Naglestad returned to San Francisco in 2002 to sing the title role in Alcina, in 2003 to sing Nedda in Pagliacci, and in 2005 to sing the title roles in both Norma and Rodelinda.

Future performances include Tosca at Covent Garden, her role debut as Salome in Paris, her debut in Lyon as Alcina, and her role debut as Alceste in Stuttgart and a reprise of her Stuttgart Tosca.

Ruth C Jacobs interviewed her backstage after a performance of Norma on October 26, 2005.

Ruth C Jacobs: We're both San Franciscans! Can you tell me about growing up here?

Catherine NAGLESTAD: I was born in San Jose, and when I was going into fourth grade we moved to Sacramento and then I came here to San Francisco when I was seventeen. I came to study at the Conservatory and I lived here for, it was six years I think, I don’t remember anymore, but that was just a fascinating time. I am very much a Bay Area California girl!

Jacobs: Did you know right away that you were going to be a classical singer?

NAGLESTAD: No. Around age 12 I started doing musical theater, and what I really wanted to do was to be the next Julie Andrews. I didn’t have much exposure to opera; the very little that I had seen did not interest me, quite frankly, at that age. I’m fascinated now when I see young people in the opera, I just didn’t have that exposure. I knew I wanted to sing, but I didn’t at all dream it would be opera. Actually I studied classical music so that I would know what I was doing and not burn out on Broadway, as so many singers do. So I studied, and somewhere along the way I just fell in love with it. Thanks to a film I saw, the Zeffirelli film of La traviata, I don’t know if you remember it, Domingo and . . .

Both: Stratas! Yes yes yes yes.

NAGLESTAD: I saw that, I think, five times in two days. I just kept going back and back and back to watch it. I was fascinated - I had no idea opera had so much passion. I think that was probably the main turning point.

Naglestad in the role of Constanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Stuttgart Opera Photo: A T Schaefer, courtesy Stuttgart Opera

Jacobs: Now this was going to be question two but I think it will be question one-and-a-half, like when Papageno says: “Eine, zwei, zwei-und-halb . . .”

NAGLESTAD: My husband, when he played Papageno, would stretch that always into smaller and smaller bits, that I had no idea they even existed in math, but . . .

Jacobs: When I ran into Sasha and Paolo [Pamela Rosenberg’s twin sons] I said “Ich meine, Sasha, Sie sint zwei minuten alter,” and he said “Nicht, funf." . . . Now how did you decide to continue your studies in Rome, Milan and New York?

NAGLESTAD: Well, it’s a sad path but it ended up being the right way. My teacher here at the Conservatory had passed away, died of cancer, and at that point, I just needed a whole new start. Someone had heard me sing and recommended a teacher for me. She had just moved from Rome, and was down in Los Angeles. So I went down to LA and sang for her; it turns out she was going back to Rome, and was fully convinced I needed to go over, study Italian, and get more exposure.

So I followed her to Rome and then thought “I can’t go all the way to Italy without going to Milan and seeing La Scala,” so I went, and had some contacts there, and coached a bit, and studied, and was in Italian school, and then came home. That was how I went to Italy - basically just following my teacher - and I still do - wherever she is I will fly to her; she has been my teacher ever since that time. That was 1989, I believe.

Naglestad as Alcina at the Stuttgart Opera Photo: A T Schaefer, courtesy Stuttgart Opera

Jacobs: Have you been influenced by any particular singers?

NAGLESTAD: Yes, yes. Male, female, and inside and outside of opera. I think I’ve taken influences from all over. Early on, I was mostly listening to tenors, I was not listening to sopranos so much, I loved the tenor voice - and listening to early recordings then.

Jacobs: You mean from the long past? Caruso, or . . .

NAGLESTAD: No, no I didn’t know them, at that time, I was just beginning! There was an old record of duets, and it was from two 'young' singers just beginning - Domingo and Milnes. I have never found it again! When the house burned down in 1995, I lost all my records, and you just can’t find them any more. Even if you do, or you get them on CD, they don’t sound the same! I miss my records.

Catherine Naglestad as Rodelinda at the San Francisco Opera Photo: Terrence McCarthy, courtesy San Francisco Opera

Jacobs: Did you start portraying minor characters, or did you begin your professional career singing leading roles?

NAGLESTAD: Well it wasn’t quite that simple. I sang in the extra chorus in Los Angeles and I was covering, so, yes, major roles but I was covering first.

Jacobs: So you started down there?

