first experienced the 400-year-old art of opera on television. How fortunate: That day watching and listening to “Aida” with Placido Domingo sparked a passion that has turned the Calabasas High School sophomore into one of the finest young opera singers in the country.

Last week, Jessica made her world opera debut to sold-out crowds in Reykjavik, Iceland--a nation that knows its opera. Opera singers generally don’t hit their prime until their 30s, but Jessica already has a voice stronger than most artists in their 20s, the result of eight years of hard work and regular training.

Her art has had its price. Fellow students used to make fun of her. But with wisdom as mature as her voice, Jessica decided that “cool” is relative and ever-changing. In fact, opera itself is now considered cool among many young people. A National Endowment for the Arts study suggests that opera stands alone among traditional fine arts in winning new fans among the 18- to 24-year-old arbiters of hip.

Jessica describes opera as a grand experience that fills the soul. Hearing a young person talk that way about a centuries-old art form is itself an experience that fills the soul.

Brava!