By Alejandra Serna, Florida Grand Opera

Verdi’s Rigoletto, one of the world’s most beloved operas, centers on a lurid plot of lust and revenge. Yet, even the darkest story has a soft glimmer of light. In this smash-hit production by Florida Grand Opera, light comes to the stage in the form of Rigoletto’s innocent daughter, Gilda, brilliantly portrayed by Ft. Lauderdale native Nadine Sierra.

The 23-year-old soprano does an outstanding job as the beautiful, convent-raised daughter of the despised court jester, Rigoletto. Not only does she embody the angelic character to perfection, but also sings the part to critical acclaim. Nothing describes her performance better than this review from the Sun Sentinel:“The respiration-stopping moment occurred when Nadine Sierra, as the title character’s daughter, lies on her back to wax romantically about her new-found love in the aria ‘Caro nome.’ Her trilling up and down the scale gently exhaled notes into the air above her as if she was playfully keeping a feather aloft above her with every breath.”

Sierra began her operatic training at 14 years of age, when she joined Palm Beach Opera’s young artist program, making her debut as the Sandman in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. She continued her education at the Mannes College of Music in New York and Music Academy of the West, becoming the youngest person to receive the Marilyn Horne Foundation Award. In 2009, she achieved the high honor of becoming a Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera’s prestigious National Council Auditions and won first prize in the junior division of the Young Patronesses of the Opera/Florida Grand Opera Voice Competition.

Next up for Sierra is the prestigious stage at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, where she will perform on May 11, 2012. The young singer is well on her way to realizing a life-long dream that began at the age of 10 with a VHS recording of the Metropolitan Opera’s Madame Butterfly.

“I wanted to create that kind of magic on stage. There is so much beauty and pain that goes into performing … you touch people’s hearts with this glorious music, [but] you also leave a part of yourself behind,” said Sierra in an interview with Uptempo Magazine.

Sierra continues to sing the role of Gilda in Rigoletto at the Adrienne Arsht Center through Feb. 11 and then at the Broward Center through Feb. 18. For date and ticket information, please visit the Florida Grand Opera website or follow the company on Twitter and Facebook.