Do opera singers have to be fluent in many languages?

Opera singers sing in many different languages. But do they have to be fluent in these languages or can just learn the role phonetically? How important is pronunciation? And can opera singers use the lines from opera to communicate in everyday situations? We asked these questions an opera singer Natalia Melnik, who works as a trainer for those who want to sing in Russian. Natalia also told us about their upcoming concert in Sydney "Happy Birthday, Clara!"

Source: Supplied

The concert "Happy birthday, Cara!" is dedicated to Clara Schumann, Europe’s ‘Queen of the Piano’. The concert will take place on Sunday, October, 13. More information is here

Music used in the interview: 

Natalia Melnik and Dmitry Kotleev "De los álamos vengo, madre" by Joaquín Rodrigo

Clara Schumann "Liebeszauber" (Op 13 N3). Natalia Melnik (soprano), Alex Parkmen (piano)