The Return of a Star, the Birth of a Diva: Asmik Grigoryan Will Present the Opera Show "A Diva is Born" in Riga on November 7 0 8

The daughter of two national artists, tenor Gegam Grigoryan from Armenia and soprano Irena Milkyavichyute from Lithuania, Asmik Grigoryan performed the leading role in "La Traviata" in her hometown of Vilnius at the age of 22, and at 23 she received her first international contract – in Norway. Her parents were her first vocal teachers. "The model of singing and the model of life are not particularly different," says Asmik. "My father always instilled in me a love for the world, love and respect for people, openness to everything you do, and fearlessness. And the very first thing my mother taught me was the natural beauty of the human voice: without operatic coloring, without anything artificial, because singing should feel natural..."

Latvian music lovers remember young Asmik well. She came to Riga to sing in "Carmen," "Don Giovanni," "Manon Lescaut," and "Triptych," and performed twice at the gala concerts of the Opera Festival in Sigulda. Years later, after an impressive debut at the Metropolitan Opera, she revealed what the audience had no idea about. "At the beginning of my journey, I had a reputation as a pure stage animal, a born artist – who, however, was not able to control her voice 100%. And that was true. Control comes with experience, and I was too young." Nevertheless, Asmik's roles continued to increase, and by 2012 she felt that she was struggling. "I damaged my voice, I damaged my body, I damaged everything. I could no longer sing. And I realized that there were only two options: to continue to destroy myself or to start all over again."

Choosing the latter, Asmik diligently improved her vocal technique for several years. One day she read in a review: "Technically flawless, but not so interesting as an actress." The realization that she could trust her voice allowed her to bloom again as a performer. In 2017, she debuted at the world's main festival – Salzburg – in such a way that neither critics nor the audience had the slightest doubt: they were in the presence of a true star.

Photo: Algirdas Bakas

Brilliant directors – Romeo Castellucci, Barrie Kosky, Dmitry Chernyakov – create productions for her, and the best conductors invite her to their performances and concerts. In the 2025-2026 season, Asmik Grigoryan will sing Lady Macbeth in Salzburg, Salome in London and Hamburg, Rusalka in Barcelona and Munich, Desdemona in Madrid, Tatiana in New York and Vienna, Turandot in Dortmund, Senta in Monte Carlo, Manon Lescaut in Frankfurt, and plus concerts around the world.

But the show "A Diva is Born," first presented at the Vienna Opera this spring, is special.

It allows one to study Asmik's biography, not in an official-parade manner, but rather the one that hides backstage. Here, the secret becomes evident. Here, the desired breaks free. Here, one can respond to insults instead of remaining silent, and give the offender a retort in front of everyone. Here, it is permissible to slip out of an evening gown, sit at the piano in leather shorts, and sing, say, Janis Joplin. Or Bernstein. Or Sting. Or Bizet – but definitely not the tearful aria meant for a soprano. This luxury – to be oneself – can only be afforded by a diva...

Asmik Grigoryan's partner in this two-hour adventure is the virtuoso pianist, composer, showman, ironic and endlessly artistic Brit Hyun Ki Joo, whom our audience knows as a member of the star musical-comedy duo Igudesman & Joo.

The tandem of the opera prima donna and the most eccentric concertmaster in the world yields an astonishing result – the show "A Diva is Born" is included in the program of the Salzburg Festival 2025. But Latvian audiences will not need to travel to Austria. Asmik Grigoryan and Hyun Ki Joo will take the stage of the Latvian National Theatre on November 7.

Photo: Algirdas Bakas