午夜剧场

It is difficult to directly answer the question, "Why did you aim to become a vocal artist after graduating from university?" For me, singing is a part of daily life, and my activities as a vocal artist are simply an extension of that. Whether I was attending the Opera Studio, participating in a masterclass in Sicily, or performing on an opera stage while seven months pregnant, I was a company employee. Even now, I perform in concerts when invited. I suppose you could call me a side-hustle vocal artist.

Yes, my life has always been with song. My father wrote a book titled "Introduction to Yodeling," my mother sang Latin music, and by the time I was old enough to remember, I was singing yodeling with my sister and belonged to a choir. I believe my dream in my graduation yearbook was to be an "opera singer or a children's song performer," but I am not sure how concretely I could imagine opera at that time. In fact, the first time I watched an opera of my own volition was when I was 25 and living in San Francisco for work; it was "The Barber of Seville," and even though it was supposed to be a comedy, I didn't really understand it and fell asleep halfway through. Since then, I started attending the Nikikai Opera Studio, encountered various opera works, and now I am completely captivated. This is because I learned that opera is a classical art form that can be enjoyed specifically by preparing in advance.

The generally cited charm of opera is that it is a comprehensive art form combining music, theater, and stage, featuring solo songs called arias. However, I believe the charm of opera is, above all, the ensemble. For example, sisters grieving upon hearing that their lovers are being conscripted, the lovers watching them from the side, and the old fox who set it all up. Each character sings their own melody reflecting their sometimes conflicting thoughts, which then integrates with the orchestra to form a single piece. I would also like to add that ensembles are where mezzo-sopranos, who rarely get to be the heroine except in French works like "Carmen," can truly show off their skills.

By the way, the most memorable work for me is W.A. Mozart's "Così fan tutte." Part of it is because my opera debut was in the role of Dorabella in this work, but more than that, being accepted through an audition for the 午夜剧场 Collegium Musicum Opera Project and performing with an orchestra of current 午夜剧场 students at the Fujiwara Hiroshi Hall was the greatest honor as a 午夜剧场 alumni.