A young tenor pours his heart into 'Onegin' Garrett Sorenson continues his rise,this time in the role of romantic poet

For young opera artists, the pitfalls are many and the road to success can be an arduous and circuitous one. Journeyman singers may train for a decade, only to spend months or even years in young-artist programs at major houses without ever setting foot onstage.

Then there's Garrett Sorenson. Less than a year after leaving Texas Tech University, the affable tenor from Lubbock found himself making his New York debut on the Metropolitan Opera's opening night in October 2002 with Renee Fleming.

Sorenson still sounds a little dazed by the experience and incredulous at the catapult launch to his career: ''Dude, my first role that I had lines and got paid for was with Renee Fleming and Marcello Giordani in ''Il Pirata" at the Met! That was a mind-blowing thing. I mean, it was full-on!" he said over the phone recently. ''And then this past year doing 'Otello' with Ben Heppner [at the Met]?! It's been like crazy fun."

Sorenson exudes a guileless spirit and down-home informality, and one can easily imagine the 29-year-old singer relaxing after a performance with a beer and his feet up on the table. But his lack of pretense belies the fact that his superb voice and natural acting ability have brought him to the threshold of a major career.

''God, his voice is just fantastic," said the usually taciturn R. Joseph Barnett, who first heard Sorenson in his role as chairman of the Met's National Council Auditions. ''His voice has broadened, and he's gotten better and better over the last few years."

Boston operagoers will get a chance to judge for themselves when Sorenson makes his local debut Wednesday night as Lenski in Boston Lyric Opera's production of Tchaikovsky's ''Eugene Onegin."

Even with ''The Queen of Spades" gaining ground in recent decades, ''Onegin" remains the most popular of Tchaikovsky's operas. Adapted from Pushkin's novel, it tells the story of the cold and dissolute aristocrat Onegin, who brings grief to the innocent Tania and Onegin's friend Lenski. The tale's elements of czarist Russian upper-class proprieties, romantic tragedy, and fateful foreboding are well suited to Tchaikovsky's blend of vocal intimacy and powerful drama.

The secondary but pivotal role of the impulsive romantic poet appears tailor-made for Sorenson, both in terms of his fluent lyric instrument and his temperament.

''It fits my voice really well," said Sorenson. ''It's not a long role, but emotionally it just gets intense really fast with the ball scene and then Lenski and Onegin having this big fight. . . . It's just fun to sing."

The poet's farewell to life before a duel with Onegin is one of the great lyric outpourings in the tenor repertoire, and music in which a singer can easily go over the top, both vocally and dramatically. It's a delicate balance that Sorenson says he's still striving to find. ''Technique-wise and vocally it's been really easy," he said. ''I have such total access to his feelings, though, that I get too involved and I start to oversing and just start pouring my heart into it."

The most difficult part, he says, was learning Russian. On a recent trip to Australia, the tenor drew baffled stares from vacationers who thought some demented Russian exile was stalking the sands. ''I was tramping up and down the beach with the score in my hand just pounding this stuff into my brain over and over," said Sorenson. ''People thought I was crazy."

Boston Lyric Opera music director Stephen Lord says Lenski is a logical progression from the comprimario bel canto roles such as Arturo in ''Lucia di Lammermoor" that Sorenson has sung to date. The important thing now, Lord said over the phone, is ''keeping the reins on him" as Sorenson gets increasing offers to sing more and heavier repertoire. ''People have talked to him about doing 'Carmen' already," said Lord. ''Lenski is the perfect length so he won't tear his throat when he gets emotional in it."

Lord has a keen interest in Sorenson, having conducted him in one of his first professional stage appearances two years ago in ''Lucia" at Portland Opera Repertory Theatre in Maine. ''I knew right then that I wanted to bring him to Boston because he was so special," he said. ''Apart from the fact that he has a world-class voice, and talent and a brain, the greatest thing about him is his innocence as a person and as a performer. He's genuine, and what you see is what you get."

Sorenson was singing as a baritone and mulling a career as a choir conductor until a teacher at Texas Tech University changed his mind. ''He said, 'I think you're a tenor,' " Sorenson recalled. ''He taught me three arias and sent me off to audition for the Santa Fe Opera summer apprentices." After that first job at Santa Fe, one thing quickly led to another, and Sorenson in 2001 found himself in the Met's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

After ''Onegin," Sorenson will tackle his first Alfredo in ''La Traviata," for Opera Pacific in Orange County, Calif., a role he will bring back to Boston next season. Lord also plans future roles for Sorenson in ''Elixir of Love" and Janacek's ''Jenufa." ''I hope to have him here every season until he gets too expensive for us," he said.

But for now, the tenor is focused entirely on Lenski. A recent relationship breakup of his own makes the singer identify even more closely with Lenski's doomed love for Olga.

''There's definitely that connection," said Sorenson. ''Just last week when I was singing in rehearsals, oh dude, my heart was breaking. I'm sure it will be during the show, too."