Two-time Grammy winner Angel Blue is set to take center stage in the San Francisco Opera’s upcoming production of Giuseppe Verdi’s 1853 drama “Il Trovatore,” making her role debut as Leonora, the noblewoman who gets caught up in a difficult love triangle.

But the soprano is no stranger to the city or the company — in 2009, she played Clara in the Opera’s production of “Porgy and Bess.” She then starred in the production at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, this time as Bess, from 2019-2020, and earned her first Grammy in 2021 as part of the cast.

Immediately following her run in “Il Trovatore,” the singer is set to perform in “Tosca” at the Wiener Staatsoper in Vienna before returning to San Francisco for a three-night stint performing Beethoven’s Ninth with the San Francisco Symphony starting on Oct. 19.

Since her parents took her to see “Turandot,” the opera about a coldhearted but beautiful princess, at just 4 years old, Blue has been mesmerized by the world of opera. Now, at 39, Blue has had the opportunity to travel the world to sing, a privilege she is still awestruck by, despite having been performing in operas most of her life.

Even after a recent four-hour rehearsal at the War Memorial Opera House, Blue remained bubbly and charismatic as she reflected upon her operatic journey.

Fresh out of costume, Blue spoke with the Chronicle about Verdi, Leontyne Price and camaraderie within the world of opera.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: What has been the most challenging part of rehearsing this role so far?

A:Getting out of my head. I am now singing Verdi. I know I’ve sung Verdi before, but I’m singing more Verdi. Verdi is very specific.

I like him a lot because I like to know exactly what somebody wants or needs from me, so I’m not guessing. The most challenging thing has just been to sort of get out of my mind as a musician, to really trust what he’s written on the page and know that he is a legend and that I can trust what he’s written in my voice.

Q: What has been the most interesting part for you?

A:My colleagues, I really like them. It sounds simple to say, but it’s a big thing. They’re happy to sing, and you can see that they love what they do. It’s infectious to be around people like that, who are joyful and excited and genuinely excited about what they do.

Out of everything with COVID — forget not getting paid and traveling and all that, that didn’t matter — I missed seeing my colleagues sing. I missed being onstage with other people and watching them breathe and watching how they produce their sounds and listening to their languages and how well they pronounce their words. That’s very special. I don’t take that for granted at all.

Q: I understand you played Clara in “Porgy and Bess.” How has this experience been coming back to this opera house?

A:I feel the same way that I did when I was here for Clara. I was really thankful.

Of course, the weight of what I’m doing now is much different. It’s heavier. Just as important, but it’s just a little heavier. But I’m older, so I can carry it. Whereas before, had I had a role like this here at the age that I was in 2009, I would’ve cracked under the pressure easily. It’s the right time, thankfully.

Q: Did you always know you wanted to be an opera singer?

A:Yeah, I always wanted to sing. My dad and my mom took me to see “Turandot” in concert in Cleveland. When I was a little kid, I was just mesmerized and enamored with all of it. My dad bought Leontyne Price’s “A Program of Song” and then he bought me “God Bless America” and I listened to those religiously. I mean, that was my playlist. That and, like, Mariah Carey and Johnny Gill and maybe New Kids on the Block.

My high school was what really made opera stick. I went to the L.A. County High School for the Arts, and I was around other kids who knew who Maria Callas was. I was around other kids who had heard of Jussi Björling. That was, I think, what really made my love for opera stick because I was around so many like-minded people.

当我在加州大学洛杉矶分校的时候想要得到我的硕士degree, I was also in the Young Artist Program at Los Angeles Opera. So I had a very unique experience and just felt like I was just immersed with everything opera. I don’t know if I really knew what I was getting into, but I was happy to be there.

Q: There has been a history of blackface, whitewashing and racism in general within the opera world and I’m wondering, as an opera singer of color, how are you still compelled to join this world?

A:I love what I do. I love to sing, I love opera. Blackface, whitewash, whatever, really simply I just don’t think it has a place today. I don’t think we need that. I’m a plus size, almost 6-foot-tall Black woman. If people can believe that I’m dying of consumption as Mimí or Violetta and they can stay for the opera and be moved in some way, then we’ve done our job.

Reach Zara Irshad:Zara.Irshad@sfchronicle.com