Do they have a good start on the language based on the level of training that they’ve had? Is that a character we’re seeing up there, or are we just seeing a young singer? For the finals, I do ask the judges to think about those things in the context of that day. By choosing to sing the Strauss, she was in a way signaling to her target listeners what she could be as Sophie some day. With a scene like that Strauss, which is frequently sung as a soprano aria with piano, it was something that Elena had been singing often.

Source: New York Times April 30, 2019 14:01 UTC