NEW YORK (AP) — Asmik Grigorian laughs when she recalls that she had been singing professionally for more than a decade when the International Opera Awards proclaimed her the “best young female singer” of 2016.
“So for 12 years I was nothing, and then I immediately became the best!” the Lithuanian soprano joked in an interview.
Now at the peak of her career and seemingly able to sing just about any role she chooses, from Dvorak’s lyrical “Rusalka” to Puccini’s dramatic “Turandot,” Grigorian is about to make her Metropolitan Opera debut in another Puccini classic, “Madame Butterfly.”
“My only regret is not having booked her sooner,” said Met general manager Peter Gelb. “Asmik is an operatic force of nature, one of the greatest and most complete vocal and acting packages in recent operatic history.”
Growing up in Vilnius she had plenty of exposure to opera. Both her parents, tenor Gegam Grigorian and soprano Irena Milkeviciute, were opera singers and both appeared at the Met, where Asmik traveled with them while a young girl.
Hazing concerns prompt University of Virginia to expel 1 fraternity and suspend 3 others
How Katharine, Duchess of Kent bagged a royal prince
Listen up: Northland to test tsunami sirens
Sandringham House is filled with the spirit of the King's gentle
Florida man charged with murdering girlfriend's 13
Ministry of Health proposes 134 job losses
A job with Fred the Shred, selling milk to the Chinese
Oscars 2024: The Biggest Moments from the 96th Academy Awards
Maple Leafs forward William Nylander sits out 3rd straight game to open the playoffs
Meghan Markle continues to wear neutral clothing four years on from the Sussex's 'freedom flight'