(Credit: Marine Cessat-Begler)

Since winning Operalia in 2019, Adriana González’s career has steadily risen to the top, singing at many of the great theaters around the world and creating memorable interpretations.

She has become renowned for her interpretations of Micaëla in “Carmen” and the Countess in “Le Nozze di Figaro” as well as Mimì in “La Bohème.” Last season she made history encoring the Countess’ aria in Mozart’s work and received some of the biggest applause of her career.

Now she is about to make her Royal Opera House debut, continuing to build her acclaimed career. OperaWire had a chance to speak with González about the debut and the challenges of being a young singer in today’s opera industry.

OperaWire: You recently had success in “Le Nozze di Figaro” in Barcelona and did your first encore. What was that feeling, and how do you prepare mentally to sing “Dove Sono” again? 

Adriana González: The first feeling to cross my mind was shock and adrenaline. It really came as a surprise to see the maestro gesture while the audience was still applauding and then suddenly stop. I found myself in a type of “I want to run off stage now” situation. Of course, the first thing you think is: “the show must go on” and not having a protocol or any discussion of these situations didn’t make me feel at ease about how to react to this very special moment. 

The second thought that crossed my mind was to realize that the audience was really lovely and had just shown their appreciation wholeheartedly. It does take courage to stand there and accept the applause. Especially as artists, and I will say Latin American artists too, have always had a sort of “impostor syndrome” following you everywhere.

The third thought was, “What can I offer them that would be different from the first time around?” “This moment is very special, and I should offer all of what my heart, body, and artistry can give to the audience in this moment”. 

OW: It happens that you and Xabier Anduaga were the only ones to do encores this season at the Liceu. Xabier in “Werther” and you in “Le Nozze di Figaro.” You both won Operalia the same year. What does that feel like especially with unexpected pieces? 

AG: Live performance is such a unique exchange of energy between the stage and the public. I will forever be grateful to the public for their empathy and support. I am also very grateful to the Catalan audience, who have followed us since the very beginnings of our professional outings. I remember their enthusiasm when we both also won a prize at the Viñas competition. They are always following what we are singing and where. They also wait for us at the artist entrance, which is quite lovely. I love seeing familiar faces, knowing what they thought of the performance, and taking a picture with them. The Barcelona and Madrid audiences have always been very expressive and warm in their support for artists. This is something that, for me, is very important. I can only be grateful and appreciative of their support. 

OW: You’ll make your Royal Opera House debut this week. Tell me about this milestone and when was the first time you saw a performance from this famed theater?

AG: Do you know I’ve actually never entered the Royal Opera House until now? While I am rehearsing “Carmen,” I will definitely try to see “Don Giovanni” and “Parsifal!” I was not often in London, so I am very happy to discover this city, this theater, and meet its audience. 

It’s a very exciting milestone to debut at a theater where many of my idols have sung. I’m also happy to be making my debut with Micaëla.

OW: You’ll sing your famed Micaëla. How has this role developed for you? 

AG: My voice has definitely changed in the last three years, and I’ve always felt the changes in Micaëla. About my first Micaëla, I remember the tricky parts where I had to be very technical and not really think of much else. As the years and productions have gone by, I have realized how new roles have also fed my technical and vocal development, enabling me to make Micaëla more refined and expressive. This role is also a wonderful anchor for me. I often go back to her in my practice when I feel a bit lost. In a world where 100 performances of any role is a rare thing, I’m happy to say this is my 13th production of “Carmen.” 

OW: What makes this role challenging and why does it speak to you so much having performed it so many times? 

AG: The challenge is to always be ready to go 110% onstage for those very precise moments. There is no warm-up scene like there are in many longer roles. Maybe at the beginning with Morales you can get the adrenaline out of the way, but that scene is also written in a tricky way, so you have to be prepared to go out on stage and nail it. The duet and the aria also require a certain amount of stamina. Both are different, with the duet being more of a higher-register floatiness and the aria being a mastery of breath control and the middle register focus. Especially the aria can be tricky, as the phrases are long and there is not much room to breathe deeply. You must always be ready to release and reset your system quickly in order to phrase freely. 

OW: Why do you think this role is perfect for your debut? 

