Aria: Song of a Life

OPERA LEGEND REVEALS HER INCREDIBLE, TRUE STORY OF LOSS, BETRAYAL, GLAMOUR & TRIUMPH

A captivating, emotionally charged memoir from one of opera’s most beloved performers, Aria: Song of a Life follows Riki Turofsky’s unlikely rise to stardom. But above all else, Turofsky’s Aria is a study of hope – and a stunning evocation of how truth can be far, far stranger than fiction.

Opening with a foreword from veteran Toronto Star chief theatre critic and Variety’s Canadian theatre correspondent Richard Ouzounian, in just under 200 pages, Aria: Song of a Life takes its reader on an unparalleled journey of true love, deep loss, and the enduring capacity of the human spirit to overcome – making for a story that even opera’s most dramatic works would be hard pressed to compete with.

Rich with detail and replete with 38 photos chronicling Turofsky’s evolution from a young, insecure woman to a confident and commanding star of many of the world’s most hallowed opera halls, Aria is an ultimately uplifting narrative about loyalty, self-preservation, glamour, success and hope. It is also a book that, in its intensely wrought humanity, will resonate with readers of all backgrounds: from the most dedicated of opera lovers to anyone who savours a good underdog story.

“I have never considered myself a survivor,” writes Turofsky in the preface of Aria, “just a person who had managed to work through some bad luck to find some good luck.

“[With Aria], I tackled the task of telling my whole story – the tragedies as well as the triumphs – a secure and happy childhood cut short by my parents’ deaths, my journey into womanhood, the evolution of my singing talent, love, betrayal, more love, my daughter’s death, and finally the coming to terms with it all. Once started, I became so immersed in the clamour of memories that I couldn’t stop.”

Among the topics, experiences and lessons Turofsky shares in Aria: Song of a Life include:

· How she began her career as a professional opera singer as a divorced single mother with no formal training under her belt

· The loss of both of her parents – one from suicide – as a child, and her subsequent transition into foster care

· Singing on some of the world’s most important stages for some of the world’s most important people: coming into her own as an opera star

· Marriage, betrayal, divorce and self-confidence: how she pushed beyond her pain each time and rebuilt her life

· The power of love, importance of family and endurance of hope