Another eight-hour rehearsal day looms, but Danielle de Niese is full of energy.
The opera singer is warming up her vocal cords in a rehearsal studio in Surry Hills, Sydney, ahead of what will be another marathon day for her lungs and diaphragm.
Despite growing up in Australia, the 38-year-old soprano is preparing for her Australian operatic debut in Opera Australia's production of The Merry Widow.
“I’ve been dreaming of this since I was eight,” she tells SBS World News.
De Niese was born in Melbourne into a Burgher family of Sri Lankan, Dutch and Scottish origin. Burgher people are a small ethnic group in Sri Lanka descended from Dutch, British, Portuguese and other European settlers.
Danielle De Niese performs on stage at Proms in the Park at Hyde Park on September 12, 2015 in London, England. Source: Getty Images
Many Burghers, including De Niese, hold on to their Western customs and traditions.
The opera star - who has performed in London, New York, Vienna and Munich - traces her early inspiration back to Australia.
“I really hold Australia very deeply in my heart and carry this country with me wherever I go,” De Niese says.
'A vote of confidence'
De Niese was enrolled in singing and dancing classes from a young age and took on classical training when she was eight. By nine, she had already won several competitions and also performed on TV show Young Talent Time in 1988.
At the time, there was nowhere in Australia that a child of her calibre could classically train, so her family relocated to the United States.
“The fact that all of these teachers in Australia were giving me this vote of confidence has been so instrumental in the decision making that led to my training in America,” De Niese says.
“All of the support and nurturing that my parents have given me, that came from their feeling, then being confirmed by this country.”
De Niese won an Emmy Award at 16 and was the youngest singer to participate in the New York Metropolitan Opera’s Young Artists Studio. She was 19 when she made her mainstage opera debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
A series of performances across Europe ensued and were followed by a role at the Glyndebourne Festival, held in East Sussex, outside London, in 2005.
Source: Getty Images
De Niese now lives in the UK with her husband, Glyndebourne Festival Opera’s chairman and owner Gus Christie, and their two-year-old son Bacchus.
'Dare to dream'
De Niese says she grew up just like any other Australian kid, but a trip to Sri Lanka in 2012 opened her eyes to her heritage.
“They welcomed me with open arms, it was an amazing reception," she says.
“I saw so much of the country and thought, there is this in me.”
De Niese's mother Beverly says despite achieving huge success at a young age, her daughter always remained humble.
"Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country. Although we are Christian... I personally believe in the Buddhist culture as well... There's a lot of sharing and kindness," she says.
De Niese says her mother's motto was always 'dare to dream'.
"I've had an amazing family support system that's allowed me to keep my feet on the ground, and that's a cultural thing."
Returning to her Australian roots
De Niese is playing a lead role in The Merry Widow, a classic that has been transformed into a musical packed full of glitz, glam and Parisian charm.
The production’s artistic director Lyndon Terracini says she's the perfect fit.
“She looks fabulous, she’s a wonderful actor as well as a wonderful singer, she’s a terrific mover, she can dance.
"She has all of those qualities that you really need to make this musical a big success.”
Rehearsing in Australia has also given De Niese a chance to reconnect with her former music teacher Amanda Colliver. It's been more than 25 years since they've seen each other.
"It was a beautiful surprise when she connected with me," Ms Colliver says.
"She was quite extraordinary at eight.
"The sounds that would come out of her mouth were very beautiful and very free."
The Merry Widow begins on November 15 at the State Theatre in Melbourne, before it opens at the Sydney Opera House on New Year’s Eve.
