Aida Garifullina: Backstage at the Metropolitan Opera

"I woke up at 7:30. I started to warm up my voice at 9 until about 10, and then I went to the Met."

Aida Garifullina

“It’s important for me to warm up again in the dress. To keep the beautiful, low sound, you have to try to breathe against the corset. And also the dress gives you the feeling of the character you’re playing. So it’s very helpful.”

Aida Garifullina

"Most of the time, I feel like a queen, like a diva. But when I put this dress on, the dress of the country girl, I need to change everything in me: the behavior, gestures, art of acting. I’m not Zerlina in my personal life, absolutely not. Every new role is a new challenge. “

"They’re so top level here. They try to do everything perfect. Even the costumes, for example. I had three costume fittings already, and today, they wanted to change something. I thought, ‘Do people really see these small details?’ I’m a perfectionist myself, so I love that way of working."

Aida Garifullina

"I love to do some breath techniques from yoga—not for relaxation, but to give me power. You need to wake up your body to get energy. All the muscles have to be engaged to help you breathe and support while singing."

"I was waiting for this contract for many years. I always wanted it, and now I’m here. It’s a very prestigious house. It’s just so different; it’s like another planet."

Aida Garifullina: Backstage at the Metropolitan Opera

Aida Garifullina: Backstage at the Metropolitan Opera

Aida Garifullina: Backstage at the Metropolitan Opera

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