In conversation with Adela Zaharia Part 3: "Keeping a good balance in a singer´s life is very important."

24. November 2023

Rubrik Interviews

©Klaudia Taday - Adela Zaharia / La Traviata

Operaversum: So how did he do it to vocally stay in shape?  

Adela Zaharia: I think it is a lifetime of building a good technique, a commitment of constant improving and overcoming your limits - which I think defines any great opera singer. 

Operavesum: So inspiring each other can be a katalyst for outperformance then? 

Adela Zaharia: Of course that is not always the case (laughs) - because we are all flawed humans, and sometimes interactions are not the easiest.

But that makes it so important to have colleagues around you with whom you exchange good energy. When that happens, you have the right circumstances to shine at your brightest on stage and the whole experience can be quite transformative.

But once you find your people and you can enjoy their company, then you get charged with energy.

One of the most fulfilling artistic experiences I actually had was in Rolando Villazon´s stage production of "I Puritani". It was such an intense time, as Rolando was so involved and very understanding.

He brought so much of his own experience and insights into the production, which also helped me a lot, as we had endless discussions about my character in his specific production. 

For example Rolando showed me a video of one of his favourite clowns performing, one of the most touching things.

And it helped so much to understand how to portray the moment when Elvira goes mad and - in this production - reality splits for her and she thinks she is both Arturo and herself. So using the two halfs of the body, very different gestures and face expressions, I had to show that very clearly and touchingly at the same time. 

I remember when finishing that production, I felt totally fulfilled artistically. And I felt like I had grown so incredibly much that I did not even care what the next months would bring. Totally recharged I knew that I could survive anything.

All of this applies not only to my "Puritani" experience. I was lucky enough to work with many fantastic artists, who have enriched my life with their personality, intelligence, emotions, artistry. 

And I have noticed that those kind of people are not afraid to share their inner self with the audience because when you have such an abundance of feelings, ideas and a spiritual richness and intelligence, you are not afraid to share it with everyone.

©Klaudia Taday - Adela Zaharia

Operaversum: Dear Adela, what was your most unforgettable stage experience, you may share with me?

Adela Zaharia: I love reminiscing about this, because it was such a marking experience in my life and career... December 2017, Munich. I have just won Operalia that summer, so people were only starting to know I exist. (laughing).

And I was asked if I could fly that day to Munich, and sing the "Lucia di Lammermoor" Sitzprobe the next morning for Diana Damrau, who was ill, but the administration wanted someone else for the performances - in translation, a "bigger Name".

Of course I said yes - it was Munich, Maestro Antonino Fogliani, Piotr Beczala and Ludovic Tezier. So I headed there with a two days luggage, sang the Sitzprobe completely overwhelmed - couldn't believe who I'm singing with, and did my best.

I was immediately asked to stay and sing the performances too - which, as you can imagine, was an enormous honour for a young singer, at the beginning of the career.

Two days of rehearsals to learn the staging, one orchestra rehearsal, and there was the performance. The problem is - in the process I got sick too ( December, viruses, tiredness, stress) and the illness moved extremely fast.

From one day to the next, all hell broke loose. It was extremely late to cancel, so we decided I'm going to do the performance, try my best, and if it's the case make an announcement. I was absolutely paralysed with fear... All the pressure of such an event just become ten times worse.

A sold out opening night, people who have paid for their tickets to see Damrau, not me, the stellar cast, etc. And I could barely speak. It was decided not having an announcement unless things go wrong, so I mustered all my resources (including some I had no clue I have!), and stepped on stage hoping I'll survive the evening.

The adrenaline, the determination, the singing technique and especially the fabulous singers I was on stage with carried me through the performance. It was an enormous success - endless applause, the audience wouldn't let us go.

To this day, the biggest success I have ever experienced. And for me, that was the day when the first class opera world has welcomed me in - the appreciation and encouragement of world class singers, the support of the opera house and especially the reaction of the audience and critics have made that one  the most important events in my career...

But it was at the same time the best and the worst experience - I broke down in tears immediately when the curtain fell, because things could have gone very, very wrong. To this day, I never had the courage to listen to the recording of that performance!

And of  course, after making that superhuman effort to sing the performance being that ill, my body completely gave in and I was extremely ill for three weeks after - which meant I couldn't sing the rest of the performances. But the experience of that one evening was definitely worth it. It was my "rite of passage". 

Operaversum: A very impressive and demanding one. So a lot is demanded of opera singers nowadays! But speaking of the publich presence... 

how essential is it for you to be visible in the world of social media and maybe even building your own brand identity as a singer?  Or do you fear that this could become a conflicting situation being an artist and building ones personal brand at the same time? 

Adela Zaharia: As with everything in life, keeping a good balance between one or the other is always very important. Of course I agree that we now live in a world where social media has become such an integral part of our daily lifes.

And we cannot even imagine our lifes without it any more. So it is only normal that the classical music industry is present on social media as well. 

But it is a real pity when things turn out to become forced and artificial. Then nobody truly enjoys it.

Personally that does not speak to me. For me interacting on social media means to be present as a singer, as the artist I am. As for building a brand identity, I very much reckon that being authentic as the artist I am is key.

So if anything has to come across via social media then it is charisma, personality and mentality. Those are the personal attributes which make a singer unique and make him or her stand out of the crowd.

And I strongly believe that your voice and your stage presence should be your"brand". That's what should speak the most about you and make people notice or remember you. I'm just old fashioned like that (laughs). 

©Klaudia Taday - Adela Zaharia

Operaversum:  What are your future career plans, if it comes to dream roles and houses? 

Adela Zaharia: I am extremely excited about basically everything that the future brings and there are already very important theater debuts lining up along the way, which I obviously I cannot share before the official announcements happen.

I also feel that I am now in the phase where I can think about my next repertoire steps. So that is extremely exciting too, trying to figure out in which way my voice is going to develop in five years time, what I would like to be singing until then and where I do see myself vocally.

Other than that things are going wonderfully. My biggest wish is to be able to commit to all my engagements, to be healthy, to be able to find a good balance between my private and professional life, as much as finding a good balance between work and free-time.

So learning how not to be a workaholic and not to sacrifice eveything for my career, is really important for me. In the end we are all just human beings. Our body, our soul and our mind can only take that much and we need to learn how to look after ourselves.

I definitely had to learn to do things wiser, as you certainly cannot pour from an empty vessel. So unless you are healthy and happy and in a good place mentally you can never be your best version on stage.

Operaversum: Which probably also reflects in the quality of the voice and whether a singer is in good physical and mental shape or not? 

Adela Zaharia: Absolutely! Our voice is directly impacted by the smallest change in our feelings and moreover influenced by many external factors such as weather, food, sleep, etc.

And I have also noticed that myself, as I tend to sing very differently when I am relaxed and happy and feeling comfortable rather then when I am under pressure, running from one project to the next.

So finding that balance is a number one priority for me. But I am really happy to say that over the next few years I know exactly which theaters I am performing at and what roles I will be taking on. So everything is looking well. I just have to take care of myself so that I can bring out the best version of myself.

Operaversum: Dear Adela, then I wish you a lot of sucess, health, luck and a heart full of emotions.