Hasmik Torosyan was born to be an opera singer and, it seems, destined to play the part of leading lady.
She is a shining star in Hawke's Bay Festival Opera's delivery of The Elixir of Love, showing at Napier Municipal Theatre on three dates over Tremains Art Deco Weekend.
The beautiful soprano arrived in Napier 11 days ago, slotting into daily rehearsals though, having played the leading role of Adina in her homeland of Armenia and more recently as an understudy in London, she knows the ropes.
While she already had the songs mastered, minor details of her character were always tweaked to suit the individual performance.
"I think every time I'm in the role it's new, the directors have their own interpretations so it's always different," she said.