What does it take to truly bring Giacomo Puccini’s most tragic and beautiful heroines to life on the modern stage? In this episode of Lives in Song, host Flora Willson sits down with internationally acclaimed operatic soprano Ermonela Jaho. Celebrated as one of the great verismo interpreters of our time, Jaho reveals the intense emotional and technical preparation required to sing roles like Mimì (La bohème) and Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly).

Whether you're a lifelong opera devotee or entirely new to the operatic world, this conversation offers a rare, behind-the-curtain look at the discipline, vulnerability, and commitment that fuels a master performance. Jaho shares her deeply personal connections to these characters, describing how her own personal life experience shapes the music she creates. 

If you'd like to dive deeper into the recordings discussed in this episode visit the Opera Rara website to uncover more forgotten masterpieces.

"The advice (for young performers) that I would say they have to trust themselves, not to be afraid to show their vulnerability, no one is perfect." – Ermonela Jaho

Chapters: 

00:00 Who Were Puccini's Leading Ladies? 

01:50 Ermonela Jaho: Honoured To Revive Forgotten Operas with Opera Rara 

07:28 Stepping into Puccini's World: Jaho’s First Time Singing Mimì 

12:18 Madama Butterfly: Emotion, Technique And The Power Of Pianissimo 

29:38 Finding Your Voice: Jaho On Artistic Vulnerability And Idolising The Greats 

39:52 Jaho The Master Performer: Connecting Personal Loss to Operatic Characters 

43:47 Ask Opera Rara: Ermonela Jaho's Advice for Young Singers 

45:11 Jaho’s Pre-Show Rituals: Skipping Ropes And Light Meals

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Credits

Lives in Song is produced for Opera Rara by Creative Kin. To find out more visit creativekin.co.uk/song

Host: Flora Willson

Executive Producer: Zachary Vanderburg

Producer: Jason Caffrey

Videographer: Abdul Salifu

Audio Engineer: Phoebe Murdoch