By Alejandra Serna, Florida Grand Opera

From box office to center stage, Cuban soprano Elizabeth Caballero’s path to center stage and her natural talent have made her a local favorite in Miami’s classical music scene. She began her career in opera working at the Florida Grand Opera box office, followed by participation in the FGO Young Artists Studio and acclaimed performances in the company’s productions of La Boheme and Turandot.

Now, she is back home in Miami to sing yet another leading role with the company — Magda in the South Florida premiere of La Rondine, opening at the Adrienne Arsht Center Saturday, January 21, 2012.

A rarely performed Puccini piece, La Rondine is the story of a kept woman who leaves a luxurious life in 1920s Paris in search of true love. Yet, a prediction made in the first act heralds that, like a bird returning to the nest, she will go back to the life she knows.

Caballero performed the role for her European debut in 2008, fell in love with the character and lobbied for Florida Grand Opera to produce it. “In the final act, Magda faces some very real, tough choices,” said Caballero. “Who doesn’t identify with that?”

The blue-eyed songstress is known for a warm, magnetic personality that commands attention and a talent noted by critics nationwide. The New Yorker has described her voice as having “sensuously glowing tones … [and a] legato shaping the music into cogent paragraphs” as well as what South Florida Classical Review called a “lustrous lyric soprano … a model of strong, clean technique and vocal control.” Anticipation builds for this Saturday night, when her high notes will fill the Ziff Ballet Opera House once more.

The opera is sung in Italian with projected translations in English and Spanish. It plays at the Arsht Center from Jan. 21 through Feb. 4. Tickets start as low as $11 and can be purchased online at www.FGO.org <http://www.FGO.org>  or by phone 1800-741-1010 at the FGO Box Office.