Maryland native Gabby Tennor is taking New York’s Metropolitan Opera by storm. The 10-year-old plays Jesus in a production of El Niño, which tells the story of the Nativity, Fox 5 reported.
According to NBC Washington, Tennor has always loved singing and performing. When the opportunity to audition for the show popped up, she decided to go for it.
“I don’t understand how, but yeah, I’m playing Jesus,” Gabby said.
While opening night saw thousands of people attend, the fourth grader didn’t bat an eye, feeling at home on the legendary stage.
“I normally am really nervous for things, especially when it’s a lot of people, and there were 30,000 people at my first opening night, and I wasn’t nervous for some reason,” she told the outlet. “So, I just knew that that was for me.”
Tennor’s mother, Barbara, was more emotionally moved by her daughter’s achievement.
“You look around you, and you have a vision of how your life is going to be somehow, and we never thought opera. We are not actors, we are not actresses. We don’t have that background, and to get to that level, I looked around and said ‘Wow, God is really good,'” she told Fox 5.
El Niño is currently slated for a month-long run, during which Gabby and Barbara will make the five-hour commute from Maryland to the Big Apple twice a week. It’s no easy feat, but it’s worth it.
“I am so glad I can do something that is based on my faith because I’m Christian,” she told Fox 5. “Let God take you wherever you want to be. It’s not just about yourself, let others help.”
Though Gabby’s success may seem fast-paced, Barbara shared it’s been a journey and not one without rejection.
“And I’ve had Gabby cry even through her auditions because you have to memorize lines, 5 pages within 24 hours, but the determination is there. Wherever you want to be, you can be,” Barbara said. “But believe that you have to work hard for it because life never comes easy. It’s never simple.”
Gabby’s stage career has a promising future, though her aspirations extend far beyond it. She told Fox 5 that she wants to be a pediatrician when she grows up. The 10-year-old plays piano, drums, soccer and is a straight-A student.
El Niño runs until Friday.
