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| Alice d’Lumiere’s Trans Lady Sings |
Gender can seem remarkably fluid, at times, in opera despite the apparent restrictions of vocal physiology. To a long tradition of female mezzo-sopranos in trousers and tenors in frocks, we are now adding the emergence of trans opera singers such as baritone Lucia Lucas and tenor Holden Madagame (who was Mime in Regents Opera’s recent Siegfried, see Holden’s article on Planet Hugill).
To gender-fluid spoken word artist, Alice d’Lumiere, classical music has always seemed terrifyingly stratified: Soprano, Contralto, Tenor, Bass; is the role you play always ordained by the limits of your vocal physiology?
For Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival 2021 Alice staged a Spoken Word Overture, an evening of experimental opera where she laid down a challenge to herself in prose and verse to overcome her deep, childhood inability to sing. Two years and numerous singing lessons later, this self-confessed outsider in gender, and 50+ late-starter in opera, returned to Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival 2023 to reveal if she was finally able to hold a note…
Now Alice d’Lumiere’s show, Trans Lady Sings is returning to London for two performances on 15 and 22 June 2024 as part of the Wandsworth Arts Fringe, at the National Opera Studio – so no pressure there!
Alice describes the show thus, “Themes of vocal identity, gender fluidity, life-long learning and the individual’s need for self-expression are humorously explored by a beguiling communicator in a 90 minute show; combining prose, verse, comedy, a dash of performance art and yes, some actual singing! Contains original music and possibly some foolhardy attempts at the classical repertoire…”
Full details from the Wandsworth Arts Fringe website.
