Songbirds: where all the fine arts meet

A love story that started while performing the “Barber of Seville” on the East Coast was just the beginning of what came to be known as Songbirds Music, Art, & Dance Center.

Dressed in an 18th-century-inspired gown while playing Rosina, a clever and determined young woman, was the exact moment when Jillian Morrisini owner of Songbirds met her husband, Justin Morrisini.

He was part of the chorus in the “Barber of Seville.”

Jillian has played important roles in Opera plays such as Judy in “Night of the Living Dead, the opera” and young Lizzie in “Lizbeth.”

After traveling the country together and eventually getting married, they decided to open Songbirds in Oviedo, where Jillian’s family resides; but their love for music didn’t stop there. After eight years, Jillian is still performing locally, most recently at Opera Orlando as Gretel in “Hansel and Gretel.”

For her, creating an environment where children could learn how to appreciate music no matter their age, felt very special, especially because when she started performing as an opera singer, learning healthy vocal techniques was a key element to a successful performance.  

“When you’re that little, everything is new. You’re taking in all this information,” Jillian said. “So just exposing them to different kinds of music and live music is what’s really important.”

Other than the Imagine Performing Arts Center at the Oviedo Mall, which provides theater, dance, and music lessons, Songbirds is the only place in the greater Oviedo and Winter Springs area that offers different kinds of arts at the same location. They offer music, dance, and art classes to children from ages 0 to 100.

Music lessons and local performances

Sitting on the floor, moms grab their babies’ hands to help them play with tambourines and maracas in the “Music Together” class, where mothers with children from 0 to 5 years old can play with different instruments and bond with their babies. 

Thai McGrath, one of Songbirds’ music instructors, said that teaching kids from a very young age can be very fulfilling, especially because he’s “not only teaching music but life lessons through music as well.”

“Teaching the kids to apply themselves to something, teaching them to be patient with themselves, is a big thing,” McGrath said. “I think I just have a soft spot for supporting young artists, and I think it helps give them more confidence in themselves, which is something I wish I had when I was younger.”

As the music flowed and ebbed inside, parents sat on tiny benches in the middle of the sidewalk peering through an almost 6-foot-tall crystal window while their kids danced inside. 

But Songbirds’ lessons reach beyond the school’s tiny pink ballet shoes, pictures of ballerinas hanging on the wall, classic and electric guitars, and piano music books that fill the entrance of the center. They also sponsor local schools’ band programs, including those at Jackson Heights Middle School, Partin Elementary School and Lawton Chiles Middle School.

“For any of the events they’re putting on, we always make a donation, or we go to the event and help out by providing a craft,” Jillian said.

Small community events serve as an opportunity for local business owners who are looking to put their name out there to network and connect with their neighbors.

On top of being a business owner, Jillian is also part of Oviedo’s Public Arts Board. She said that it’s very important to her to use her position there to foster meaningful connections within the art world to help support the local community.

A couple of weeks ago, Opera Orlando did a live performance of Cinderella. As a member of the Public Arts Board, Jillian said that it was a very special moment for her because that way Oviedo can start getting more local performances that can contribute to the work the Arts Board has been doing. 

“I know a lot of people at Opera Orlando, and I have connections with people in a lot of the other art forms around here, which kind of helps bridge some gaps for Oviedo,” Jillian said. “The Public Arts Board does awesome work but it’s mostly static items like murals and sculptures, so I really want to start incorporating live art, because that’s such a big aspect of the fine arts.”

About this article

OCN’s editorial interns are asked to find at least one article on their own during their semester working for OCN. To help them do this, we assign a scavenger hunt that gets them moving around the community and interacting with residents. This article was the product of Keily Alfonzo’s community hunt.