Hi, I’m Sister Jude the Obscure, welcome to my first day thread!

One of my goals in life is to introduce people to opera who otherwise would not be into it, and create if not fans, then folks that might be interested in attending a live opera someday.

Lisette Oropesa is a good starting point for a lot of people. Her voice is gorgeous, and she’s an excellent musician and actor. She performs with a musical intelligence that can be quite stunning. And although her voice is on the smaller side, it’s still a world-class instrument with excellent ring and full-bodied color.

Watch her here sing a beautiful but demanding aria from Meyerbeer’s Robert le diable. Meyerbeer’s operas are seldom done due to their insanely difficult casting requirements. This particular opera is almost never done, but Oropesa is an advocate for this role and has done it in concert. I wouldn’t be surprised if she manages to get a large company to mount a production.

Like I said, I love to introduce people to opera. If this isn’t your cup of tea, I bet I can find something that is!