Interview with Soprano Lilla Galambos

What do you get out of doing a concert series like Salute to Vienna?

Through my studies in the USA, I have learned to love this part of the world. Every year, when I come to the wonderful concert halls in North America with Salute to Vienna, I have the feeling of coming home. Just as I feel at home performing wonderful Viennese music. When I stand on the stage and these two worlds are connected, there is an immeasurable sense of happiness and the listeners are also hopefully carried along. This makes these concerts so unique.

How do you spend your time when you aren’t working?

Honestly, there is not much time for private life. But the few days left to me, I reserve to go hiking in the wonderful Austrian mountains, on whose peaks I feel the expanse of my view. There, I can breathe freely and open my soul. Anyone who likes to climb mountains will certainly know this feeling. And I love movies, especially comedies so I can laugh for two hours. What would life be without laughter?

What’s your favorite city to work in? What about that city is so special?

First of all Vienna! This is for a very pragmatic reason: I live there. And if I don't have to return to a hotel, but to my own four walls after work, it is very relaxing. Vienna is also a city that breathes music. In almost every corner of the city, its musical history is alive.

When I think about it, I feel the same way with the cities as I do with books. The one you are reading is interesting because you are focused on it. When I am in a very specific city, it is the center for me and everything circles around it. At that time, there is nothing else more important or interesting for me.

What’s next in your career?

Gilda in Rigoletto! It is a fantastic role that requires so much preparation and empathy. But I also remain close to the operetta repertoire, and soon I will sing the role of Countess Maritza in Germany. To complement the opera and operetta, I am also very busy with oratorios and early music, which again demands a whole other kind of work.

Who is your favorite person to travel with?

My boyfriend of course! He is structured, calm, and plans everything precisely. I am always surprised by him. He is quite the opposite of an artist's personality, but that is exactly what I need in my travels.

How many years have you performed in Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert?

Three years!

What is your favorite musical composition?

Everything from Mozart to many more Italian composers, especially Verdi, and Bernstein's Candide.

What languages do you speak?

German, English, and Hungarian

What is your favorite journey?

From San Diego to San Francisco.

What are you reading right now?

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

What is your favorite thing to eat?

Seafood.

Dogs or cats?

Dogs (I had a Pekingese and a Pulli, which is a Hungarian shepherd dog).

The pictures above are all courtesy of Ms. Galambos and can be found on her website.