2011 has been a very important year for the Latvian opera star: at the beginning of January she debuted at Dresden's "Semper Oper" (title role in "Iolanta"), whereas in spring she performed at "Teatro alla Scala" in Milan (Liu's role in Turandot). Maija Kovaļevska stars as Micaela in Bizet's "Carmen", the world's first 3D opera performance shot at London Royal Opera House. Her replies to interview questions are sent from Vienna, where on June 7 she debuted as Tatyana in Wiener Staatsoper production of Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin". She will also perform as Tatyana during the 19th International Opera Music Festival in Sigulda on July 30 at 9 p.m. and at Ventspils Theatre House Jūras vārti on August 2. Whereas on August 6, Maija Kovaļevska together with organist Iveta Apkalna will give a charity concert at the Riga Cathedral.

It is really nice to meet colleagues in Vienna with which Maija Kovaļevska has performed in other opera theatres. “I was surprised like never before to meet opera fans asking for autographs before a rehearsal at the "Wiener Staatsoper" artists entrance. I used to sign autographs after opera shows in the past, but I had never seen so many and so large photographs from my various roles. That was a very moving experience," says Maija Kovaļevska.

LiveRīga: What are your feelings as you prepare to perform at the Opera Music Festival in Sigulda again, which over the past five years was the only chance to her you perform in Latvia?

Maija Kovaļevska: I am really looking forward to returning to the Opera Music Festival in Sigulda, I have very fond memories of the festival. The Opera Music Festival in Sigulda is very dear and special to me. The role of Tatyana will be my fifth role at the festival. I have very nice memories of all the roles I played here: the role of Saffi (in operetta "The Gypsy Baron"), Lola (in opera "Cavalleria rusticana), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) and Leila (The Pearl Fishers). Actually my collaboration with the Opera Music Festival began already in Kuldīga, where I performed in Giannetta's role in "The Elixir of Love". It was my first performance!

I have already sung for charity at the Riga Cathedral to help children with disabilities. I hope that the concert with organist Iveta Apkalna will be a success. This past winter, I participated in a charity event organised by the Russian community in America, called "Petrushka Ball". In Italy I performed in a church to raise funds for research on cancer. I love to participate in charity events.

LiveRīga: How do you find time in your busy schedule for the Opera Music Festival in Sigulda, but not the production of "Eugene Onegin" at the Latvian National Opera? What does the festival mean for your professional career and you as a person?

Maija Kovaļevska: The Opera Music Festival is a special occasion for everyone, and I am very pleased that the festival has returned to the beautiful Sigulda. You will not find such a unique atmosphere anywhere else in the world. The festival is very dear to my heart, because this festival is where I began to sing and realised that this is my calling. The audience at the Sigulda Opera Music festival is particularly convivial and open.

LiveRīga: How significant the role of Tatyana is to you, and why? How do you perceive her? How does your perception change from one production to another?

Maija Kovaļevska: Tatyana is one of my most favourite roles, in terms of both music and acting, because she is true, lively and emotionally strong. I have warm memories of the production for Glyndebourne Festival in 2008, conducted by Vladimir Yurovski, but I create the character anew each time, leaving the past experience behind and embracing creative collaboration with new colleagues in every new production.

LiveRīga: Did you help Opera Festival organiser Dainis Kalns to also choose other opera singers?

Maija Kovaļevska: My recommendation was to invite to the Sigulda Opera Music Festival a colleague of mine, American baritone Nathan Gunn, who is a wonderful and internationally acclaimed artist, and the Latvian public deserves to hear him perform the role of Onegin.

LiveRīga: What kind of other creative work are you looking forward to in the near future? What are you the most excited about?

Maija Kovaļevska: Unfortunately, things often change in Italy, which is why the concerts planned at Verona Arena, a huge open-air amphitheatre, may have been put off until next summer. For the next season I have been invited to Bavarian State Opera in Munich to play Mimi (in Puccini's "La boheme") and three roles at "Wiener Staatsoper": Mimi, Micaela (Bizet's "Carmen") and the Countess (in Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro"). I am very excited about each of these roles.