How does a diva define the word "diva"? American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, whose calendar this season includes prima donna roles by Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini, sits quietly in the offices of OPERA NEWSand takes a short pause before answering, her hands folded in her lap and her tone matter-of-fact. "Right. Nowadays, everybody gets called a diva. Or calls themselves a diva. Beyoncé is a diva, right? The term used to have negative connotations — a diva was someone who threw fits, stomped out of rehearsals, had all these demands. But that's not acceptable in this day and age.
"People who throw hissy fits get replaced. That's understood. I choose to take the positive route — I believe that the ladies who sing these big roles are women who have worked hard to get where we are, we are accomplished at what we do, and we are at the top of our game. We earned the right to be called 'diva' because of all the work we've done. I'm honored to be called a diva. I am. I work hard for that. I work very hard, I love what I do, and I am intensely passionate about it. If that's being a diva, I am fine with it. But I refuse to be something that I'm not, or behave in such a way that creates an aura of me being untouchable. That's not me.
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