Opera singer Rihab Chaieb takes the stage at the Amsterdam National Opera this month to deliver eight performances of Pagliacci / Cavalleria rusticana. It is a daunting three-hour double-bill for the Canadian-Tunisian mezzo-soprano.
A recent graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program, Chaieb has earned praise from the likes of Opera Today and The New York Times. She also won the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition in 2016.
It has been quite a journey since Chaieb emigrated from Tunisia to Montreal at age 2.
Rihab Chaieb’s Move from Heavy Metal to Opera
Music entered Chaieb’s life during her teenager years – but not initially as a fine art. At the age of 17, she joined a heavy metal band after her high school math teach her encouraged her.
Chaieb recalls that, for her parents, “playing in a heavy metal band and singing in the opera were the same thing: fine as a hobby, but not a serious profession.” Yet she had already accumulated an impressive resume in her profession before her 30th birthday.
Chaieb studied at McGill’s Schulich School of Music. She describes herself as a full lyric mezzo-soprano, a repertoire in which she is a rising star. Her Carnegie Hall debut came in December 2016, performing Bach’s Magnificat.
The Singer’s Burgeoning Opera Career
Chaieb has made a place for herself at a number of opera houses. These include the Canadian Opera Company and the San Francisco Opera. In addition, she has worked with a wide array of renowned conductors and stage directors, including Sir Andrew Davis, Rinaldo Alessandrini, and Diane Paulus.
Chaieb says that “the big, obvious” venues like Houston, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid, and San Francisco are her dream houses. But she also believes that every setting “has something exceptional and singular to give.”
The artist adds that the Met’s Lindemann program has been a “pivotal point” for her career, and that her experience there inspired her to get to the next level vocally, dramatically, and emotionally.
Rihab Chaieb Envisions 21st Century Opera
Whether singing heavy metal or performing as Laura in the MET’s “Luisa Miller”, Chaieb appreciates any opportunity to expand her abilities and play around with her art.
“It’s really hard to choose [a favorite] because each production is special in so many ways and for so many different reasons,” she explains. But still, the singer also admits that “vocally, Lola in “Cavalleria Rusticana” is a perfect fit for me. The bel canto lines really suit my voice.”
Looking ahead, Chaieb sees areas of growth both for herself, and the future of opera in general. She finds making new music, and shaping the opera to make it their own to be very exciting. She thinks of them much like working on a blank canvas.
For Chaieb, “opera doesn’t necessarily have to be done solely in an opera house. I think now in the 21st century, we should be able to expand our vision of what traditional art is. And be able to adapt, change, and experiment with a different aspect of the form, including the location.”
