Musical Multitasker: Young talent to perform at OASIS fundraiser

Some toddlers become deeply attached to their stuffed teddy bear. Others go to sleep with their dump truck. 

But Isabella Bank, 14, was all about the toy keyboard when she was a little kid.

She started taking lessons when she was 5, and soon she was going straight to the piano when she got home from school every day.

“It’s a whole different world for me,” Bank says about music. “It’s a new door I can open.”

The Lakewood Ranch resident moved to Florida in August 2016 from Rome, where she had already developed another musical talent of hers: opera singing.

In Rome, Bank performed with the Coro Voci Bianche and the JuniOrchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Before that, she lived in Washington state, where she was part of the Columbia Choirs of Metropolitan Seattle.

Bank is a student of Sarasota Voice Academy, which is run by Carol Sparrow, president and founder of nonprofit Opera for Animals: Singing is Saving.

OASIS, which raises money for various animal organizations throughout the U.S. by hosting musical fundraisers, will host its annual benefit concert and dinner Jan. 27. Bank will not only sing two pieces for guests (one of which is in Italian), she’ll also share another of her many musical talents: cello.

She’ll play Bach Suite #1, a suite made up of several dances, for guests as they peruse the silent auction at the beginning of the evening. After dinner, she’ll sing Michael Arne's “Lass with the Delicate Air” and Ennio Morricone's "Nella Fantasia."

Bank is a student of Sparrow’s, and the young musician says her teacher is helping her work toward her dream of becoming a professional soloist.

“How music can make someone feel, that’s what keeps my love for music alive,” Bank says. “When I felt goosebumps after a piece once I thought, ‘Wow what if I could be the one to transfer music into the souls of others?’”

As for the gala gig, Bank sees it as another opportunity to do what she loves: perform.

“It’s a chance to share my love of music,” Bank says. “I’m so grateful and happy (Sparrow is) doing this for the animals — she has a great heart.”