NAGLESTAD: Well I had done the Santa Fe apprentice program, and that was also chorus work. And I did competitions here in the Bay Area, and ones down south as well. And then I went to Europe, was fortunate enough to get some auditions, and it just somehow started. I debuted in Hamburg as Constanze [in Die Entführung aus dem Serail], with Kurt Moll singing Osmin!

Jacobs: Oh my God! When I interviewed Kurt Moll, I was a bit nervous but that was the five most exciting minutes of my life. . . .

NAGLESTAD: Oh but he is so nice. He was my very first Osmin and I thought “Wow, what a way to begin!” It was really a great, great experience. And then I went to Stuttgart and was guesting for a few years before I went Fest [i.e. became a principal soloist].

Naglestad as Norma at the Stuttgart Opera Photo: A T Schaefer, courtesy Stuttgart Opera

Jacobs: What language do you prefer to sing?

NAGLESTAD: I prefer Italian. However, I am starting to get more familiar with French. I made my France debut last year in Marseille and Paris. Having a little more exposure to the language doesn’t make me quite so afraid of it any more. Hopefully I will be as familiar with it as I am with Italian later. But right now, it’s a new adventure.

Jacobs: Do you play any musical instruments?

NAGLESTAD: I studied piano, starting very young, which I then stopped after I got to the Conservatory and heard what real pianists do! I was far too intimidated to continue so I just play for myself.

Naglestad as Norma at the Stuttgart Opera Photo: A T Schaefer, courtesy Stuttgart Opera

Jacobs: Do you have any favorite singers with whom you particularly enjoy performing?

NAGLESTAD: I have been blessed with great tenors - and of all different voice categories, whether they’re doing Mozart, Verdi or Puccini, I’ve had such great colleagues, I’ve been really blessed. And, of course, after the 'infamous' Alcina, Alice Coote and I have stayed very good friends. First and foremost comes my husband. We’ve worked together in all different phases, just as colleagues, and then during a courtship phase, and then after marriage. It’s always just been a great, easy, working relationship. And I’m really grateful for that.

Jacobs: You have portrayed three very different leading ladies - Alcina, Rodelinda and Norma. Could you talk a little . . .

NAGLESTAD: But don’t forget Nedda! People tend to forget her and I really like her!

Jacobs: How you identify with these women?

NAGLESTAD: I could go on for pages and pages and pages about each single one! The one thing that they have in common, is that they are all trapped in impossible situations, and find, with various degrees of success, ways out of those situations.

Jacobs: How do you prepare for a role?

NAGLESTAD: For me, I prefer a long process, I don’t like learning things quickly. If I have to learn something and then go perform it one or two months later I feel under-prepared. I prefer six months, and in some cases a year. In the case of Norma, I took two-and-a-half years and I’m doing the same now with Salome. There are certain roles that just need to be sung in, and lived in, before you can take them onstage. That’s not to say it’s not possible, you can learn something very fast and do it, it’s just not preferable.

Jacobs: How do you make the transition from one type of role, or vocal style, to another? For example, from Rodelina in a Baroque opera to Norma in a bel canto opera?

NAGLESTAD: That goes back to your previous question about preparation. If the roles are individually prepared really well, then the transition is easier because muscle memory will kick in. That doesn’t mean it happens overnight. Just recently I had sung Alcina and was starting with Tosca in Marseille. I needed a good ten days to make that transition. And here we had, I think, two weeks after the last Rodelinda before the opening of Norma. That was, just about the border of the amount of time I would have liked to have had! But I find if the roles are individually prepared well, that is the best way to be able to switch back and forth. It’s not something I enjoy doing, but it’s possible. And in some ways it keeps you healthy. I had a time where I sang a lot of Normas and I was then happy to put her away for a year. Now I’m just thrilled to bring her back and re-discover her. There are times when you have to put certain roles away, just to give yourself a break, and to do something different.

Naglestad as Nedda and Jon Fredric West as Canio in Pagliacci at the San Francisco Opera Photo: Ken Friedman, courtesy San Francisco Opera

Jacobs: How do you feel, as an American, making your home and the major portion of your career in Europe?

NAGLESTAD: I feel lucky. If you had asked me five years ago I would have said “I feel isolated.” All I wanted to do was come home! I am so grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to do that, especially in San Francisco. The years in Europe taught me so much, and I don’t mean only about music, I mean about life, culture, people, about who I really am. When you are removed from everything familiar, you are forced and challenged to discover who you really are, what your real opinions are, and what your real values are, because there’s nothing familiar. There’s nothing to rely on.

