Last autumn, when mezzo soprano Aya Wakizono starred in Rossini’s La Cenerentola at La Scala, a singer colleague in Japan posted on social media: “Why isn’t this news being covered on TV? In operatic terms, her achievement rivals that of baseball player Shohei Otani in major league baseball!” While she might not have made TV news, Wakizono has since been featured in national newspapers and magazines, and expectations are high for her next opera appearance in Tokyo, which will be Werther in May at the New National Theatre. But more about that later.
I start the conversation by asking Wakizono how daunting it was step onto the hallowed La Scala stage to sing Angelina in Cenerentola. “Actually, this was not my first appearance at La Scala. From 2014 to 2016, I was a member of the Scala Academy, and my first experience of singing on that stage was at the audition for the Academy. At that time, I remember being in awe, thinking this is the stage where Giulietta Simionato, Renata Tebaldi, Carlo Bergonzi and Piero Cappuccilli sang! Subsequently as a member of the Academy, I made my debut there in a production of Cenerentola for children and later sang in Il barbiere di Siviglia too,” she says.
“During these two years, which were the busiest time of my life, I became friendly with the theatre staff: the receptionist, doorman and people at the canteen – they became like family. What made me happy this time around was that many people remembered me and welcomed me, saying how pleased they were to see me return. In retrospect, as I’d been going through a difficult situation, I used to be critical about some aspects of the institution, but this time around I felt I’d matured emotionally and was more accepting.”
How does it feel on stage, I ask. Is it huge and intimidating? “From the auditorium it looks huge, but when you are on stage, it doesn’t seem so large. Every theatre has its own acoustic characteristics, and I know some singers find La Scala a difficult house to sing in, but I don’t. Since my days as an academy student, I’ve always felt a special energy on the stage, as if the theatre itself is cheering me on. Besides, the role of Angelina has always been a special role for me, and I’ve had some incredible experiences singing her.”
“Once when I sang the role in Sassari in Sardinia, I suffered laryngitis during the rehearsals and at the dress rehearsal, attended by local children – I had to literally speak the role even in the rondo finale. At the curtain call I was totally devastated, but a huge cheer erupted from the children like never before. At that moment, I had a vision beyond the lights – a vision of Rossini and Alberto Zedda, who I was fortunate to study with at the Pesaro Festival. I said to them: I’m sorry to sing this wonderful role in such an imperfect state. Zedda replied, ‘it was perfect because you were imperfect.’ I realised that I was arrogant to think I could be perfect, and that an artist's mission is to pursue perfection even while knowing it can never be fully attained. It took me a while to digest, but it was an important lesson I learnt.”
Since moving to Italy in 2013 after her studies at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Wakizono has made her name in Rossini and bel canto with her brilliant agilità and velvety mezzo voice. But now, she is widening her repertory into many different directions: into early Verdi such as Fenena in Nabucco (Cologne Opera), into French repertoire such as Charlotte in Werther (New National Theatre, Tokyo) and Stéphano in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette (Opera di Roma) and into German repertoire – her first Urlicht (Mahler’s Second Symphony) and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier (NNTT) next year. How does it feel to branch out into more Romantic repertoire?
“Personally, late Romantic opera has been my favourite. I’ve always wanted to be able to sing Verdi. But in my teens and twenties, I lacked technique and my voice wasn’t mature. With late Romantic opera, you have to immerse yourself emotionally, and when I was young, I just got swept away by that emotion, by the sheer force of the music, and the result was disappointing. So, I decided to aim to sing Verdi by my forties,” Wakizono says.
“Meanwhile, since people would praise my agilità when I sang Rossini, I thought I’ll use this as an asset to get an entry into the world of opera. And anyway, the 19th-century singers who premiered Verdi roles were trained on Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, so I thought I should study their musical style before reaching Verdi. Nowadays Rossini is like a mentor for me, but I wasn’t necessarily a Rossini fan to begin with.”
She thinks her voice suits French opera. “My voice has a certain darkness of tone, a melancholic quality, and I think this suits French repertoire. I noticed this when I sang the child in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges, although it is a lighter role than Charlotte and closer to Rossini.”
This May will see her role debut as Charlotte in Werther at New National Theatre, Tokyo, but Wakizono tells me that she knows the two arias already. She sang one of them in the final exam at music college and she seems well prepared. How does she view the character of Charlotte in the opera?
“Compared to Goethe’s novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, I would say that in Massenet’s Werther, the characters are more distinct and more human. And I think Charlotte plays a more important role than in the novel. When you read the libretto, you might feel it is quite critical of Christianity, but it’s about more than that. For me, Werther embodies nature and freedom, and Albert embodies society and discipline, including the society Charlotte lives in and her family. And all humans inherently have this fundamental dilemma. It’s precisely because we possess both elements that we are human, and we can’t choose just one. So, Charlotte is torn between the two, and this fragility is what makes this work beautiful,” she says.
“In the opera, Massenet takes this heavy topic, which Goethe handles quite heavy-handedly, and expresses it with something incredibly soft and sensual. That’s what makes the opera even more captivating. And ultimately, he shows us that human essence is beautiful, no matter what. This is why this work has endured – because it truly captures this essence so magnificently. I’m sure Werther will become one of those works I want to sing not just for this debut, but time and time again.”
Alongside La Scala, New National Theatre, Tokyo has become a special theatre for Aya Wakizono’s career. Since her debut there as Donna Elvira in 2019, she has appeared regularly, including during the pandemic, singing Rosina (2020, 2025), Cherubino, Angelina (both in 2021), and Meg in Falstaff (2023).
“It’s the theatre that laid the foundation for my love of opera early on. When I was a student, I saw many productions at the NNTT; I saw my first Wagner there and Richard Strauss’ Elektra, Salome and Der Rosenkavalier too, and I would read the friends’ magazine. I also saw operas such as Wozzeck and Lady Macbeth of Mstensk – operas you really need to experience live to appreciate fully. Some of the productions that I later took part in such as Le nozze di Figaro and Il barbiere di Siviglia I first saw as audience member.”
“The path of an opera singer is incredibly lonely and often difficult,” she says. “There are times when you just don’t know which way to go. You are subjected to a lot of criticism, which comes with the territory of being in the spotlight. But in the midst of all that, coming back to the NNTT, I feel accepted and it has become a home-like place for me over the past few years. To have that kind of place is truly a blessing.”
Where does she see her voice heading in the coming years? “Hopefully I’ll get to sing major Verdi roles. The most realistic one is Eboli in Don Carlo. And then if my voice expands in the lower direction, then roles such as Amneris (Aida) or Azucena (Il Trovatore) may come into sight. But if my voice expands higher, then maybe Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) or Abigaille (Nabucco). Still, it will depend on which direction my voice takes, and maybe it won’t be Verdi at all! Nowadays I’ve decided not to rule anything out.”
Either way, she has no plans to graduate from her Rossini roles. Her teacher and mentor Mariella Devia sang bel canto roles until her retirement, and Wakizono wants to keep singing those roles alongside more Romantic repertoire as it helps to keep her voice healthy and maintain proper vocal placement. Equipped with good singing technique, she is surely ready to immerse herself into more emotionally demanding roles. Charlotte is only the start.
Aya Wakizono sings in Massenet’s Werther at New National Theatre, Tokyo from 24th–30th May.
See upcoming performances by Aya Wakizono.
See upcoming events at New National Theatre, Tokyo.
This article was sponsored by New National Theatre, Tokyo.
