After making her name on the international scene, the soprano returns to her hometown for Wagner’s Lohengrin.

What are the dramatic challenges of Elsa in Lohengrin?

Most of the roles I’ve played recently have been feisty, evil or crazy, so Elsa is rather a big gearshift. This idea of such a noble and pure woman with so much heart is very difficult to radiate on a large ‘stage’ level. Trying to keep her real, heart-warming and pure whilst bringing that idea out and not just feeling it internally is a huge challenge because it is not as ‘obvious’!

What vocal challenges does the role pose compared to a bel canto one?

I think the biggest challenge is being true to the text but at the same time making yourself aware that the vocal beauty must be there. Bel canto rep already has the platform for vocal fireworks but with a role like Elsa I feel I need to work much harder to find those moments as it feels very much like everything needs to be vocally important rather than just certain moments. In this repertoire you are a layer, you don’t lead the harmonies, you are a part of the entire...