LEAH PARTRIDGE “It was like a dream — I know that sounds cliché. It felt like everything was happening around me and not to me. It seemed as if I was hovering outside myself watching it happen. It was thrilling. I was so excited; it was like Christmas morning times 100. I had the best time.”

Lincoln County native Leah Partridge made her debut in a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera on Tuesday, February 16.

She sang the part of Marie in “La fille du Regiment” or “The Daughter of the Regiment” by Donizetti.

For the past few months, the soprano has been under contract with the Met to cover roles in three different operas in the event the principle singers could not perform.

The call came at about 1 p.m. on Monday that Diana Damrau, the famous German coloratura soprano who was singing the part of Marie, was sick. “The people at the Met office said she may feel better in time for the performance, but they wanted me to be on call just in case,” said Partridge.

After hearing the news, Partridge went to see Greg Kellar, the assistant stage director at the Met. “He and I went through the role together. He spoke the other singers’ lines. This production has tons of spoken French dialogue, and I have been working on it for months.

“We also went through the staging quickly just to make sure I remembered where I was supposed to be. Then I spent an hour alone going through some of the phrases that I wanted to double check. I left the Met that day feeling pretty good.”

The real deal came at 2 p.m. on Tuesday. “I had imagined this moment many times, usually when I would hear other singers tell stories about getting ‘the call.’ It would always bring utter terror, and I would imagine that the sky was falling in.

“However, when it actually happened, I heard my mouth say, ‘Sure, I’d love to sing tonight. I’ll be down at the theater as soon as I can.’”

According to Partridge, New York City was in the midst of “Blizzard Number Two,” and the roads were a mess. “I hopped in a cab and within half an hour of sliding down West End Avenue, I arrived at the Met stage door.”

After rehearsals, Partridge went to the Met cafeteria, got something to eat, and then made her way to her dressing room. “It was 6 p.m. and make-up came. I don’t remember that whole ordeal — I hardly remember getting my wig attached. But what I do remember is looking in the mirror and seeing Marie. I was Marie! The energy surge was enough to power all of Manhattan.

“At this point, people started coming by my room — the music staff, the props people, the microphone lady, the dressers, and colleagues who needed to practice lifting me into the air. My cheerleading days at LCHS came in very handy. It seemed like Grand Central Station for a while.”

In addition to the production staff, Peter Gelb, general director for the Met, stopped by to wish her luck, and Maestro Marco Amiliato, the conductor for the evening, gave her a pep talk. The maestro said: “Leah, give the audience a good time. You have a good time, and they will have a good time.”

Since Partridge had never seen the set, staff members held the audience at the door and at approximately 7 p.m., only an hour before curtain time, she walked on stage to check props, run around a bit, and “make peace with the vastness of the Met.

“The theater is huge but very intimate,” she said.

On the way back to her dressing room, she met the opera legend Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, who would also be performing in the production. “She was lovely and very encouraging. I bounced all the way back to my dressing room.”

Standing in her dressing room, just minutes before taking the stage, Partridge sang a verse of “Blessed Assurance,” along with a few passages from the beginning of the opera.

“I was calm,” she said. “I don’t know what happened exactly, but that mean, little gremlin, who sometimes creeps onto my shoulder when the pressure is high, took the night off. I thought I would really be frantic – I had never performed the role ever, but I was calm.

“The next thing I knew, I picked up a pile of laundry, walked out onstage, and started singing. I was floating, beaming, and rejoicing. It was all the hard work of my entire life coming out of my body. It was all the people, who had helped me in some way, holding my hand. It was all the memories of people I miss so much there with me. It was unforgettable.”

Although the experience was somewhat unearthly, there were practical aspects as well. While on stage, Partridge thought about how glad she was she had shaved that morning and remembered to bring her toothbrush to the theater. She also had to constantly remind herself to just breathe.

“Breathing should be simple, but it’s hard to do when the world is listening,” she remarked.

The production was broadcast live all over the world on Sirius Radio.

At the conclusion of her performance, Partridge received a standing ovation from the appreciative audience.

“It was just one of these nights – I hope I get to do something like that again. There was so much adrenaline. My brain was at full throttle. I went for it and really had a lot of fun.”

Even so, she was physically exhausted after the performance. “I was sore – I felt like I’d run a marathon.”

Once Cloud Nine landed, the singer slept for 16 hours straight.

Concerning her career at the Met, Partridge said, “I have to pinch myself all the time. I think, ‘What am I doing here at the Met?’ It’s an amazing educational experience and an incredible place to work. I’m having a great time.”

When she is not in New York or performing at different venues all over the world, Partridge and her husband, Carlos Guillen, make their home in Marietta.

The rising opera star is the daughter of Irvin and Jan Partridge of Lincolnton and the granddaughter of Melvin and Etheridge Partridge, also of Lincolnton, and the late Fortson and Janet Scott.