How the ‘Italian Fairy' Spends Her Day Teaching Children to Sing
Simona Rodano is dressed as a fairy, her petite white wings studded with sparkles.
In this costume, Ms. Rodano, 53, has played the role of the Italian Fairy for years, bringing multilingual musical programs to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
'Language,' she said, 'is a source and resource of dialogue and communication that connects different people, cultures and traditions, planting seeds for a better world.'
Ms. Rodano, a singer and entertainer who has performed at Carnegie Hall, starred in a five-day-a-week variety television show in her native Italy, where she also recorded albums and had roles in numerous stage productions.
After her 12-year run on TV ended in 2010, Ms. Rodano settled in Astoria, Queens. She began teaching Italian to Manhattan toddlers, and one father gave her the fairy nickname.
'For me, every day as the Italian Fairy is a performance,' Ms. Rodano said. 'I don't do it for the applause. I do it to inspire and uplift people. That's what drives me.'
She lives in Astoria with her cat, Stellina, and her husband, Luigi Rosa, 53, who is an assistant vice president at Amtrak.
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