Opera student Liu Jianwei was having an amazing time watching Lisette Oropesa’s performance when something unexpected happened. The 24-year-old noticed that no one was singing the male part in the famous aria Sempre libera. Without hesitating, he decided to step in and sing the tenor part himself—from his seat in the audience! His beautiful voice stunned everyone, especially Oropesa, and the moment quickly went viral.
Oropesa, a Cuban-American soprano, was in the middle of her fourth encore at the Teatro Regio di Parma in Parma, Italy. She sang with incredible skill and passion, and the audience was captivated. But when it came time for the tenor’s line, no one on stage sang it. That’s when Liu jumped in. He picked up from the second line and delivered a flawless performance. The surprise duet has now been viewed 2.6 million times online!
At first, Oropesa was shocked to hear a voice coming from the audience. But when she realized how beautifully Liu was singing, she smiled, held her hands to her heart, and encouraged him to continue. Overwhelmed with gratitude, she even called out to him, saying, “Oh, grazie!” to show her appreciation.
Liu is currently studying opera at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Nicolini di Piacenza in Italy. After the show, he felt a little nervous about what he had done. He went to apologize to Oropesa, afraid that he had been disrespectful. But instead of being upset, she was thrilled to meet him! She took a photo with the young singer and even signed an autograph for him.
Later, Liu shared his thoughts on Chinese social media. He explained why he had sung, saying, “I stood up to sing because Lisette Oropesa is a musician I love very much, and I happened to have learned this opera before.” However, he didn’t want people to think it was the right thing to do. He added, “It is definitely not something to be proud of, nor something others should do. Please don’t interrupt singers when they are performing. It’s impolite. Don’t imitate me—I will never do this again.”
Even though Liu felt embarrassed about his actions, opera fans had a different opinion. They loved the moment and flooded the internet with positive comments. One fan wrote, “You can tell how much she loved this moment. She was surprised but also so happy!” Another person commented, “It wasn’t rude—it was brilliant! He filled in the missing part and gave the audience a unique, unforgettable performance. Bravo!”
The aria Sempre libera is part of La Traviata, an opera by the famous Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. La Traviata premiered in 1853 in Vienna, and its title means “fallen woman.” The opera is one of the most performed in the world, and Sempre libera, which means “always free,” is sung by the main character, Violetta Valéry. In this song, she debates whether to follow love or stay independent.
For those who want to hear more from Lisette Oropesa, you can check out her performances on her YouTube channel or visit her official website. And this time, there will be a tenor on stage!
