(Photo:@mimsi.bubna)

Irish soprano Ami Hewitt made a big splash as Tytania in Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at this summer’s Blackwater Valley Opera Festival. She is now singing two roles at the Wexford Festival Opera, where OperaWire met up with her for a quick interview.

OperaWire: What was the first opera you saw live?

Ami Hewitt: “The Marriage of Figaro.” I was 19 at the time.

OW: What was the first production you ever sang in? 

AH: It was “The Medium” by Menotti. It was a student production, but it was in front of an audience.

OW: What was the first solo role you performed as a professional singer?

AH: The Controller in Jonathan Dove’s opera “Flight” for Opera Collective Ireland.

I remember thinking it was such a gift to sing a role that suited me so well. 

OW: How would you describe your voice?

AH: I think I have a strong upper register; I suppose this is my main selling point. It is also a versatile voice, and I have a good natural technique, although obviously I have built on this over the years.

OW: Who is your favorite composer to listen to? 

AH: Richard Strauss. He is also one of my favorites to sing.

OW: Do you enjoy dancing?

AH: When I was growing up, I used to do a lot of competitive Irish dancing.

OW: Do you have a pet?

AH: Yes, I have an old English sheepdog called Bilbo. However, I am not as big a fan of “The Lord of the Rings” as this might make you think.

And, just today, I rescued a kitten, which I have called Oberon. He is only five weeks old.

OW: You are from Dublin. What do you like about the city?

AH: I like the people and the pride they take in their music and culture. I like its many green spaces, especially Phoenix Park.

OW: What is your favorite piece of non-classical music? 

AH: “Raglan Road.”

OW: Where would you most like to go on holiday?

AH: Sri Lanka and the Maldives. I have already booked the trip!

OW: What roles are you performing at this year’s festival?

AH: I am playing Trish in a three-part opera called “Urban Legends” by Andrew Synnott and Colm Tóibín.

Also, I am playing Helena in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

OW: Can you give me two adjectives to describe Trish?

AH: Normal and Introvert.

OW: What were the challenges in performing the role?

 AH: It is performed in an art gallery, so there are people on both sides, and the acoustics change depending on what objects are on display that evening.

OW: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is being performed as a community opera. Are you enjoying the experience?

AH: Yes, it is great fun. It is not the first time I have sung in a community opera. Two years ago, I sang in “Gianni Schicchi,” also at the festival.

OW: You recently appeared as Tytania in Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival. How would you describe her character?

AH: She thinks she is in control, but actually she is out of control. She is also an ethereal character.

OW: The opera took place outdoors, and it was raining. Was it as difficult to perform in such conditions as it appeared to be? 

AH: Yes. I had to lie on a bed for a long time, which was getting wetter and wetter.

OW: It was a performance that caught the nation’s attention. In fact, your photograph appeared on the front page of The Irish Times. How did that make you feel?

AH: I was just pleased to be part of something that made the front page. It also made me reflect on what I had achieved and the how much I wanted to sing the role.

OW: You sang in one of the festival’s pop-up events, in which the singers perform short pieces in locations around the town. How have they been received by the passing public?

AH: I will tell you a little anecdote. A woman stopped me in the street the other day who had seen me singing in Barker’s coffee shop. She told me that she had filmed it, and her son, who was five or six, asked his teacher to play it for the whole class, which she did! It made me very happy.

OW: What is your favorite film?

AH: “The Incredibles.” I like the music more than the story.

OW: What job do you think you would have been doing if you had not become an opera singer?

AH: Maybe a midwife.

OW: What is your next scheduled performance?

AH: Haydn’s “Mass in Time of War” and Rutter’s “Magnificat” with the Limerick Choral Union.

OW: If I were interviewing you in 20 years, what would you like to be able to tell me about your career?

AH: That I have ticked off many of the roles I have on my ‘to do list,’ such as Strauss’ Sophie and Zerbinetta, and Mozart’s Queen of the Night. It is quite a big list!