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.
UN calls for probe into mass graves at Shifa and Nasser hospitals in Gaza
Providing Comprehensive Services to Families
Rural Woman Establishes Museum to Display Unique Charm of Miaos' Embroideries
China details regulations on non
A Star in Her Own Right — Ye Shuhua Dedicates Life to Development of Nation, Astronomy
Retired Principal Promotes 'Red Spirit' via Reading
Tibet's cultural tourism receives help from upgraded facilities
Hazing concerns prompt University of Virginia to expel 1 fraternity and suspend 3 others
German Vlogger Documents China's Ethnic Groups
US growth likely slowed last quarter but still pointed to a solid economy
Guzheng: Chinese Stringed Instrument with Long