Northville High School Student Finds Niche in Opera

Isabel Rocha has always had an affinity for singing.

She's honed her talent quite a bit since the days when she donned a Woodlands creature costume for the 's 2005 production of Snow White. She currently performs with the Michigan Opera Theatre Children's Chorus (MOTCC) at the Detroit Opera House. The group regularly performs for other young people.

The 14-year-old is the only student from Northville in the chorus.

"I thought there was no way she'd sing in front of all these people but she did it. And she was the best frog ever," her mom, Nancy Rocha, said of Isabel's debut performance.

Isabel doesn't get her talent from anyone in the family, her mom jokes.

"I don’t know where she got it from. She just started in elementary school," Nancy Rocha said. "She loves to sing and act."

The Northville High School student said she'd eventually like to turn her passion for singing into a career.

"I’d like to be on TV in movies or TV shows…just performing in general," she said.

But, if nothing else, the experience has taught her many other lessons.

"You just have to learn to be disciplined," Isabel said.

Each week, she juggles around school work, her MOTCC opera activities and other extra curriculars. She's even picked up a bit of Italian from all of the opera she's been singing. She's also had to learn to "get in front of people and not be nervous and just be yourself," Isabel said. 

One of the things she said that she hopes her involvement with the children's chorus will do is eradicate the perception that kids can't enjoy opera. But Isabel said that performing for children's groups helps diffuse that stereotype by making opera fun.

"At the end they get to ask questions. A lot of questions are 'how much time do you put in to this opera?' Some of the little kids ask questions (of us) as the characters. Then you get to really bring that part alive," she said.

Isabel will perform at Detroit's tree lighting ceremony and at the MOTCC's annual fundraiser on Nov. 28 at 6 p.m. at the Detroit Opera House.