Just two years after first walking through the doors of the Metropolitan Opera for their annual competition, I was offered the opportunity to make my official Met debut, as Zweite Dame in Julie Taymor’s production of Die Zauberflöte. When I got the offer, two things happened: I sat down on the floor and cried, and then I immediately emailed my favorite local sheet music shop and asked them to order me a copy of the Bärenreiter edition of Die Zauberflöte.

These big blue scores have since accompanied me on many career milestones, from singing Rusalka’s Jezibaba in Prague to portraying my first title role at the Met as Orfeo.

When I have a Bärenreiter score in my hands, I know that I am impeccably prepared – and that confidence empowers me to be the best storyteller I can be.

Jamie Barton
Mezzo-soprano