Ten Questions with Elizabeth Caballero

Ten Questions with...

  Elizabeth Caballero, soprano
   Donna Anna in Don Giovanni

1. My favorite thing about being a singer is:

Traveling. I love going to new places and meeting new people. Then I love getting to make beautiful music with all these new people in these great new places.

 

2. The greatest challenge in being a singer is:
Traveling. I hate airports. Too many people and lots of lines. I hate long lines. Another thing I hate about traveling is how much I miss my own bed and pots and pans. I'm a big home body.

3. A live music performance I’ve attended that I will never forget is:
When I first started studying voice I went to a recital by soprano Aprille Millo. I was blown away by her commitment to the drama and her amazing voice. One of the final pieces she sang was L'atra notte from Boito's Mefistofole. She just knelt in front of the piano and cradled a make believe baby. At the end of the aria my skin was all goose bumped and I said to myself this is what I want to be. To this day I still remember that amazing performance.  

4. A few of my favorite films are: 
Moonstruck - obvious reasons; Steel Magnolias - someone needs to make it into an opera; Forest Gump - makes me happy; The Shining - creepy Jack Nicholson.

5. Three things I can’t live without are:
My TV. I'm a TV addict. 

My phone, don't you dare try to take it away from me. 

Can't really think of a 3rd. I'm quite simple really. I love my electronic gadgets, and my phone has everything in it. It's my camera, computer, and iPod all in one, so I guess my phone can count as a lot of things. 

6. My number one hobby is:
Music! I feel so blessed that my hobby is my job. 

7. If you could perform with any singer, retired or deceased, who would it be?
I have always admired Mirella Freni. I wish I could go back in time and be her Contessa to her Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. Then in the mean time, take notes for whenever I get to sing Susanna again.

8. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?I'd love to be involved with animals, either medically as a vet or else rescuing abandoned and abused animals.

9. What role do you wish you could sing that you could never sing because it’s the wrong voice type/gender? 
I'd love to sing the role of Scarpia in Tosca. He is just so deliciously evil.

10. Describe your favorite moment on stage. 
My favorite moments on stage are when I'm with a colleague or several colleagues and we connect so well that we forget we are singing/performing and when the applause come, it kinda shocks me. It's electrifying when that happens. It's a feeling like, oh wait, you were listening. Oh yeah! I'm singing. I love that! 

See Elizabeth in Madison Opera's production of Mozart's Don Giovanni April 26 & 28 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at just $18– why wait.