Mar 26, 2025
For sisters Daphne Groumoutis, 11, and Ianthe Groumoutis, 13, singing is just part of their daily lives.
“They’re brushing their teeth, and they’re singing. They’re doing their homework, and they’re singing,” says their mom, Melina Xinos Alexakis. “From the moment they come home from school, they’re both constantly singing.”
That love of singing will be on show when the sisters perform as part of the Children’s Chorus in La Bohème.
Both girls got an early start with music.
“When I was four, I told my parents, ‘I want to take singing lessons! I want to take singing lessons! I want to take singing lessons!’” Ianthe recalls with a laugh. “At first, they were skeptical because I was only little, but I grew into it. And now music is a big part of who I am.”
Daphne, who loves classical music, also sees singing as a way of expressing herself. “To me singing is a way for me to make music, and I can transport it, I can carry it with me,” she explains. “I’m the instrument, and I really like that.”
Both girls take voice lessons, and last year, Ianthe’s teacher recommended she audition for the Children’s Chorus in Manitoba Opera’s production of Carmen.
Ianthe’s operatic debut inspired Daphne. “When I saw my sister onstage, I told my parents, ‘I want to do that,’” she relates. “It just looked like a lot of fun.”
Being part of a professional opera production has been a valuable learning experience for the girls. According to Ianthe, it’s exciting to watch the grown-up singers hone their vocal work and craft their dramatic performances. “It’s interesting to see how all these emotions and all these dramatic components are transposed into music,” she suggests.
The rehearsal process for the Children’s Chorus, which starts with practicing the music and then moves on to staging, requires a lot of work and dedication, but it can also be fun. A highlight for both girls was going for their costume fittings. “The costumes for Bohème are so extravagant,” Ianthe says.
“There’s the first skirt, and the skirt on top of that, and the jacket and the scarf and the hat!” Daphne adds.
The rehearsal schedule starts at about two hours a week but intensifies to almost 15 hours in the week before Opening Night. And while it’s a big commitment, Melina and her husband, George Groumoutis, view Daphne and Ianthe’s time spent rehearsing as complementing their schoolwork rather than competing with it. The girls’ experience with Manitoba Opera allows them to “express themselves in a different way,” Melina believes. “And performing in front of people helps them with debate, with public speaking, with their drama productions. It’s all inter-related.”
George also sees musical education as a “multidimensional and multifaceted part of learning.”
“Music brings such joy to people,” he adds. “And for our daughters to love music, it ensures they will always be able to access this joy, throughout their lives.”
