Interview: POP's TURANDOT stars husband and wife Clay Hilley and Sara Duchovnay

Pacific Opera Project’s production of Puccini’s final opera, Turandot, directed by POP Artistic Director Josh Shaw and conducted by Ben Makino, features the husband and wife team of tenor Clay Hilley and soprano Sara Duchovnay in the roles of Calàf and Liù respectively. The staging takes place in the mythic past in a far-off icy kingdom, beginning outside the Imperial Palace as an edict is read to the crowd: any prince seeking to marry Princess Turandot must answer three riddles. If the prince fails, he will die. In fact, the most recent suitor, the Prince of Persia, is to be executed at the moon’s rising.

Among the onlookers are the foreigner Liù, her aged master, and the young Calàf, who recognizes the old man as his long-lost father, Timur, a vanquished king to whom only Liù has remained faithful.

As the Prince of Persia goes to his death, the crowd calls upon the princess to spare him. But Turandot appears and wordlessly orders the execution to proceed. Transfixed by the beauty of the unattainable princess, Calàf decides to win her, to the horror of Liù and Timur. Even the three ministers of state—Ping, Pang, and Pong—appear and try to discourage Calàf from taking on the challenge, but he is unmoved. Reassuring Liù all will be fine, he enters the riddle contest by loudly striking the gong three times.

In the imperial court, Princess Turandot explains why she has sworn never to marry: long ago, one of her royal ancestors was abducted and killed by a foreign prince, and Turandot has vowed revenge against all men who would claim her. The riddle contest begins before the Emperor Altoum and the court. One by one, Turandot presents her three riddles, and to the astonishment of all, Calàf answers each one correctly. Though Calàf has won her hand, Turandot begs her father not to force her into marriage with a stranger. In response, Calàf offers her a way out: if she can discover his name before dawn, he will willingly give up his life.

Real-life husband and wife Clay Hilley and Sara Duchovnay as Calàf and Liù 

Through the night, the entire city is ordered to remain awake until the unknown prince’s name is revealed. Guards capture Timur and Liù and attempt to force the secret from them. What will Calàf do if he wins the cold heart of Princess Turandot? And what will Liù do to protect his real identity? The stakes are high, the notes are higher, and the drama does not disappoint.

I decided to speak with real-life husband and wife Clay Hilley and Sara Duchovnay, who portray the characters Calàf and Liù, about their history with POP, the experience of performing together, and their insights into their characters.

​Thanks for speaking with me today. First, how long have the two of you been performing with Pacific Opera Project? And in which other operas?

Clay: I first sang Rodolfo in la bohème (aka “The Hipsters”) in 2012.  I returned in 2014 to sing Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw, and again in 2015 for Doctor Cajus in Falstaff

Sara: My first production with POP was as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro in 2013 and I then returned to sing Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos in 2015. POP is celebrating its 15th season and it feels very special to come back to a company that was such a treasured part of our journey as young singers. I went through a pretty major voice and repertoire change during the 11 years since then, so it’s been really cool to come back now that I’ve grown, and POP’s grown too!

Have you ever performed onstage together with other companies? If so, where and in what show?

Clay & Sara: Yes, we met singing in the cover cast of Lucia di Lammermoor in 2014, directed by POP’s founder Josh Shaw. The most recent time was as Canio and Nedda in Pagliacci with Opera Roanoke. We’ve also shared the concert stage several times, most recently with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Opera Southwest, and the Grand Teton Music Festival. 

As a married couple, what is the easiest part of performing onstage together?

Clay: Performing together is the best! Our life consists of so much travel and scheduling around gigs, and we often have to spend time apart if we’re working on different projects in different places. So when we can perform together and be on the same schedule, it’s really a gift! 

Sara: It’s really fun for us to spend time together at work, support each other, be each other’s ears, and cheer each other on! 

And the most difficult?

Clay: It's unfortunate that my characters always have to harm Sara’s. In Pagliacci, we are a wildly dysfunctional couple, and I end her life in a rage. In Turandot, Calaf doesn’t return Liu’s love, yet she ends her own life to save his. Dysfunction: the driving force of most grand opera.  

Sara: There’s one specific part in Act 3 where Liù sings about her secret and unrequited love for Calaf, and how the physical torture she will endure is sweet because she is doing it to save his life. It’s one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking moments in the opera. When I was preparing the role, it was hard for me to get through the aria without crying. But I had to get those emotions out of my system and get control of myself before the rehearsal process began, because I knew that I would feel even more emotional once I was actually looking at Clay on stage. Not only can I not sing the beautiful music if I’m crying, but it’s such a moment of strength for Liù, so I have to separate my own emotions from my character’s and hold it together. 

Are either of you fluent in Italian?  And if not, how did you learn the lyrics and perfect your accent?

We are not fluent in Italian, but as part of our training, all opera singers are trained to sing in Italian, French, and German, and sometimes Russian and Czech too, depending on the repertoire that fits their voices. We take many classes in sung diction throughout our education, and work with coaches to make sure everything sounds authentic. We also translate the entire opera so we know what every character is singing about and can react accordingly. 

In how many other languages have you performed onstage? And are you fluent in any of them? 

Clay: Italian, French, German, Czech, Russian. Vaguely conversant in Italian and German; could possibly keep up with a 3-year old. 

