WAVERLY - Angela M. Brown has been crowned "the future of opera."

Her rich, lustrous soprano is celebrated by critics and opera lovers alike, and her much-heralded Metropolitan Opera performances in Verdi's vocally and emotionally demanding "Aida" have made her worthy of the lofty title, "promising Verdi soprano." She has received ovations from New York and Los Angeles to Paris.

But Brown comes across as far from an opera diva as Aida's bitter rival Amneris is a trusted confidant.

"All those dramatic, intense stories … voices that are ripe for the roles … whew! Girl, there's nothing like a night at the opera," Brown said, laughing. "I want my roles to be second nature, transporting, out-of-body experiences. I love when I'm on autopilot and I can sit back and enjoy my own performance. I'm not saying that because of ego. It's just that I feel so connected to the roles, it's fun for me, and if I'm enjoying myself, maybe the audience is enjoying it, too."

Brown will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Neumann Auditorium at Wartburg College. Her repertoire ranges from classical music to African-American spirituals. The Wartburg Choir will perform two numbers with Brown.

"Opera sure isn't what I thought I'd be doing," the award-winning soprano confesses. "Opera chose me, I didn't choose it. I didn't know I had a classical voice until college."

An Indianapolis native, Brown began singing gospel at age 5 in her grandfather's Baptist church. She also sang in bands and community and musical theater. After high school, she took secretarial training, worked in a hospital and sang on the side until the unexpected death of her younger brother from a viral infection.

Grief and loss spurred Brown to reexamine her life and faith. She enrolled in Oakwood College, a Bible college in Huntsville, Ala., to study music. "I decided I wanted to be a singing evangelist. I started singing classical music because it was required, but I just took to it, everything about it."

With encouragement from her singing coach, Ginger Beazley, Brown met world-famous soprano and coach Virginia Zeani at Indiana University School of Music. Zeani told her "the blood of Verdi courses through your veins," but said if she wanted to be the next Aretha Franklin, go. "You need no more lessons. But if you want to be the best Verdian soprano the world has ever seen, you have to work."

Verdi's works - "Aida," "La Traviata," "Rigoletto," "Falstaff" and "Requiem Mass" - are among the most demanding in opera, especially for sopranos, and Brown chose to work. After graduating from Oakwood, she returned to IU and began training, immersing herself in the language of opera - French, Italian, German - as well as the music and techniques.

"The language is still the daunting part. It's difficult to be believable if you're not a native speaker. Some very American things slip through, but I never stop studying. I never put in 'hours of the day' practicing because it could be nothing one day, five hours the next, whatever is needed," Brown explained.

The soprano won the 1997 Met Opera's National Council Auditions at age 32, and debuted at the Met in 2004. She returned to the Met in 2007 for the season premiere and fall performances of "Aida" and will sing the 2008 spring performances of Amelia (Un Ballo in Maschera). This past summer, she debuted in the role at the National Opera of Paris and has performed operas and recitals across the globe, and she has been praised for her spellbinding performances and "inexhaustible palette of varied colors."

The soprano is studying for her role in "Tosca" and as Lenora in a concert version of "La Forza del Destino." She also has been chosen by the Library of Congress as featured soloist for the national celebration of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln.

"Any role I'm learning, I immerse myself. I put it on in the car and shower," Brown said, laughing. "I don't know why you can learn so much in those two places, the car and the bathroom, but when I put on music during a drive - or in the porcelain library -- there's something about it, you're relaxed, and the music gets in your soul."

Brown also can't resist steering new fans to opera. "I do a program that demystifies it for listeners, 'Opera From My Sista's Point of View.' I talk about arias in today's vernacular."

She moved back to Indianapolis after five years in New York. "My parents are getting up in age, failing in health, and I felt like I needed to come home."

And she got engaged in July. "We haven't set a date yet, but he travels with me sometimes. The Internet is a wonderful thing. I hooked everyone up with Web cam, too, so we can all see each other."

Contact Melody Parker at melody.parker@wcfcourier.com.