“The real truth is Floria Tosca is not that far away from Jill Gardner. I will willingly admit I’ve never murdered anyone, but I’ve sure thought about it,” said the North Carolina-based soprano who portrays the title character. “So all of that is not so far-fetched for me to process. I love the text, and I love really being able to dramatically deliver lines in a way that fleshes it out. In that propensity, this is a character that is very much a part of my own soul.”    —Jill Gardner, Soprano