Sara: We live in Berlin and are working toward German fluency. I’m taking a short hiatus from classes while we’re in the US for Turandot, but when we’re at home in Germany, I’m in German lessons 4 days a week. Operatic German and conversational German are a bit different though. A lot of the vocabulary used in opera is pretty antiquated and sounds quite odd to the modern speaker! We’ve had a few funny conversations where we’ve learned that the hard way. 

How do each of you describe your character’s motivation and purpose in the opera?

Clay: Calaf is the quintessential hero, dauntless and brave from beginning to end. He casually risks getting beheaded just for a chance to win the hand of a beautiful icy princess. Even after officially winning Turandot’s hand he gives her yet another chance to kill him, so confident is he that she can’t meet his own challenge to discover his name. When she can’t figure out his name he tells it to her, technically giving her the “right” to kill him. He knows she won’t do it because he’s melted her (and partially deafened her…).

Sara: Liù is a strong and deeply caring character, motivated by deep, selfless, and unconditional love. 

What element of your character’s storyline appeals to you the most to you, or that you think the audience will identify with? How so?

Clay: As with other roles I sing (Siegfried & Samson, specifically) I love the idea of strong characters accomplishing super-human deeds. Audiences love seeing dragons slayed, evildoers toppled, and icy princesses melted.  

Sara: While this is a fairytale with many elements that are a bit outside of the scope of daily life, I think most people have experienced the feeling of loving someone so deeply that you would do anything to keep them safe. This scenario is drastic, but it speaks to real emotions that I think we can all relate to. 

If you could change one thing about your character, what would that be and why?

Clay: I’d change nothing about my character, per se. But dramaturgically it would be nicer if the “melting” of Turandot were a bit more drawn-out and organic. Of course this was Puccini’s intention, but he died before completing it.  Therefore, we are limited to the various versions completed by others.  POP is using the standard ending composed by Alfano. The actions are a bit uncomfortably rushed, but the upside is the tenor and soprano, who are vocally tired already, don’t have to sing much more. 

Sara: I mean, if Liù were a friend of mine in the real world, I’d definitely want her to find a healthier dynamic where her love was actually returned and she wasn’t sacrificing her life for a man who made foolish decisions. But opera wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if our characters made healthy decisions all the time. I think Turandot is a perfect opera and I wouldn't change a thing about it. 

Going off topic for a minute, this question is for Clay. Did you know in advance that your recording of a new Turandot ending was to become the soundtrack for Japanese figure skating star Yuma Kagiyama’s Free Skate program in the 2026 Milano/Cortina Olympics? Or did you find out after he skated? 

Clay: The agent of composer Christopher Tin reached out to me in August 2025 with a request to record his magnificent ending of Turandot (originally commissioned and performed by Washington National Opera).  They told me upfront that part of the ending would be used by Yuma at the Olympics, and I was pumped!  

How did you react to hearing your voice during the Olympic competition? 

Clay: I was actually there in the arena with my mother, who’d flown to Milan from Atlanta.  It was indeed surreal to hear my voice in that setting! We were both pretty floored. 

I bet! Now for both of you - What advice would you give to other real-life couples about performing onstage together, especially about leaving the characters in the theater and not out taking them home with you? Or is that something you actually do?

Sara: Have an honest conversation beforehand about how much feedback you would like from your partner and how you want that feedback to be given. I find it really helpful to have another trusted set of ears in the room and Clay and I enjoy bouncing ideas off each other, but it’s a good idea to have a conversation about it first. 

I would be very curious to know if this “taking your characters home with you” problem is a thing for anyone! From a comedic standpoint, I’m very tickled by the idea and I think it would make for some pretty funny online content. But to your question: No, I don’t spend my downtime yelling at Clay for ringing a gong for another woman or crying about whether he loves Turandot more than he loves me. Sometimes we do practice riddles though. (Keep an eye out on Instagram @heldenhilley @saraduchovnay for reels of this nature.)

Clay: Build each other up! Most importantly: Record each other for online content and promotion! 

Are there any operas either of you would like to perform together in the future? Why?

Sara: Definitely! The top 4 are Tannhäuser (Tannhäuser/Elisabeth), Die Walküre (Siegmund/Sieglinde), Die tote Stadt (Paul/Marietta), and Ariadne auf Naxos (Bacchus/Ariadne)

Clay: Now that Sara has recently moved into a bigger “fach” (aka “vocal classification”), we now have many new and exciting opportunities to be onstage together!

What is your own bucket list role?

Clay: The title role in Peter Grimes

Sara: Elisabeth in Tannhäuser

Is there anything else you would like to add about yourselves or performing in POP’s Turandot?

Sara & Clay: This entire cast is just TOP NOTCH! It’s really incredible and not to be missed!

Thanks so much!

Pacific Opera Project presents Puccini’s opera TURANDOT directed by Josh Shaw and conducted by Ben Makino, on Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 7:30PM; Sunday, March 15 at 3PM; and Sunday, March 22 at 3PM in the 880-seat Aratani Theatre at the Japanese-American Cultural and Community Center; 244 South San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Run time is approximately 2 hours 45 minutes, performed with q live orchestra. Sung in Italian with English supertitles

Featured in the cast are Shannon Jennings as Turandot, Clay Hilley as Calàf, Sara Duchovnay as Liù, Colin Ramsay as Timur, Sergio Manzo as Ping, Spencer Hamlin as Pang, James Callon as Pong, Jeffrey Goldberg as the Mandarin, Manfred Anaya as the Emperor. 

General admission tickets range from $15-$100 and can be purchased at https://www.pacificoperaproject.com/  

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