(Reuters) – Polish opera star Jakub Jozef Orlinski’s debut performance at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera in “Eurydice” in November was broadcast live in movie theaters across the globe on Saturday.
Orlinski, 30, who studied and lived in Manhattan while attending The Juilliard School for the arts, said being in the city as a working performer was a new experience.
“I was totally focused on school. I thought: ‘I’m in school, this is Juilliard, I have to get the most out of it.’ So, I signed up for so many classes that I worked from 8 in the morning to midnight. Non-stop,” he said.
“It’s beyond my wildest dreams, the fact that I’m actually employed by such an amazing theater … and work with conductor Yannick (Nézet-Séguin), who is the chief music director,” Orlinski added. “It’s something incredible. It’s amazing that I have my own entry card to the Metropolitan Opera now.”
Orlinski is almost as well-known for his breakdancing, which he began when he was 18, as he is for his singing.
“It really combines everything that I love. So, music, freedom and like sort of acrobatic style … it’s another way to express yourself,” he said.
(Reporting by Alicia Powell; Editing by Diane Craft and Peter Cooney)
