Opera has always resonated with me. When I was a child it was the mystery genre. What were the singers saying? What was their story? Now that I’ve learned those stories, their passion and emotion speak to me. Opera is the other musical theater; girls dream of playing Eponine or Elphaba one day on broadway. I dream of playing Tosca or Mimi. There’s very little difference except in the audience’s exposure to the stories. I want to take people into my world, to show them the secret storybook of opera. Shows are a portal to another world entirely. When you’re surrounded by state of the art sets and lavish costumes, with an orchestra beneath you and voices singing all around you…there’s nothing else like that. It truly is another world.
Opera can sometimes be a world that not everyone appreciates. And that’s okay. All music has a particular fanbase. When you’ve found the people who most appreciate your performance, it’s all worth it. I’ve performed opera as a Klingon at a Star Trek convention, and never received such joyful, heartfelt applause. Because that was the audience it was meant for. I made my Symphony Hall debut singing a role made famous in the video game world: Maria in the opera “The Dream Oath,” from the game Final Fantasy VI. I sang it for a full house of Final Fantasy fans, and several came up to me later and said they had been moved to tears. They had a personal connection to that music.
It can be difficult as a classical singer to find someone who appreciates the music you perform as much as you do (chances are you’ll know every note of the opera you’re performing due to practice, while the audience will only notice key points in the music) but for the moments when it does happen, it’s worth it. It’s what music is all about, really. It’s beautiful to have found that in performing Star Trek or video game music, and I will continue to deliver performances that speak to those fans.
Nostalgia is a powerful thing, especially in music. It forms the deepest connection for a person to a song. Songs that make you cry every time. Songs that make you feel happy and childlike every time. A video game fan won’t go to an opera, but they might have a deep, personal connection to ONE song sung in the operatic style, in their favorite video game. The soprano solo from Super Smash Bros Brawl main theme, or the Fire Emblem theme, or the Final Fantasy opera. If I can deliver those performance to them, that is the greatest gift I can give them. They will, in that moment, feel the same emotions I do when I hear a singer sing normal opera repertoire!
I think more people have the capacity to enjoy opera than are trying it out. I feel strongly that it is important to expose people to opera so they can decide for themselves that it’s not their cup of tea instead of society telling them. Opera education is very important to me. I started out my opera journey as a kid glued to a young mezzo soprano singing the Habanera with a mischievous look in her eye. I just wondered what on earth she was saying! I want to give other kids that spark of curiousity and enjoyment. Keep them from thinking it’s not cool when they get older. I’m so excited and honored to start my opera career by singing in an opera education program, one run by the opera company I grew up with. It makes my job meaningful to me, and I can only hope my music will become meaningful to others in turn.
Opera can sometimes be a world that not everyone appreciates. And that’s okay. All music has a particular fanbase. When you’ve found the people who most appreciate your performance, it’s all worth it. I’ve performed opera as a Klingon at a Star Trek convention, and never received such joyful, heartfelt applause. Because that was the audience it was meant for. I made my Symphony Hall debut singing a role made famous in the video game world: Maria in the opera “The Dream Oath,” from the game Final Fantasy VI. I sang it for a full house of Final Fantasy fans, and several came up to me later and said they had been moved to tears. They had a personal connection to that music.
It can be difficult as a classical singer to find someone who appreciates the music you perform as much as you do (chances are you’ll know every note of the opera you’re performing due to practice, while the audience will only notice key points in the music) but for the moments when it does happen, it’s worth it. It’s what music is all about, really. It’s beautiful to have found that in performing Star Trek or video game music, and I will continue to deliver performances that speak to those fans.
Nostalgia is a powerful thing, especially in music. It forms the deepest connection for a person to a song. Songs that make you cry every time. Songs that make you feel happy and childlike every time. A video game fan won’t go to an opera, but they might have a deep, personal connection to ONE song sung in the operatic style, in their favorite video game. The soprano solo from Super Smash Bros Brawl main theme, or the Fire Emblem theme, or the Final Fantasy opera. If I can deliver those performance to them, that is the greatest gift I can give them. They will, in that moment, feel the same emotions I do when I hear a singer sing normal opera repertoire!
I think more people have the capacity to enjoy opera than are trying it out. I feel strongly that it is important to expose people to opera so they can decide for themselves that it’s not their cup of tea instead of society telling them. Opera education is very important to me. I started out my opera journey as a kid glued to a young mezzo soprano singing the Habanera with a mischievous look in her eye. I just wondered what on earth she was saying! I want to give other kids that spark of curiousity and enjoyment. Keep them from thinking it’s not cool when they get older. I’m so excited and honored to start my opera career by singing in an opera education program, one run by the opera company I grew up with. It makes my job meaningful to me, and I can only hope my music will become meaningful to others in turn.