Indra Thomas is becoming established as one of the most important sopranos in the world. Of her performance as Imogene in Bellini's Il pirata at the Caramoor Festival the New York Times wrote: "The mad scene was a triumph [...] the audience awarded her a tremendous ovation." Thomas has already appeared in many of the world's major opera houses, including the New York Met, the Lyric Opera Boston, the Lyric Opera Chicago, Teatro Carlo Felice Genua, Hamburg State Opera, New National Theatre Tokyo, Teatro Real Madrid, Michigan Opera Theatre and Gran Teatre del Liceu; and at the festivals Choregies d`Orange, the BBC Proms and the Festival de Saint Denis Radio France. She has performed with orchestras such as the Boston Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Malaysian Philharmonic, Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre National de Lyon, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony, Symphony and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Among the conductors Indra Thomas has worked with are R. Chailly, C. Davis, R. Norrington, J. L. Cobos, Y. Temirkanov, L. Maazel, M. Plasson and V. Spivakov. Among forthcoming engagements Indra Thomas sings the leading role in Aida at the Opéra Théâtre d'Avignon and at the Bregenz Festival and performs in concerts of Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, in Tippet's A Child Of Our Time with the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, and in the War Requiem with the Orchestre de Paris. Among her recordings is a CD with songs of Strauss, Duparc and John Duke for National Public Radio, and she can also be heard on a Naxos CD entitled A Night at the Opera. Indra has recently sung a concert of Gershwin music with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Beethoven 9 with Lahti Symphony Orchestra and the title role of Aida at the Bregenz Festival in 2009 and with Opera d’Avignon in April 2010. Future engagements for Indra Thomas include Aida at Palau de les Arts Valencia, Choregies d'Orange and Hamburgische Staatsoper, and A Child of Our Time with Orchestra Radio France.

1) You will be singing Aida on the Bregenz Floating Stage this summer. What do you think about this role – what is special, what is challenging?

Aida is a powerful role.  This role takes you through a roller coaster of emotions… fear, love, hate, hope, despair.  Bringing out all of these emotions is what makes this role both special and challenging.  

2) If you would not have become a singer, what else would you have been?

There is not another job I would rather be doing than singing.  I would have somehow found my way to a career in music even if it was in another genre.

3) Do you have a favourite role? And if yes, which is it and why?

My favourite role has to be Puccini’s Suor Angelica.  This is the first Italian opera I heard in it’s entirety.  It is also the opera that convinced me to pursue a career in opera.

4) What’s on your favourite IPod playlist?

Songs that are far away from classical music!

5) What is your „secret weapon“ against stage fright?

My secret weapon against stage fright is Practice! Practice! Practice!

6) Is there anything special you always take with you when travelling?

When I go away for long periods of time I take pictures of my family and friends and I always take my bible along with me.

7) What do you miss most when you far away from home?

My boyfriend, my family, my friends and my cute little teddy bear I have had since college.

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