It was pretty much trite in my case. First, my parents took me to music school; later on, they convinced me to go to music college and to the conservatory. I did not object because to be frank, I still had no idea what I wanted to do at that point. I liked philology and was also interested in chemistry and biology. I was considering medical school as an option. Back then, I was not particularly fond of music theater; I found opera too abstract and disjointed from real life. But it literally took me just half a year of studies to change my views and to get what opera was really about.

The thing is, opera is like a unique reference system. It is a completely different dimension. Once you have entered it, you start discovering and following the peculiar laws of that world.

On stage, you create an image for yourself and try to fit into the world created by the director and the conductor. It gets so immersive that at some point you ask yourself: why am I really so happy or so sad? And then you realize that the emotions you experience are actually your character’s, not your own. This is just as enjoyable as the games you used to play in your childhood!

I like to create something, be it music or text. In my youth, I wrote poems and even published them. Now I am getting back to doing the same. Also, I have plans for a series of sci-fi stories.

Non-creative life is boring. This alone is enough to inspire me.