United States Lliam Paterson, BambinO: Artists of LA Opera Connects. West Hollywood Library, West Hollywood, 10.6.2025. (JRo)
Co-production: Scottish Opera, Manchester International Festival, Improbable
Original Director – Phelim McDermott
Revival Director – Eli Villaneuva
Designers – Emma Belli & Giuseppi Belli
Cast:
Uccellina – Maria Elena Altany
Pulcino – Matthew Ian Welch
BambinO, a tender opera created for children from six to eighteen months old, has been touring libraries across Los Angeles County. On a simple set of blue skies dotted with painted, puffy clouds, soprano Maria Elena Altany and baritone Matthew Ian Welch, accompanied by cello and percussion, enact the story of Uccellina, a mother bird, and her newly hatched chick, Pulcino. Dressed as commedia dell’arte birds with striped tights, iridescent feathers, goggles and caps with plumage, they were an eye-catching pair.
First performed in 2017, BambinO certainly has staying power, and it is easy to see why. I attended a performance with my daughter and nine-month-old granddaughter, and the forty-minute production captivated the entire audience of children and parents. Dubbed a free-range opera, babies were allowed to crawl around the set during the performance, play with pillows imprinted with clouds and interact with the singers. As the opera opened, Altany and Welch crawled along the floor to engage fully with each and every child, even offering them tiny bird puppets to pet. Though our baby audience was a bit shy, there were some who bravely explored the space.
The music by Scottish composer Lliam Paterson was at once simple and complex and altogether enchanting, never written down to its audience. Lyrical, with playful rhythms and harmonies, Paterson’s inspirations felt as diverse as Cage, Mozart, Zorn and Verdi with echoes of Baroque opera. The soprano and baritone voices were used to impressive effect, particularly in the vibrant trilling bird sounds of Altany. Welch’s baritone had a clean legato line and was alive with a multitude of colors.
Rather than words, Altany and Welch formed nonsense syllables (wordless vocals) with occasional Italian thrown in for operatic effect. Uccellina and Pulcino repeated the familiar ‘pa-pa-pa’ patter from The Magic Flute, adding a colorful allusion to birds and bird catchers.
In the simple staging, a small golden egg was repeatedly replaced by larger ones, until the very biggest settled on the floor. Finally, that was replaced by a cracked egg dome placed on the head of Pulcino, the bearded baby bird. Giggles erupted from the parents and the babies looked on in wonder.
Mother bird’s mission was to teach her chick independence, until the final moment when Welch flapped his arms and took flight with Altany presiding over his newfound courage. The puppet birds, who introduced the opera, looked on at the conclusion – peering through cutouts in the back panels. The little stuffed birds were a perfectly scaled counterpart to the little human birds happily nestled on their parents’ laps or crawling on the floor.
As a writer and illustrator who has introduced children to ballet and opera through my books, I have noticed how an early introduction to the performing arts can create a lifelong interest and audience. Here’s to the creators of BambinO! May it endure to create ever-new audiences of children and their parents.
BambinO continues touring in Los Angeles libraries through the month of June.
Jane Rosenberg
Featured Image: Matthew Ian Welch, Maria Elena Altany and audience members © Connects/LA Opera