News

Diva Alert

31st May, 2015

Mezzo Caryl Hughes, originally from Aberdaron, North Wales, will make her role debut as Cherubino in Diva Opera’s touring production of Le nozze di Figaro this season.

“Singing is something that makes me feel very alive – it’s a real mix of things and playing someone else is liberating, there’s an element of danger to it which is exciting - and it allows me to be creative on a daily basis.” 

“Cherubino is an adolescent boy, full of raging hormones. Getting to know him has been a real treat. He’s crazy about all women but mostly about the Countess Almaviva. Everyone loves Cherubino, except maybe for the Count! He marvels at everything and thinks that every woman is magnificent – he’s experiencing love and infatuation for the first time and this is hugely exciting for him.”

“I think the most challenging aspect of him for me is getting the balance right between that wide-eyed innocence and his impending manhood – we’ve got to see his potential as a man. As an audience we have to believe that the Count is threatened by him and of course he has to be a credible contender for the Countess’ affections.”

“Cherubino’s arias were probably the first classical pieces I learnt as a teenager but this is my first time playing the role and I’m hugely excited. The arias themselves are very well-known so there’s added pressure but as long as I remember that they are completely new for me every night, I’ll hopefully be able to retain that spontaneity that is so much a part of his nature.”

“Diva Opera’s tour spans the length of the summer so I’m hoping Cherubino will settle into me and by the end of the tour, that I will have learnt everything about him and that teenage angst of his! We get to tour France for much of the summer too, which is a big plus!”

Diva Opera’s production of Le nozze di Figaro opens at Syon Park, London on June 17th. Further information about the performances is available here:
http://www.divaopera.com/2015-schedule/