Laurier Voice Grad Jane Archibald debuted at New York's Metropolitan Opera earlier this month, playing the role of Ophelie in that company's production of Hamlet. The opening night performance on Monday, April 5, was streamlined live, without cost, on The Met's website.

Every opera singer dreams of appearing at The Met, and Victor Martens, Archibald's former voice instructor at Laurier and current friend, says her latest achievement is not a surprise as she has performed at all the great houses in Europe to great acclaim.

"Her career is moving beautifully," Martens says. "She has all the obvious things: wonderful voice, poise, focus, discipline. She is the complete package. But she also possesses an intangible quality that is impossible to define."

Archibald’s 2009 performance as Zerbinetta in the Deutsche Oper Berlin's production of Ariadne auf Naxos prompted these statements by Neues Deutschland:  "Jane Archibald, outshone everyone, apparently effortlessly. The murderously difficult coloratura of her magnificent monologue "Großmächtige Prinzessin" pearled forth not only with perfect height and intonation, Jane Archibald could embellish it, trill on it and let it flow radiantly- roaring applause for this scene!"

The reviews for Archibald’s Met debut have been equally stunning, one noting that it was odd but understandable to see the audience applaud her performance when Ophelie slips into madness and then commits suicide.

The New York Times noted that patrons in the upper balcony at opening night noticed the smell of smoke during the performance, and one called the fire department. It was discovered that the odour had been caused by burning gel on a stage light. The article ended, “‘The only thing on fire tonight at the Met was Jane Archibald’s mad scene,’ one audience member tweeted.”