Soprano Aida Pascu will debut on the stage of the Glyndebourne Opera on October 11th, 2025, in the production of La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini. She will perform the role of "Mimi" in nine scheduled performances hosted by the British institution between October 11th and November 2nd, 2025. Aida Pascu spoke about her collaboration with Glyndebourne Opera in an interview conducted by Ana Sireteanu.

In our April 2025 interview, you mentioned that this year would be dedicated to artistic refinement in preparation for your autumn project at Glyndebourne. Now, we're approaching this collaboration with the British opera house through its platform for young opera artists. Could you tell us how this collaboration came about and what this training platform for young musicians entails?

The collaboration began in 2023, when I auditioned for this role. I found here a highly skilled team that supports us in refining our roles. We benefited from an Italian language course and, of course, training in Italian musical style. Additionally, conductor Adam Hickox helped us tremendously in discovering new dimensions of this opera.

You'll be performing the role of "Mimi" throughout October and into early November. It's a role you've portrayed in several productions over time-in Bucharest, Florence, and Sofia. How do you approach this role in the new context, and are there any aspects of Mimi's character you wish to reinterpret or adjust?

This production compelled me to approach the role of "Mimi" differently, as it is a modern staging that places the action at the beginning of the 20th century. It's a unique and very interesting directorial concept, in my opinion. Although the set design is quite grey, the emphasis is placed on our performance-not only musically, but also heavily on the acting. In this context, Mimi is constantly followed by Death, which is portrayed as a character; Death and Parpignol are merged into one character here, which is fascinating. It's a philosophical concept, scenographically inspired by the film Meet Joe Black. Also intriguing is that many of the lines I would normally address to a fellow character-Rodolfo or Marcello-I now direct to Death in this interpretation.

It was an acting challenge for all of us, but we truly enjoyed the extensive rehearsal process, and now we feel more prepared than ever to take the stage and make a strong impression. My stage partners are Andres Agudelo as "Rodolfo," Aksel Daveyan as "Marcello," Darwin Prakash as "Schaunard," Markus Suihkonen as "Colline," Darren Jeffery as "Benoît"/"Alcindoro," Camilla Harris as "Musetta," and Christopher Lemmings as "Death"/"Parpignol." I can say it's an incredibly diverse cast, with artists from the UK, Colombia, Finland, India, and Armenia.

How would you describe your relationship with your fellow cast members, and how do their interpretations influence your portrayal of Mimi?

First of all, all my colleagues are young, including the conductor and the director. We're a very close-knit team, I would say-we've gotten along very well from the beginning, and this clearly has a positive impact on the working atmosphere, creating a particularly safe environment. On the other hand, my colleagues are also extremely well-prepared, and seeing such talented artists inspires me to work just as hard myself.