Yuriko Kajiya and Jared Matthews, Le Corsaire, June 6, 2013
The Houston Chronicle has a nice interview with former ABT Soloists Jared Matthews and Yuriko Kajiya on life in their new home. The two will dance the leads in the grand classical showpiece Paquita on the mixed rep program that opens Thursday. The two are recently engaged.
Q: How did you become a couple? Did you look across the barre at each other and fall in love?
(They laugh.)
Matthews: We didn’t date right away. During ABT’s Metropolitan Opera season in 2003, I pursued Yuriko. It’s eight shows a week for eight weeks straight; a grueling season. She rejected me. Many times. Finally, I won her over.
Kajiya: On my first day at the Met, he sent me lilies. He didn’t know it was the right flowers to send me because in Japanese my name means “lilies,” so it’s always been my favorite flower. I took it as a sign.