A Southold starlet will be one of four singers at this year’s annual Opera in the Hamptons concert at Duck Walk Vineyard— and at age 10, it’s not the first time she’s been in the spotlight.
Kaitlyn Heath of will be joining soprano Cristina Fontanelli tomorrow at the concert for the second year in a row. She will sing a few of her favorite Broadway songs — “Wouldn’t it be Loverly” from My Fair Lady and “Impossible” from Cinderella.
Kaitlyn has been singing for “a very long time,” she says. “I love to sing, and I love when people come and hear me sing. It’s really fun.”
Kaitlyn, who has been taking singing lessons for several years now, is a creative spirit in more ways than one. She also takes acting lessons, most recently performing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and enjoys arts and crafts.
“I never wanted to be one of those parents who pushes their kids to do stuff they don’t want to do,” Ashlie Heath, her mother, explained.
Kaitlyn tried sports at an early age. “I was a big jock, played every sport, so I thought she might be interested but — we tried it and she didn’t like it one bit,” Heath said while Kaitlyn shook her head adamantly.
“No. I’m an artist!” she chimed in. “I like to do clay sculptures the best.” Her prize pieces are a small mermaid figurine — her mother’s favorite — and a miniature cheesecake that she’s very proud of.
Kaitlyn has been invited to sing with Fontinelli before — at last year’s Opera in the Vines and at several other showcases.
“Cristina Fontanelli likes to have me sing because she says I do a very good job and she loves my voice,” she said with a big smile.
Heath began to realize that her daughter’s love of arts and music would be a lifelong passion. She started to look into what the future held for her little performer.
“I started looking at what’s out there, scholarship-wise, and it’s mostly academic or athletic scholarships,” Heath said. “There’s really very little out there for artistic kids.”
Fontanelli is looking to change that.
The renowned singer, who took over the Opera in the Hamptons concert a few years ago, has put on the show in honor of the late Dr. Herodotus Damianos since 2014. Damianos, founder of Pindar Vineyards and lover of opera, had hosted the concert in years previous in the Duck Walk Vineyards tasting room that he built.
Now, Fontanelli wants to start a music scholarship foundation in Damianos’ name, and Heath is willing to help in any way she can.
“It’s a great idea, and Cristina does such a good job organizing and putting it all together,” Heath said. “We try to help — get there before the concert, clean, set up.”
“I do a little makeup,” Kaitlyn added.
“The performance is in memory of him, and the scholarship will be in memory of him,” Heath said. “This year we’re hoping to get a strong base to hopefully next year launch the foundation.”
Last year’s turnout surprised Heath. “There were more than 100 people there, coming from all over. I talked to a couple from Queens that had just come because they’re interested in opera.”
Tickets to the concert can be purchased online. In addition to Fontanelli and Heath, there will be performances by baritone Ricardo Rivera and tenor Benjamin Sloman.
