When Steffanie Pearce, founder and director of Opera Naples, greeted the children at Tommie Barfield Elementary School with the program “Intro to Opera,” it was her fifth production to elementary schools in Collier County in two days. But her folksy style and engaging delivery remained fresh.

BERNADETTE LA PAGLIA

In this heartfelt scene from Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck, the fearful children, realizing they are lost in the woods, kneel to pray for protection. Gretel was beautifully played by soprano Pamela Jimenez and Hansel, by boy soprano Marcello Marsalli.

BERNADETTE LA PAGLIA

As the princess, Pamina, contemplates her suicide, the Three Spirits conspire to dissuade her fatal intentions in this scene from Mozart's The Magic Flute, staged by Tommie Barfield Elementary School by Opera Naples' Young Artists Program. Seen here from left to right: founder and director of ON Steffanie Pearce who presided as narrator; boy sopranos Marcello Marsalli, 12, his younger brother Luciano, 7, and Patrick Moran, 12; freelance musician Robin Frank at the piano; and Pamela Jimenez, recent graduate from the University of Miami's School of Voice. (All three boys are home schooled and study voice, piano and violin.)

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“I’m going to talk to you today about something very special called opera. In Italian it is pronounced O-PAH-rah,” she said, exaggeratedly, while inviting the sea of friendly faces to pronounce it after her.

Dutifully they did, and perfectly.

Pearce drew the children in with questions beginning with, “How many of you have ever sung in a choir?” and then, “How many of you have ever been in a play?”

Little hands flew up eagerly both times, just as she had hoped.

“Opera is an art form that combines singing in a choir and performing in a play at the same time,” she instructed. “But in order to do this, opera singers have to be big and strong and sing high and loud — just like an athlete. They have to sing with the power of their voice — and they don’t use a microphone.”

Pearce continued to set the stage in anticipation of what would be for many, their first exposure to opera.

And to assure optimal effect — and in keeping with Christmas sentiment — she selected excerpts from three classics especially poignant for young listeners: Gian Carlo Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” Englebert Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel,” and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”

The afternoon program seem to fly by magically as the attentive children met each of the characters: the dreamer Amahl who assures his widowed mother that their impoverished life will improve, despite his dependence on a crutch; the children Hansel and Gretel as they pray for protection upon finding themselves lost in the woods — and, in a subsequent scene — dance together in pursuit of relief from the drudgery of their wicked stepmother’s cruel work ethic; and lastly, the Three Spirits who intercept the fatal intentions of the beautiful and faithful princess, Pamina, who is tempted by despair in “The Magic Flute.”

The performers, who inaugurated Opera Naples’ Young Artists Program this month, are accomplished beyond their years.

At 12, acclaimed boy soprano Patrick Moran is well known to the Naples stage and has studied with Pearce for several years.

Last season, he shared the lead role in ON’s production of “Amahl” with peer Marcello Marsalli. In “The Magic Flute,” Marcello’s younger brother, Luciano, 7, joined the two boys in their performance as the Three Spirits opposite soprano Pamela Jimenez, 22, in her role of the despairing Pamina.

Jimenez, a recent graduate of the University of Miami’s School of Voice, also sang the role of Gretel with Marcello as Hansel.

At the piano throughout was freelance accompanist Robin Frank whom Pearce described as a true find for Opera Naples.

“A very, very huge find,” she emphasized.

The opportunity to participate in the performance brought back special childhood memories for Frank.

“When I was in eighth grade, I was chosen to play one of the Three Spirits in the Palm Beach Opera production,” she recalled of her days as a student at Palm Beach County School for the Arts. “We arrived on stage in a hot air balloon.”

Frank endorsed the importance of giving children early exposure to all the arts, opera especially.

“It’s a chance for them to see their peers involved with singing and scenes,” she said of its cultural impact. “It gives them a better grasp.”

Teacher assistant Lisa Falconi described what touched her most about the event.

“My favorite thing was the children’s questions,” she said. “They were such a great audience — and being that they’re so young they soak it all right up.”

Perhaps the comment that spoke volumes came from Emily Orgass, 9, student of Miss Robinson, who admitted how surprised she was at her first opera event.

“I really liked their performance — and how they had their costumes and all their songs,” she said. “I never really thought opera was for kids. I thought it was just for older people.”