On Friday, October 19, the Dallas Opera presented Goerges Bizet?s iconic, masterpiece Carmen starring Stèphanie d?Oustrac in her American debut at the Winspear. Conducted by music director Emmanuel Villaume audiences were thrilled by a colorful and captivating interpretation of the 19th century classic. The French mezzo?s artistic personality and warm supple voice, combined with an intense presence on stage left opera patrons wanting more. Stèphanie d?Oustrac dismantles the typical clichés associated with the femme fatale delivering one of the best portrayals of Carmen in history.

Where did you grow up"

I grew up in Brittany, in the western part of France near the sea. There wasn?t much of a music culture there in terms of exposure, but I was always singing from an early age, mostly in the bathroom! When I was younger, I was very asthmatic, and my mother encouraged me to join a choir when I was 11 years old to help me train my lungs and help my condition. Shortly after joining the choir, the choral master suggested that I should pursue some classes to become a soloist. So this was really the beginning for me, and when I fell in love with singing. At a point in time,  you wanted to become an actress, what inspired you to pursue a career in music instead"

When I discovered opera I was 15 years old and I was already in drama lessons. In France, when you are 19 years old you must choose which path you will commit to in school and at that time I had to choos...