How did you get into opera?
"I originally wanted to be a musical theatre actor but my mother put me in voice lessons with a Juilliard trained voice teacher. My teacher recognised my vocal potential as well as my love of languages, and opened my eyes to the infinitely rich world of classical vocal music. As soon as I realised I could pursue a career in classical music I never looked back!"
What has been challenging, unexpected or enjoyable during your singing career?
"COVID hit during the exact point of my career and development where I was ready to transition out of young artist programs into the full-time professional world. In April of 2020, I was hoping to move to New York City, audition for houses and management in Europe, and make my Carnegie Hall debut in May. I had to consciously make the decision to hold on and keep singing even though it meant possibly not singing for live audiences for another few years. Then, once the world opened back up, I got a contract to sing at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg for a year. I got three months into my time contract, the war broke out, and I had to immediately leave Russia. There have been a significant stops and starts at critical moments for me. I joke that I feel like a race horse trapped behind the starting gate. Although this has been extremely challenging for me, I am more exhilarated toward to the goal than ever before. I have to believe holding on and remaining hopeful and determined will all be worth it in the end."
What are your goals for the future?
"To put it simply: My goal is to sing the best music in the world with the best colleagues in the world. I also have many roles and great pieces of music on my bucket list. I hope to establish myself internationally and sing them all in the world’s great opera houses and concert halls."
What do you hope to get out of Lexus Song Quest?
"I am so excited to come back to New Zealand to sing in the Lexus Song Quest. It has been many years since I’ve been able to come back to New Zealand, and it will be incredibly meaningful for me to share my music at this point in my artistic development with a New Zealand audience. If just one person is moved or inspired by my singing, I will have gotten everything I could have hoped to get out of this competition."
Who inspires your practice? Do you have any creative influences or heroes?
"I am most inspired by vocal artists who are not only great singers but truly great musicians and interpreters. A few artists I look to for inspiration are Anthony Rolf Johnson, Barbara Bonney, and Dawn Upshaw. And of course, I never learn an aria without first listening to Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sing it."
What does it mean to be a woman in opera? How has it shaped your experience?
"There is much more pressure on females in opera, particularly sopranos, to fit into a perfectly constructed box. I have worked diligently as a student of classical music to do everything “just so” to reach higher and higher levels. Now I find myself in the process of needing and desiring to become the artist I know I can be, which requires a bit of mould breaking. The most essential element at this point is establishing and trusting my own voice; taking all that I’ve learned and deciding for myself how it resonates with me and fits within my own perspective."
