Soprano Nicole Cabell Saves the Day for Washington Concert Opera

It’s hard to talk about Washington Concert Opera as “show biz,” but what happened to the critically acclaimed company as it prepared for its season opener over last weekend gives rise to that old expression, “That’s show biz!”

The company, under the direction of artistic director Antony Walker, was in the midst of rehearsing Vincenzo Bellini’s “I Capuleti e I Montecchi,” a lyrical take on “Romeo and Juliet” — scheduled to be performed 6 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 28, at Lisner Stage at 6 p.m. — when the news came.

Soprano Olga Peretyatko, who was starring as Guiletta, had fallen ill and would be unable to continue. But it became a “bad news” event followed by very good news. Luckily for the company, American soprano Nicole Cabell was more or less nearby in Boston.

“I learned about it over the weekend and was offered the role by Mr. Walker, and I said yes,” Cabell, who’s part Caucasian, African and American and a rising star, said. “I was about to go on a trip to London with a friend, but I couldn’t pass this up. It’s a last-minute thing, certainly, and quite a challenge, but I’ve done the role before, and the music is so amazingly beautiful, well, you’ll see.”

“It’s the Juliet role, but the couple at this point is not just in the throes of being in love, it’s much deeper than that, much more about love and the political situation, with the families, the frustration, she’s a much more complicated character.” Cabell said. She did the part in San Francisco, and she had the added advantage of having performed with Walker and the Washington Concert Opera last year, in the role of Medora in Verdi’s “Il corsaro.” “I think it’s just a wonderful opportunity to be here again,” she said.

Cabell, who started out in school wanting to be a writer (science-fiction, fiction things like that, she told us), was persuaded by her mother to pursue the gift that she was given, which was singing and a beautiful voice. “Writing is still a hobby with me and reading,” she said. “I’m a big fan of Stephen King.”

She’s proven her mettle, winning the Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 2005, and soon after that recording Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” She performed the role of Guiletta in San Francisco in 2012 and in Kansas City in 2013, both times with star performer Joyce Di Donato.

“With concert opera, it’s different,” she said. “It’s totally about the music, of course, but I think if you pay attention to it that way, you can get the emotional force. There’s always this debate in opera, drama, performing, acting and music and singing. Here, it’s totally pure, but I happen to think that you can also achieve emotional purity through the singing and the music.”

Walker will direct again, and the cast also features Mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey as Romeo and David Portillo as Tebaldo.