Isabel Leonard’s journey to becoming one of Opera’s most celebrated figures is one of constant reinvention and passion. As a child, Isabel never imagined she’d be an opera singer. But her natural love for music and theater led her to pursue a classical education that ultimately transformed her into one of the most celebrated voices of her generation.
Raised on New York’s Upper West Side, Leonard proudly embraces her Argentine roots—her mother is from Buenos Aires—and her fluency in Spanish and French infuses a vibrant spirit into both her personality and performances.
Her education at LaGuardia, the Juilliard School of Arts, and her training at the Joffrey Ballet set the stage for her dynamic career. She not only has performed at some of the world’s most illustrious stages, such as The Metropolitan Opera, the Opéra National de Paris, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Buenos Aire’s Teatro Colón, but she also completed a notable eleven-city concert tour with renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
Today, with three Grammy Awards under her belt and a career spanning the world’s leading opera houses, the mezzo-soprano returns to the Metropolitan Opera of New York to perform as Rosina in “Il barbiere di Siviglia” (The Barber of Seville,) one of the most iconic works of opera buffa.
¡HOLA! connected with the soprano to learn about her beginnings in Opera, her background, and her excitement for singing in Spanish as she takes on the role of Frida Kahlo next season, along with her return to the grand New York stage to reprise her role as Rosina. She shared how much she loves revisiting familiar roles, saying, “It’s always lovely to repeat roles and productions,” and mentioned that each performance brings new insights from her life and work. For Leonard, Opera isn’t just a career—it’s a way to spread joy and connect with audiences, reminding us all how important art is.
“I feel lucky to consider this place my home after all these years. New York City has such a large and important Latin community, and I have always believed it is the responsibility of the arts to reflect the people of its communities on its stages.”
On her return as Rosina after ten years
Returning to the Met as Rosina after a ten-year hiatus, she was asked what it was like to come back in such an iconic role. She replied, “It’s always lovely to repeat roles and productions. It is also quite normal to perform the same role multiple times, in different productions and different opera houses. It’s part of what we do in this business. As time passes, naturally your life and work experiences add to your interpretation of the roles. I am always grateful to have the opportunity to share this joyous, fun opera with any audience. Laughter is needed in this world. We are here to bring that to New York right now.”
The moment Opera captured her heart
She recalls, “I always knew I wanted to be in the theater, but I never dreamed of becoming an opera singer! As a child, I thought it sounded boring on the radio and I couldn’t understand why they were always yelling at each other, ha.” Reflecting on her early choices, she adds, “When I decided to go to conservatory for singing, however, I chose a classical education. Regardless, I didn’t think too much of it at the time.”
As her journey continued, she observed that her passions deepened: “Once I was in school, things started to evolve, and my love for classical music grew. I really love music in general, too, not just Opera. I love beautiful melodies, good beats, different genres and so on. Good music is good music, and I’m happy to listen to it all!” And when it comes to what makes music truly special, she explains, “For me, with any sung music, it’s always down to the words and then how it’s set to the music. The text is the reason I choose certain music, and the music is why I listen to it over and over again. The combination of those two things is what makes something sublime, in my opinion. I have found that like many genres, Opera has a talent for beautifully combining those two things.”
“I’ve always loved singing and really loved the theater. It seemed like the right thing to do! The sets, costumes, everything about playing ‘pretend’ so to speak. It can be so freeing sometimes.”
Preparing for playing the upcoming roles
Next year is set to be a breakthrough for Isabel. In the upcoming season at the Met, she will take on two challenging roles: one as Carmen and the other as Frida, the lead in Frida y Diego, two productions, two iconic characters, each full of depth and complexity. Explaining her preparation process, she said, “For me, it’s the same process with every Opera. Read the libretto, learn the music, and then absorb outside information and works that support the role. I then eventually start to physically work on getting the character into my body. Questions such as, what are they like physically? How do they move? How do their emotions and thoughts express themselves? These questions are all part of the process.” Her answer paints a portrait of how she immerses herself in these roles.
About her upcoming role as Frida Kahlo
With her new role as Frida on the horizon, she reflects on what it means to bring such an important figure in Hispanic culture to life on stage through Spanish. When asked about the opportunity, she explained, “I am half Argentinian on my mother’s side and very connected to my family. It has been extremely important to me to sing in Spanish over the course of my whole career thus far. I have always programmed Spanish language in my recitals and even expanded to complete concerts and recitals in Spanish. For example, I have done duet recitals with my friend Pablo Sainz-Villegas where we play more popular music, tangos, and so on.”
She continued, “However, I have yet to perform an opera in Spanish! I am thrilled to be able to do this at the Met. I feel lucky to consider this place my home after all these years. New York City has such a large and important Latin community, and I have always believed it is the responsibility of the arts to reflect the people of its communities on its stages. The arts are a beautiful way to give a voice to all humans. Singing is such a primal mode of communication, so it’s perfect.”
How Isabel prepares before each show
Before every performance, she eases into a personal preshow routine that prepares both her body and mind. “I tend to listen to music while I’m getting ready backstage, I stretch, and sometimes I like to have a show on while doing hair and makeup,” she shares. She’s mindful of not relying too heavily on any one element, ensuring she won’t panic if something isn’t quite right. The one constant in her routine is an hour of uninterrupted time right before she takes the stage: “The one thing, however, that I always try to build in for myself is to have uninterrupted time for an hour before I start the performance, or an hour before I am needed on stage.” During this time, she focuses solely on tuning her body and voice, confident that everything else is already in place.
“Opera can be so dramatic and tragic. I think part of the fun of it is that I can live in their shoes during a performance and then put those shoes away after.”
On her favorite music era
Reflecting on her musical influences, she recalls, “There was a time when I thought I should have been a young woman in the 1940s or 1970s, ha. Very different time periods!” She explains, “For me, it has more to do with the music of each period.” Growing up, she adds, “I grew up listening to Ella Fitzgerald and all the great ladies of song and it’s still some of my primary love of music.” As she matured, she connected with the vibrant sounds of later decades, noting, “The love for the 1960s and 1970s was as I got a little older and felt like I could relate to the desire to feel a little rebellious. I love all rock from that era!
Isabel will appear as Rosina at The Met in New York on April 15, 19, 21, 25, 30, and May 3 and 8. This season’s production of “Il barbiere di Siviglia,” features Isabel Leonard alongside Aigul Akhmetshina, both sharing the role of Rosina.
They are joined by tenors Lawrence Brownlee and Jack Swanson—making his Met debut as Count Almaviva. Baritones Davide Luciano and Andrey Zhilikhovsky star as Figaro, with baritone Nicola Alaimo and bass-baritone Peter Kálmán as Dr. Bartolo, and bass Alexander Vinogradov as Don Basilio. Giacomo Sagripanti conducts.
For ticketing and details, please visit The Metropolitan Opera’s website. And for those who can’t experience Isabel live, they can watch the magic of this Opera on the big screen. The Met will stream the performance to cinemas worldwide on May 31 as part of its acclaimed Live in HD program, letting audiences everywhere share in the excitement of this unforgettable show. Just visit their website and search for the theaters in your city that are showing it.
Content shared from www.hola.com.