Q: Your first appearance with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) was in 2021, and you became Principal Opera Conductor in 2022. How has Saint Louis become a musical home for you?
DC: This is now my fifth year of coming to St. Louis for the duration of our annual June festival as well as a few times in between the festival seasons. It’s a city that I consider a second home, and OTSL has become an artistic home as well. The collaboration that we enjoy with the St. Louis Symphony is very special and coming here is always a highlight of my year. Everyone in the company, especially General Director Andrew Jorgensen, Patricia Racette, the Artistic Director of Young Artist Programs, and Yvette Loynaz, Director of Artistic Administration, are tremendous partners. It is wonderful being around world-class musicians and artists and getting to collaborate with everyone. 

Q: You've established a reputation for guiding new operas to the stage for their world premieres. What type of skills and approach does that take compared to performing the classic operas that have been around for hundreds of years?
DC: The skills and preparation for me are very similar. I always start with a piano vocal score, if I’m preparing for an opera, and then move on to the full score, and am always at the piano while studying. I play through the piece, I dissect them, sing them, and look at every line. With both traditional and contemporary music, I listen or play through other pieces by the composer, to familiarize myself with their musical language. If a specific traditional piece is one that I haven’t done yet, of course there is already a peripheral knowledge of it, and then I like to hear what other performers have found in it and find my own interpretation. 

Q: You grew up in Serbia and Slovenia. How early in your life did you know that music was your passion?
DC: Music has been in my life for as long as I can remember. My grandmother was an opera singer, and I was exposed to opera at a very young age, so I always knew that theater and music would be in my life. I didn’t quite know in what form that would be, because my interests and curiosities were very broad, but since I was about 5, I knew I was going to do something in music. 

Q: You are contracted with OTSL through at least 2028. How would you like to help OTSL reach a broader audience in the future?
DC: I would love for everyone in St. Louis and outside to come and be a part of our performances during the festival season. I love connecting with audiences, talking about opera and their experience with it. Two seasons ago after a performance of Tosca I met a young couple who attended their very first opera performance. Meeting them and talking to them afterwards was such a memorable moment, and I loved seeing their excitement for the art form.  

Q: What stage have you not yet gotten to perform on that you'd consider a 'dream gig?'
DC: There are so many great stages in the world and one thing I’m always drawn to are the acoustics and the structure of a space. I haven’t performed at the Walt Disney Hall in LA yet and would love to make music in that space. 

Q: What is one word of advice you can offer to young women who want to reach your level of success?
DC: I can only offer the advice I was given, which was to start where I am and work hard. There are many elements in life and career that are unpredictable, and we have no control over, so the only thing we can do is be responsible for how we show up and what we make of chances that might be in front of us.

Q: Can you tell our audience one of your most memorable moments of your career?
DC: Certainly, coming to St. Louis and joining the team at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is very important and memorable. There is also another moment that I think of fondly and that is my debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. It was for a performance of Eurydice by Matthew Aucoin. I was so nervous on the day off, as I was going into a performance of a difficult piece without a rehearsal with the orchestra. But once I gave the downbeat and we started playing and singing it felt as if time stopped. Also, the Metropolitan Opera is a huge space, and the warmth of the audience was incredible that night. 

Q: Which woman inspires you and why? 
DC: I would have to say it’s three women from my family - my grandmother, my mother, and my sister. They are all incredibly strong, versatile, focused and great people, who are always there to help others. 

Q: What advice would you give to young women who want to pursue their dream and start a business? 
DC: This would have to be the same answer to the first question - start where you are and start small. It’s easier to grow when you have a solid basis, rather than overextending too soon. 

Q: After high school, where did you feel your career path would take you?  
DC: Since I was a child, I knew I was going to be working in music, I just didn’t know in what capacity. As a teenager I thought I was going to be a jazz singer, but then life moved me in the way I was supposed to go. 

Q: Can you tell us how you manage your work life balance?
DC: In arts and music, it’s almost impossible to talk about work-life balance, because it is more of a lifestyle. There certainly are seasons when there is more work and less rest, and there might be a few days here and there when one can slow down a bit but work truly never stops. In the past few years, I have become more mindful about my “time off”, but that just means that I’m not going 200 m/h all day, every day. 

Five Things About Daniela Candillari

1. What's your favorite family tradition? 
A few years ago, my husband and I started our little Christmas tradition, which is one of my favorite things. We truly take an entire day off, have brunch, open presents, watch our favorite films and play with our dog. 

2. What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee? 
As a fan of every show he’s been in, it would be Pedro Pascal. 

3. What’s your favorite thing to do in your free time? 
I love kayaking and making pottery. Last year I took a solo trip to Page, Arizona, and went kayaking and hiking around Antelope Canyon. It was one of my favorite adventures. 

4. What was the last book you really got into? 
“The Fig Tree” by Goran Vojnovic 

5. Are you a morning person or a night owl? 
Both! Depending on the rehearsal/performances schedule. I love waking up early in the morning and enjoying the quiet hours, going for a walk with my dog. But if I have a performance, the adrenalin is quite high for a long time, and I love the creativity that often happens late in the night.