Maria Listra says she is unafraid to face emotional pain onstage

Soprano Maria Listra says she is willing to work through emotional pain to perform a piece with depth and give audiences a sense of emotion, release and peace, ERR’s Vikerraadio reported.

Listra said she sometimes needs to cross an emotional threshold and cry before she can perform a work. She described having spent much of the summer reflecting on Arvo Pärt’s “Como cierva sedienta,” asking friends and strangers how they felt and whether they thought God had abandoned them. She said she had never taken so long to make sense of another piece.

“There is a video of me sitting at the piano, listening to Pärt’s work and simply crying,” Listra said. “I need to cross that threshold; otherwise, I could not perform these works with such emotional and intellectual involvement.”

She said she does not fear experiencing emotional pain and tries to let her emotions run their course. At some point the crying ends, she said, allowing her to perform the work so the audience can receive its emotion, release and peace. In Pärt’s piece, she said, it was important to find hope and reach a place that was not deeply sorrowful.

Listra received this year’s annual award from the music arts endowment for her professionalism, dedication and strong season on stages in Estonia and abroad. The award also recognised her international performances marking Pärt’s 90th birthday and her work interpreting Estonian music and vocal repertoire from different eras.

She said she loves collaboration and wants to continue contributing to Estonian culture. Listra also urged musicians who feel isolated, lack work or are struggling creatively to speak up, saying that community support can help them through difficult periods.

The Pärt and Eller concert from Pärt Days 2026 is available to listen to on Klassikaraadio’s website.