You will soon be performing Leïla in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers. How does this role fit you on a personal level? Do you sympathize with the character?
I love the role. It has the typical features of a role development as many French opera soprano characters. They first appear with quite a high range and flexibility in the voice, but more and more throughout the story the characterization becomes fuller in the voice. Leïla is a young, beautiful, sensitive, strong woman with extraordinary abilities (she’s the priestess of Brahma). All this tells us enough of why people are attracted to her character. Personally, I love both the strong and sensitive sides of Leïla, and I especially love the duet with Zurga in the last act of the opera.