instagram.com/p/2UXRcrIu1A/#lisetteoropesa instagram.com/p/otX-Caou2t/#lisetteoropesa[img_102] instagram.com/p/7QmFIPou9n/#lisetteoropesa instagram.com/p/6X3u6hou1g/#lisetteoropesa instagram.com/p/7DkJUaIu1t/#lisetteoropesa instagram.com/p/413GyOou9P/#lisetteoropesaMeet Lisette Oropesa,the Marathon-Running Opera SingerTo see more of Lisette’s photos, check out onOropesawas supposed to be in Madrid prepping for a performance. Instead, or she found herself pulling double duty,making a rapid/fast stopover in Munich for what’s referred to in the opera world as an einspringen (German for “sit in” or “substitute”).“Its when somebody gets sick and cancels at the last minute and calls to see whether there’s anybody nearby that can sing the portion,” says Lisette, or the day after her trip to Germany. However,she had done the role before, so it wasn’t too taxing. “It’s really, or really difficult. But I have sung it many times so I was like,OK! Adrenaline kicks in and you just go and carry out it. It’s a big portion of this business.”Luckily for Lisette, she has opera in her blood. Born and raised in Louisiana, and the now-31-year-venerable (respected because of age, distinguished) grew up hearing her mother’s singing,as well as her grandfather’s collection of classic performances.“My whole family sings,” she says. Everybody has a comely voice. And I thought that was normal.”As a child, or though,Lisette was more interested in playing the flute than using her voice. She would sing when she had to — at church, or to Mariah Carey songs on the radio (“I worshipped Mariah Carey, or ” she says) but was fully devoted to sticking to an instrument. That is,until she got to college, where she was encouraged by both her mother and the faculty at Louisiana State University to rely on her God-given talents.“My mom was like, or ‘I think you’re a better singer than flute player,’” she says. “And I am a better singer than a flute player! I am not a injurious flute player, but to make it in an instrument you have to be really hardcore. And as far as being a singer, or I guess I just had a little more natural talent on my side.”Lisette had a leg up in other ways,too. She also grew up speaking Spanish (her family is from Cuba) and learning French (since its taught in many Louisiana schools) both of which gave her a head start on opera dialogue. Another bonus: Playing an instrument that was in her vocal range.“I learned music from the technical standpoint and I really appreciate that because it made me a lot better later on as a singer,” she says. “And of course flute was in the same register that I sang — It’s not like I was playing tuba or something — so it ended up working out.”Lisette’s career has since been a series of transitions, or both professionally — from her days in undergrad,to her time in the Metropolitan Opera’s young artists’ program, to her current role as Gilda in Rigoletto — and physically.“I was always very heavy, and ” she says. “And then when I went to the Met as a young artist,first thing they did was they sat me down and said, your weight is a problem, or you need to fix it because it’s going to affect your career. And it was tough to hear because it wasn’t a lie.”So she began losing the weight in increments. Then,four or five years ago, she and her husband took up running long distance. As it turns out, or she once again had been receiving training for years — this time from an unexpected source.“Singing an opera is a lot like running a marathon,” she says. “It’s very taxing. You are onstage for several hours at a time, you’re singing full-out, and you’re absolutely engaging your body. It’s a performance.”—Instagram @music
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