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A fairytale, sung in Houston

By Raasti Kayani, age 13 | February 25, 2026

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FOLLOW THE BREADCRUMBS Raasti Kayani, a seventh grader at The Kinkaid School, sang as part of the Children’s Chorus in the Houston Grand Opera’s Hansel and Gretel. The show ran Jan. 30 - Feb. 15.

It’s 5:15 p.m. on a school night, and I’m enveloped in rush-hour traffic. Our car crawls through the Theater District as we hurry to rehearsal. When I arrive, I clutch my sheet music to my chest, and dart up the backstage entrance of the Wortham Theater. Riding the elevator to our rehearsal room, I hear the soft sounds of instruments tuning.

I’m one of 24 kids (8-18) in the Children’s Chorus for Hansel and Gretel with the Houston Grand Opera (HGO). Based on a classic fairytale, it is a fully sung opera with a live orchestra. Of the seven shows, five were in German, a language I had never sung in, and two were in English for families and students.

My journey began last August when my voice teacher suggested that I audition. Dozens of children and parents filled a room with excited chatter and palpable nerves. I sang my prepared piece, then was asked to sing “Happy Birthday” thrice, each time a bit higher to test my range. When I found out that I got in, I was elated.

When rehearsals began in December, I started seeing Hansel and Gretel billboards along Houston’s highways. That’s when it started to feel real. It felt so grown-up.

For the months leading up to the show, we rehearsed several times a week under the guidance of chorus director Karen Reeves. We met in a brightly lit rehearsal room dotted with photos of HGO alumni. Sopranos and altos harmonized to music played on a grand piano. Ms. Reeves showed us how to round our vowels, stress clear consonants, and sing with emotion even when the words sounded foreign.

As we approached our final week of rehearsals, we moved to the big Wortham stage, with its opulent red velvet mezzanines towering over us. We sang “Erlöst, befreit, für alle Zeit” (“saved, freed, for all time”) to celebrate Hansel breaking the Witch’s spell and setting us, the gingerbread children, free.

This process has shown me how much work goes in to a professional opera, and how beautiful it is when it comes together. Hearing Hansel and Gretel’s powerful voices soar has shown me the incredible range and power of the human voice, and how much I have to learn. Experiencing opera in my own city and being part of a professional production is an experience I will always cherish. And now, showtime!

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