Hila Baggio is an Israeli soprano with an international career who now resides in Europe. She has a wide repertoire ranging from the standard operatic roles to contemporary and liturgical music, and has appeared in numerous high profile productions, alongside many eminent musicians, including Daniel Barenboim for a staged production of “Pierrot Lunaire” in Berlin. Currently, she is performing Miranda in Halévy’s “La Tempesta” in this year’s Wexford Festival Opera.

OperaWire: What was the first opera you saw?

Hila Baggio: “La Bohème” in Jerusalem.

OW: What was the last opera you appeared in?

HB: “La Traviata” at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv. I was playing Violetta.

OW: What is your next scheduled performance? 

HB: A concert of Yiddish cabaret music at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo.

OW: What is your favorite role?

HB: Violetta.

OW: Which role have you performed most often?

HB: Oscar from Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera.”

OW: Which character that you have met on stage have you most disliked? 

HB: The Duke from “Rigoletto.”

OW: Which role, that you have not yet performed, would you most like to play?

HB: Berg’s “Lulu.”

OW: Who is your favorite opera singer?

HB: Joan Sutherland.

OW: Which character that you have seen on stage would you most like to meet in real life?

HB: Violetta.

OW: If you could invite three guests to dinner, at least one of which must have a connection with opera, who would they be?

HB: Verdi, Putin and Biden.

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

HB: I love Jazz. I can listen to Billie Holiday all day long.

OW: If you could have any composer, alive or dead, write an opera for you, who would it be?

HB: Verdi.

OW: What is your favorite film?

HB: “La Dolce Vita.”

OW: What book are you reading at the moment?

HB: Actually, I have just finished reading “The Tempest.”

OW: Who is your favorite painter?

HB: Monet.

OW: What qualities do you most appreciate in a conductor?

HB: During the rehearsals, I want to be given references to work with, while in the performance, I want the conductor to communicate and interact with me.

OW: What qualities do you most appreciate in a stage director?

HB: I like it when they are very good actors and can show you clearly what they are after.

OW: If you hadn’t been a singer, what job would you have done?

HB: If I were not afraid of blood, I would loved to have been a doctor.

OW: What do you like most about your voice?

HB: I like its versatility. I can adjust it to sing many different musical styles.

OW: What do you dislike most about being a singer?

HB: Being away from home for so long.

OW: What do you like most about being an opera singer?

HB: Rehearsals.

OW: Name two things which you enjoyed about your experience in Wexford

HB: The energy of the festival and meeting the director Roberto Catalano and the conductor Francesco Cilluffo.