Ms. Yende was on vacation in her native South Africa, hoping to unplug and not think about work, when her agent called to see if she'd consider the opera.

WSJ: Culture City: One Small Stumble on the Stage, One Giant Step to Stardom

As she was helped off the stage, the question of the night became whether she'd return to sing the rest of the opera.

WSJ: Culture City: One Small Stumble on the Stage, One Giant Step to Stardom

Yet to hear people talk about the shows, you'd think Maria Callas had risen from the dead to tour with the Metropolitan Opera.

WSJ: An Opera Vet Tries to Raise Cirque du Soleil

I'd love nothing better than to have my two operas performed at the Met, or even San Francisco Opera, because they're about the same quality, the two opera companies, but different length of season.

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