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
PM Christopher Luxon sets the scene for his MPs: 'Let's go get this thing done'
Health Minister Shane Reti offers cursory response over smokefree protest
Luxon says position on Treaty bill clear, but doesn't unequivocally rule it out
TikTok bows to European pressure and halts reward feature on new app in France and Spain
Bangladesh PM Hasina secures fourth straight term in vote boycotted by main opposition
Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse Of The Heart soars on music charts during total solar eclipse
Lack of reliability with trains sees Auckland commuters opt for the bus
America's best public high school is revealed, as judges of prestige survey hail students' college
Former army officer jailed after raping Wellington sex worker
Vibrant Q1 consumption mirrors China's economic stamina
Conservatives set for heavy UK election defeat to opposition Labour, survey shows