I took a deep breath, making an attempt to look relaxed and assured, however auditions are by no means straightforward. I felt alone within the criminal of the piano of an nearly completely empty stage, save for the provided pianist who I had solely met seven minutes earlier, briefly describing my cadenzas for the aria I used to be about to sing, ‘Regnava nel silenzio’ from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. I felt good, I had sung my first aria nicely. However, even in one of the best circumstances, auditions all the time depart one feeling a bit like you might be in that dream the place you out of the blue realise you might be bare in public.

‘Thanks, Kathryn. Would you please sing Queen of the Night time?’ a pleasant, skilled, German-accented male voice introduced. I blinked and strained to see who was talking from far again within the practically empty, darkish and cavernous theatre. There have to be some mistake. My coronary heart began pounding so loudly in my chest that I might hear it inside my head. ‘I’m sorry,’ I squeaked, ‘perhaps you may have another person’s record? Queen isn’t on my rep record.’

‘We all know’ the thriller voice replied, casually. ‘Are you able to sing it anyway? The pianist is aware of it.’ Did somebody simply flip up the warmth in right here? I used to be out of the blue sweating. ‘I’m sorry,’ I apologised once more, ‘however, I don’t comprehend it.’ The thriller voice was mildly incredulous: ‘You don’t comprehend it? You’re a coloratura soprano and also you don’t know the Queen of the Night time?’ He sounded… irritated? Barely charmed? A bit prodding, as if he was teasing me, or perhaps I used to be teasing him. It was a tone I might change into rather more accustomed to within the years to come back; the smilingly sincere and blunt nature of many German colleagues that has change into endearing to me, however on the time froze me in my tracks and left me shaking, and barely in a position to clarify myself.

Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart the best composer who ever lived?

I shrugged and tried to look cute and apologetic. There was lots of silence. He lastly requested for the second half of Zerbinetta’s aria (it’s very lengthy.) I glanced on the pianist who gave me a glance that concurrently learn ‘Higher luck subsequent time’ and ‘Strauss? Do I’ve to?’ (Strauss orchestral piano reductions are infamously onerous.)

As a highschool pupil, I used to be advised I used to be a mezzo-soprano. After I went to school, my vocal professor, Dr Robert McIver, advised me I used to be in all probability a soprano. I requested him if there was a technique to be a soprano with out singing excessive or quick. (That’s nonetheless a favorite anecdote he likes to inform.) I remained a vocal thriller to seasoned veterans for years, and even after I lastly adopted the label ‘coloratura soprano’ Marilyn Horne advised me to by no means sing Queen of the Night time. (Nonetheless to this present day I’m not sure if she expressed that as a result of she thought I couldn’t sing it, or if she thought I might sing it (too nicely). Alas, life is filled with unanswered questions, like, did Shakespeare truly write Romeo and Juliet? Please don’t ship me hate mail.)

One of the best recordings of Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Again to the audition: You see, I used to be a newly minted coloratura soprano on the time of that audition for The Opera Basis competitors, a splendidly supportive organisation that has given many younger American singers their begin at European opera firms in cities corresponding to Munich, Turin, Madrid, Amsterdam, and in my case, Berlin. I wanted a job, however they wanted a Queen. Individuals on this enterprise very often prefer to credit score themselves with discovering singers, however Christoph Seuferle (the thriller voice at the hours of darkness theatre) of the Deutsche Oper Berlin fairly actually found my Queen – one thing I had but to even uncover for myself. They referred to as me hours later and advised me to maneuver to Berlin. I might study later that I used to be the one soprano who ‘refused’ to sing Queen of the Night time for them. It’s a story that has change into legend – with a number of gildings added for flourish – however what you learn right here is the arduous fact, I promise!

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The remaining, as they are saying, is historical past. Christoph advised all his buddies about me, together with a VIP buddy, Jonathan Pal, casting director of the Metropolitan Opera. Jonathan flew to Berlin to listen to me and instantly put me on maintain for 2 seasons on the Met. On June third this previous season, I celebrated singing my fiftieth efficiency on the Met stage together with tens of hundreds of individuals tuning in for the Met’s Stay in HD efficiency of Die Zauberflöte, the function that I maintain the corporate report for many performances sung. I’ve sung Queen at over 30 firms everywhere in the world in over 300 performances since my debut on the Deutsche Oper Berlin in November of 2011.

So now what? Don’t fear, I’ll be singing Queen for some time nonetheless. It’s all the time enjoyable and thrilling – and do you know it’s solely 12.5 minutes on the stage? It affords me numerous time to get different stuff executed after I’m not on stage. I study numerous different roles in my dressing room like Violetta, Juliet, Lucia, all of the Hoffmann heroines, Maria Stuarda and a bunch of Handel roles. I’ve nursed each my youngsters in between Queen arias in dressing rooms. Having a two and a 4 yr outdated absolutely places some perspective on being the world’s most infamous evil opera mom.

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I’m blessed in so some ways. It began with my dream to carry out on the world’s nice opera phases. Queen gave me my begin on that journey and continues to ship. I’m fulfilled by singing quite a lot of superb opera heroines, most notably Lucia di Lammermoor, whom I used to be singing after I fell in love with my husband, a beautiful, tall darkish’n’good-looking tenor named Zach Borichevsky. I do know, it’s like a fairy story, proper? (Effectively, try my instagram account to get a dose of the not-so-fairytalish tales of what it’s prefer to journey everywhere in the globe practically continuously with two younger youngsters in tow.) Being the world’s Queen isn’t straightforward! You already know, most Queens are simply Queens of like one nation, or a number of international locations plus some commonwealths – however the entire world? I wouldn’t have it another means. I’m extremely grateful for my life and the individuals who love and help me by means of the highs, and particularly the lows – as a result of most individuals simply present up for the notorious highs (notes!)

Kathryn Lewek will star because the Queen of the Night time within the upcoming ‘The Magic Flute: Live performance Efficiency’ on the Edinburgh Worldwide Pageant, alongside the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, on Saturday 12 August.