Watch – World opera has a new heavenly voice, and her name is Nadine Sierra

The (wonderful) encore that said it all

Since 1898, encores at Milan’s world renowned Teatro alla Scala have been rarer than hen’s teeth.

But…

In a house debut at the prestigious Teatro, a young opera singer, already much-loved, became one of the few to break with a tradition over a century old.

On the opening night of Verdi’s Rigoletto, Nadine Sierra and her duet partner, Leo Nucci, were forced to appease an ecstatic audience demanding an encore.

In many ways, the conductor allowing the duo this honour says it all.

Adored by fans, respected by critics

Nadine Sierra (soprano) and Stefano Secco (tenor) perform Libiamo ne’ lieti calici (“Let’s drink from the joyful cups”) from Verdi’s La Traviata at the Teatro La Fenice

Given the renown of the venue and its outstanding operatic pedigree, the exceptional encore made headlines throughout Italy, and set the opera world abuzz.

This was in 2016, and by winning two more highly coveted awards in 2017 and 2018, Sierra’s meteoric rise has been rendered unstoppable.

Successful debuts at premier venues like the New York Metropolitan Opera, the Staatsoper Berlin, Milan’s beautiful Teatro alla Scala and the Opéra national de Paris have resulted in a flurry of sought-after operatic roles for the soprano.

She has, additionally, appeared in numerous other international concert performances, including an arena tour with the legendary Andrea Bocelli.

Reaching her generation

At the age of 31, Sierra is regarded as youthful in operatic terms.

She is acutely aware that many of history’s most stunning works of art are passed over by younger generations.

Classical music (in all its forms) is seen as detached from the experiences and cultural norms of the youth.

Nadine Sierra (soprano) and the dazzling Anita Rachvelishvili (mezzo-soprano) perform Sous le dôme épais (“Flower Duet”) from Léo Delibes’ opera Lakmé at the 2017 Concert de Paris. The scenes of the Eiffel Tower are stunning!

Moreover, it’s widely perceived as being class specific, belonging only to the wealthy.

Sierra knows that the survival of centuries’ worth of music depends on bringing new blood into the fold; audiences that are younger and don’t fall within the upper tiers of the income scale.

She has been quoted as saying:

Something bigger needs to happen for opera to enter the lives and the ears of my generation…

 

Opera needs to cater to an audience that is not necessarily wealthy or a certain class of people … you have to lower ticket prices and do more outreach.

 

We artists have to promote ourselves on social media, break down the walls… The stigma has to change.

In another interview, she reiterates,

Opera can, and should, belong to anyone who has the pleasure of witnessing its timeless beauty.

When listening to the full performances presented in this article, when we hear the brilliance of composers past, combined with phenomenally gifted singers, we can hardly disagree that opera really does contain timeless beauty – and that it deserves to be heard by generations to come.

Opera in the age of social media

To quote from her official website:

Nadine Sierra maintains an active presence on social media, where she interacts with her followers by answering messages, comments and questions on a daily basis.

On her instagram profile, she has launched two successful series, Mornings with Nadine and Notes from Nadine, giving her followers an exclusive look at the life of a modern-day opera singer.

Ask her your questions on instagram @nadine.sierra.