AG: Because I’ve sung it in many theaters and different circumstances, which gives me confidence in knowing how my instrument is going to react. Repetition is a wonderful thing, and the more you do something, the better it gets, or at least you know what you are going up against. I’m also happy to sing a role that is the “darling” of the opera. She comes into this crazy world as a simple girl, in love, naïve and just steals your heart. I don’t like playing hateful roles. Maybe when I’m older I’ll change my mind. 

OW: This season marks your debut as Elisabetta. After “Otello,” why do you think this is the perfect role to continue with in your expansion of the Verdi repertoire? 

AG: I’m a legato and nuanced singer. Those are my strengths. I love long phrases and singing difficult pianissimi, while suffering some tragic destiny. After singing “Otello” and the Verdi Requiem, I loved Verdi’s writing. It is perfectly balanced with the orchestra and its expression. Verdi writes very well for the voice too! It is a very natural way to approach singing when you do it as it is in the score. Very natural. Nothing is forced. Elisabetta has some beautiful phrases throughout the opera which are very expressive and dramatic, but she also has some beautiful piani written in the score to express this introspection of a Queen who is hiding a secret. The musical dramaturgy of Verdi is perfect, and I feel my voice is ready to start exploring his repertoire more and more. 

OW: What is your favorite part of this work, and what do you think is the most challenging? 

AG: I find the duet with Filippo is quite demanding because of the dramatic expression needed and also motivated by the music. You always need to keep a cool mind and not completely go on the emotion, losing control of your instrument. We are doing the Four-Act Italian version in Toulon and Berlin, so the difficult Fontainebleau act is out. I think that is the most difficult part for me from the Five-Act French version, which I will also be singing in future seasons. 

My favorite part is “Tu che le vanità.” I always loved the orchestration of this aria and the phrasing. It’s a joy to interpret this aria with its dramatic part A and the introspective, calmer part B. I’m also having fun going into chest voice for the lower register of this role. It gives it a lovely quality to the interpretation. 

OW: As a young artist, how do you pace the repertoire you accept and how do you get the nerves to say no when you are offered something that you don’t think is right?

AG: I’m not yet 40, so I guess I’m still a young artist…? When I was 24 (11 years ago), I got offered Marguerite in Gounod’s “Faust” by one of the biggest opera houses in the world. Of course my ego was over the moon, and I felt very validated as an artist to be offered such a role. But I wasn’t ready. I didn’t have the stamina at that age to deal with the last trio of the opera with Faust and the devil, and I knew it. It wasn’t a thing of not having the notes; it was a question of how many rehearsals I would have to sing out and how many performances I would be able to sing at an acceptable standard without hurting my voice or tiring out my body. Would I be up to the standard of the voices around me too? It’s not only you singing on stage, but also the team your on stage with. 

Pacing repertoire has always been a priority to me. I always consult with my singing teachers, coaches and mentors. A full discussion is had with my team of five people to decide if this is the right role for my voice, personality and moment in my career. I’ve never accepted a role that I couldn’t dominate technically. I have said no A LOT in my career, and I have never regretted it. I know our voice has a finite life and our careers may not last until old age. My main goal is career longevity. A bit like Djokovic in tennis. I want to come into my later career with knowledge of my body and voice and how the two work in service of the music, and not just my enjoyment. 

The wonderful thing is that I still work at this big opera house that offered me Marguerite, and they have become one of the main opera houses I sing in today, for which I am very grateful for. 

OW: You recently made your Latin American debut in “La Bohème.” What does it feel like to sing in Latin America as a Latin American singer? What other countries in Latin America do you want to perform in? 

AG: Being Guatemalan is a wonderful thing. As we have no opera house in Guatemala, I often think of the big luxury and privilege it is to be doing this job. I know what it is to not have an orchestra, and a choir, and dressers and costumes… So every time I see it all working out, and especially in a Latin American opera house, my heart is filled. 

I was so happy and teary-eyed to make my Colombia debut! I’m so grateful to La Compañia Estable for not only offering Mimì, which I adore to sing, but for this South American debut! I am very close to many Latin American singers, and I always try to help and give advice when asked. I know what we go through to make this career happen and all the sacrifices we make. Being far away from your homeland and family is a very sad thing for any person, let alone an artist who is meant to be in touch with their feelings to bring them to the stage for everyone to see. 

I would love to sing in my country, Guatemala. I still have to make my debut at the Gran Sala Efraín Recinos in Guatemala City. It would be a wonderful moment to sing for my family, friends, and for my country, which I carry very close to my heart.