NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Lisette Oropesa impresses Peter Gelb as more than a singer.
鈥淪he reminds me a little bit of Beverly Sills,鈥� the general manager said. 鈥淪he seems to have that kind of intellectual quickness. She鈥檚 extremely astute and she connects with people. Who knows? Maybe someday she鈥檒l be running the Met?鈥�
Sills was a top soprano before heading New York City Opera from 1979-89, then chairing the Met board from 2002-05 and overseeing Gelb’s hiring.
A 42-year-old soprano who grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Oropesa is starring with tenor Lawrence Brownlee in the Met鈥檚 first new staging of Bellini鈥檚 鈥淚 Puritani鈥� since the heralded 1976 production with and Joan Sutherland.
Last week鈥檚 opening received rave reviews after Oropesa shimmered through the difficult coloratura. This Saturday鈥檚 performance will be televised worldwide.
鈥淚鈥檝e been wanting to sing it forever. I think it鈥檚 Bellini鈥檚 best work,鈥� Oropesa said. 鈥淚 find `Puritani鈥� is one of the exceptions to the bel canto generalization of: it鈥檚 boring, it鈥檚 slow, it鈥檚 all about the singers, the text is terrible, the stories are stupid.鈥�
Met career started two decades ago
Oropesa was a winner at the 2005 Met National Council Auditions, joined the company鈥檚 young artists program and made her Met debut a year later in Mozart鈥檚 鈥淚domeneo.鈥� Among her first larger roles was in Puccini鈥檚 鈥淟a Rondine鈥� on New Year鈥檚 Eve in 2008, when she sang the character named Lisette under the baton of Marco Armiliato, also this season鈥檚 鈥淧uritani鈥� conductor.
鈥淵ou can catch right away the sparkling in the voice,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 developed her career in a beautiful and very intelligent way, choosing the right role in the right time.鈥�
Oropesa debuted at Munich鈥檚 Bavarian State Opera in 2011, the Paris Op茅ra in 2015, London鈥檚 Royal Opera in 2017 and Milan鈥檚 Teatro all Scala in 2019.
While she had sung Elvira鈥檚 mad scene in auditions, she didn鈥檛 feel ready for the entire role.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good to be young and fresh because you鈥檙e agile, you鈥檙e resilient,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut you don鈥檛 necessarily have the stamina that it takes to get through a long bel canto, big work like this. And that鈥檚 something that comes with age and experience.鈥�
Oropesa sang her first staged Elvira in February 2025 in Paris, also with Brownlee.
鈥淪he is so committed in everything she does, and she gives a full performance every time she walks on stage,鈥� Brownlee said.
Going silent before taking the stage
To prepare for performances, Oropesa stops speaking.
鈥淭welve hours of silence,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e singing every day at a high level, that 8 to 8, 10 to 10, 12 to 12, whatever that half the day of the clock where you do not speak resets you better than any medicine, better than any Advil, better than anything.鈥�
She did have a new speaking role at the Met, hosting the television broadcast of 鈥淎ndrea Chenier鈥� last month.
Dealing with acid reflux
Oropesa felt vocal problems in July 2024, when she traveled from Japan to Naples, Italy, for performances as Violetta in Verdi鈥檚 鈥淟a Traviata.鈥�
鈥淚 got off the plane and I was like: My throat hurts. I鈥檓 sick or I鈥檓 getting sick or I鈥檓 jet-lagged or I need a few days,鈥� she said. 鈥淒ays and days go by, and I鈥檓 not getting sick. I just have this consistent pain in my throat.鈥�
When her voice cut out as she started to warm up for a dress rehearsal, she decided to go to a doctor.
鈥淗e takes one look at my vocal cords and he says, `You have reflux really bad,鈥欌�� she recalled. 鈥淎ll your muscles around there are red. Your vocal cords are fine, but the muscles are so like burnt that they can鈥檛 hold your cords together.鈥�
She was told to take 10 days of rest, start on medication and to sleep on an incline. A vegan for 15 years, she now generally avoids eating after shows.
Helping younger singers
When Oropesa hosted the 2020 Met National Council Auditions final concert, she announced that because the prize was $15,000, the same amount she received in 2005, she was donating $25,000 to increase the total to $20,000 for each of the five winners.
鈥淚t is a very, very difficult, very difficult profession, as you all know, and this is the time that that money really, really makes all the difference,鈥� Oropesa told the crowd.
Met donors have since raised the money to keep the prize at $20,000 for each winner.
Future operas
Oropesa will sing the title role in Bellini鈥檚 鈥淣orma鈥� for the first time in a concert at Finland鈥檚 Savonlinna Opera Festival in late July and make her role debut as Liu in Puccini鈥檚 鈥淭urandot鈥� two weeks later at Italy鈥檚 Arena de Verona 鈥� her 50th role.
鈥淪ometimes you take for granted artists who you see growing up in front of you and I think in the case of Lisette we might have been guilty of that,鈥� Gelb said. 鈥淪he felt, and maybe she was right, that she had to go to Europe to prove herself as a star 鈥� and she certainly became a very big star in Europe 鈥� to get the attention of the Met. But she certainly has our attention now.鈥�
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