Looking back, although it was incredibly hard at times, I’m really, really grateful. It doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to the day when I finally move back to America - both my husband and I are looking forward to that, but the bulk of my work is still in Europe, and it’s a rich environment for opera. Besides, it’s been fascinating to watch the two totally different worlds. They are very different opera worlds - extremely different.

Jacobs: Do you feel there is a difference between how audiences react to you in Europe and America?

NAGLESTAD: I don’t feel a difference in how they react to performances, Handel audiences are pretty much Handel audiences wherever you go! However, the isolation between the two continents is sometimes challenging to overcome. If I sing in Stuttgart, people come from Zurich, people come from London. If I’m singing in London people will come from France. In Europe, people travel much more to hear the current artists. So while I can’t really say that they react differently to performances, they do react differently to me as an artist.

Naglestad in the title role of Tosca at the Opéra de Marseille Photo: Christian Dresse, courtesy Artists Management Zurich

Jacobs: Do you follow any kind of special diet or exercise routine?

NAGLESTAD: I have tried so many different things; I’m a great believer in Chinese medicine and acupuncture. After being in Europe, especially Germany, I have discovered the wonders of homeopathy. My husband, thank goodness, is a great source of information. I’m not rigid about my exercise or diet, sometimes I’m walking, sometimes I’m doing yoga, sometimes it’s calisthenics, sometimes it's Pilates.

I’ve just now started going into a gym and working with weights, which I swore I would never do, but I actually love it! I need to stay physically active, otherwise I have no stamina for the roles that I sing, and also just for basic health. But I need variety. I’m the same with diet, I’m happy to be in America, I’m happy to be eating a lot of foods that I can’t get in Germany, but know that I will be just as happy when I get back to Europe to find things that I can’t find here.

Jacobs: You mentioned to me that you are new to computers. Is this something you would like to pursue?

NAGLESTAD: Oh, I do, I do, I do! I was so convinced I didn’t need one, and then when I was here for the Pagliacci I got a horrible bronchitis that went to laryngitis and there was no way I could communicate with my husband or anyone else. I could not talk, and it was one of the most lonely, depressing times I’ve ever been through. So the next time I worked in London I bought a computer, because I wanted one in English, and I love it! I feel like an idiot for not doing it earlier!

Naglestad as Norma at the San Francisco Opera Photo: Terrence McCarthy, courtesy San Francisco Opera

Jacobs: Do you have any special routines on performance days? And what do you do on your days off?

NAGLESTAD: My routine on performance days varies depending on the role. If it’s a role like Norma I tend to do a really heavy workout the day before. If it’s a role that’s lighter, then I tend to do a workout in the morning, eat, rest, and then go into the theater. I do not study new roles on performance days; it’s too confusing.

Days off are not many. When I’m not in a rehearsal or performing I’m usually preparing the next role. It’s not usual to have a full calendar in the arts right now as an independent singer, so I’m not complaining! But it is hard to find a couple of days off now and then. If I do, I’m usually very, very, very lazy. Dive into a good book and just read; I love to read. It’s my idea of heaven, just to read.

Jacobs: Finally - if we may ask - how would you describe your private life?

NAGLESTAD: My private life is full of dear, dear friends that I’m in touch with no matter where I am, whether it’s by fax, email or phone calls. I don’t have a very wide social circle, it’s quite small, but they’re spread out on all corners of the globe. I have a lot of great colleagues that I love, but the people that I call true friends are like family, what the Hawaiians would call 'Ohana'. They love me, and I love them, no matter what happens in our lives; and they don’t care if I sing or don’t sing. And that’s the most important thing in my private life, to feel free to be myself with people that I love and trust.

Jacobs: Thank you very much for the interview.

NAGLESTAD: You’re welcome; thank you for the interest!

Ruth C Jacobs was born in New York City, but she grew up in San Francisco. She received her first exposure to classical music and opera from her mother. Although she never studied voice, she sang in choir at Temple Beth El in San Mateo and learned to play the piano, violin etc., as well as going to modern dance classes with Anna Halprin. She did French, Russian and Latin in school, and because of her interest in opera, later studied Italian, German and Czech. She graduated from Shimer College in Illinois. Many of her articles and interviews have appeared in the Wagner Society of Northern California's 'Leitmotive.' She regularly travels to opera festivals in Europe as well as to the Met in New York. She lives, with her opera-loving cat, in San Francisco.