Olga Makarina, after only a few weeks in America, and virtually penniless, she walked into a Met open audition with a recently taken passport photograph in lieu if a glossy 8 x 10 head shot, with her she brought an accompanist who could just play her audition pieces. In what no doubt will be the highlight of the future film The Olga Makarina Story she bravely sang Verdi in Russian while turning the pages for her barely accompanying accompanist and... well we'd like to say a star was born, but only in the film version. To find out what happened next you'll have to read the interview.
Olga Makarina made her first New York appearances at New York City Opera as Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor. Her first appearance at the Metropolitan was in 2002, as Fire in Ravel's L‘Enfant et les Sortilèges. Since then her roles have included Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Eudoxie La Juive and Gilda in Rigoletto,
Unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts with Ms. Makarina we were not able to speak before the end of the run of Mozart's Idomeneo where Ms. Makarina sang a secure and beautiful Elettra under the baton of James Levine. So any one wishing to put a voice to the person will have to wait until later in the season when Ms. Makarina will take portray Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto November 9th. She will be Elvira Walton in Bellini's I Puritani on February 15th.
