My Don Giovanni Debut with OperUs in Trieste

In July of 2026 I was invited out to Trieste in Italy to make my role debut as Mozart's Don Giovanni with OperUs. This was one of the most crazy but rewarding decisions I've ever made, and now back home I'd like to share my experience and everything I learned along the way.

At the start of my Master's Degree in September 2025, I set out to improve my online visibility, and set about making this website as well as trying to grow my Instagram, Facebook and YouTube profiles. I never anticipated that as a result I'd be invited to Italy to perform Don Giovanni! With a very short time frame to study and memorise the role I prescribed myself an intense rehearsal process, training my voice, my language skills and the understanding of my character within the wider plot.

I then learnt that we would be performing in the Ridotto Hall of the Teatro Verdi Trieste, a theatre steeped in the most extraordinary history with some of the biggest names in opera having performed there. After doing some digging I learnt that Verdi himself premiered several of his works there and through the city's unique political history, many of Wagner's works were brought into italy for the first time through the Teatro Verdi as a result of the city's Austrian occupation in the 20th century. Maria Callas, Mahler, and Strauss are among the artists to have performed in the theatre which gave such a special feeling and impetus to what we were doing.

Being my first time performing a full role in Italian to and audience of Italians, I was certainly nervous... however, I recieved such kind support from the OperUs team and was really empowered to do my best on the day. I've learnt so much about Mozart's Opera, the Italian language and how to interpret these famous characters as well has how to improve my personal brand and what to prioritise as I head back to the RAM for my second year of Masters studies.

I felt such a sense of achievement during the performance, having learnt Don Giovanni from scratch in one month and put the staging and orchestra together in just eight days. It was a lesson to myself in what my mind was truly capable of. This industry seems to be made of people who were willing and able to do things other people couldn't and sometimes that means jumping into high pressure environments in very short time frames and I've got more confidence now I could do it again another time!

I'm deeply grateful to the OperUs team and my wonderful cast-mates for believing in me and having me be a part of their production and I hope it won't be the last time I'm back in Trieste!