A conversation with La rondine’s star, soprano Elizabeth Caballero

Photo by Elsa Roberto

Florida Grand Opera (FGO): Welcome back to Florida Grand Opera – we’re very excited to have you back again!

Elizabeth Caballero (EC): It’s always a pleasure to be back in my home company, especially for a company first – the first production of La rondine.

FGO: You have a quite a history with FGO. Can you tell us about it?
EC: I started out working in the FGO box office when I was in college. As I got more serious about singing, I left the box office and auditioned for the chorus. After graduating, I auditioned for the FGO Young Artist Program and got accepted! Years later, I have been asked back to sing numerous roles and I’m now returning to sing the lead role in La rondine, so I’ve climbed the ladder slowly at FGO.
And you know what?! I wouldn't have done it any other way because I had the chance to work with so many wonderful people in the company through all these years -- from Gary Herman in the box office to all the wonderful choristers, and so on. Coming back to FGO always feels like coming home. I love it here! 

FGO: What turned you on to opera?
EC: I got turned on to opera at Miami Dade College through my first voice teacher, Dr. Beverly Coulter. I was told she was the head of a sort of “glee club” at the college. After high school, I had no idea what I wanted to study, but knew I liked to sing, having sung in my high school glee club, so I thought I'd continue doing it while I decided what I wanted to do "when I grow up." I remember my first opera aria was “Musetta's Waltz” from La bohème. I loved it! That same year, PBS aired Baz Luhrmann’s Bohème from the Sidney Opera House. So I thought, "Oh, Bohème. I'm singing something from it. I'm gonna watch it." Well, I was hooked from then on.

FGO: Did you encounter any obstacles during your career? If so, what were they and how did you overcome them?
EC: Well, criticism is an obstacle we encounter in this career, and we have to learn from the very beginning not to take it too personally. This is a career based on opinions. All you can do is show up as prepared as possible, ready to give it your best. Bottom line, we are so lucky to have a career doing this! I actually get paid to sing and entertain and play “make believe.” This is my job! I feel lucky and blessed.

FGO: Which singers do you most admire?
EC: I love, love, love, LOVE to listen to Mirella Freni. If I ever meet her, I will faint. She is my idol. She is who I want to be. I also love to listen to Pilar Lorengar and Victoria de los Angeles. I love their fast vibratos and the youthful sound of their voices. I also enjoy Scotto, Soviero, and Stratas. They always move me to tears. 

FGO: What is/are your favorite role(s) to sing?
EC: Trying to answer this question is always very difficult because I can't decide. Usually, it's the one I'm singing at the moment. I love each and every one of the girls I sing. Every time I go back to one, I find something new about her, and I fall in love all over again. And if it's a new role, it's all new and exciting. I love it!

FGO: What is your favorite opera?
EC: I can't decide this either. There are so many I love. I love Bohème because it's Bohème. I love Pagliacci, Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, La traviata, there are just too many. Don't make me choose. I can't!

FGO: What is most challenging about La rondine?
EC: What I love about this opera is how real it is and relatable it is. It's almost too real. The heroine, Magda, doesn’t disappear from a tragic illness, but ends up realizing she's made a horrible mistake. It's very realistic and modern.
After singing this role for my European debut in Trieste, Italy, I set forth to lobby for it at FGO. I wanted to see it here in Miami because I just fell in love with this opera.

FGO: You’re one of our audience favorites here at FGO! What do you think makes you special as a singer?
EC: I think what has made me a “favorite” here in Miami is that the Miami audience has seen me grow into the artist I have worked so hard to become. In other words, they have been with me from when I began at Miami Dade College to the University of Miami to a Young Artist at FGO, and so on. I am a true product of the great city of Miami, and I am eternally grateful for the support and love from the Miami audience.

FGO: Thank you for your time today, Elizabeth. We look forward to seeing you back in Miami for La rondine!