5 Trans Opera Singers
Get to know five transgender opera singers and hear about their experiences of being trans within the world of classical music and opera. There are also some useful tips for how to be an ally to the trans community as a cis musician. If you enjoy our content, you can support us on Ko-fi, where anyone who feels like it can gift us the price of a coffee with no strings attached. Thank you.
CN Lester
Mezzo-soprano, based in the UK
@cnlester on Twitter / @cn.lester on Instagram
CN Lester is a mezzo-soprano, a researcher, a composer and the author of the book Trans Like Me, which was named as one of the three essential works on trans issues by the New York Times. They are also founder of Transpose, a cross-arts night at the Barbican for promoting the talents of trans and trans-supportive performers.
“One of the reasons I fell in love with opera is because of its rich tradition of gender play and confusion. The possibilities that opera opens to us, as a space both rooted in and outside of real life – a place to dream, a commentary box, an arena in which to voice the unvoiceable - are tremendous gifts.”
Ella Taylor
Soprano, based in the UK
@etaylorsoprano on Twitter and Instagram
Winner of the Second Prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Awards, Ella Taylor is a soprano with a passion for performing contemporary music and works by women and gender non-conforming artists. They were a Young Artist with the National Opera Studio for 2019/20 season, and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where they gained Distinction in MA Performance.
“Progress is slow because you’re fighting against hundreds of years of tradition. People are afraid to speak out because they don’t want to lose any work and they’re afraid of upsetting the wrong people. If cis musicians want to be an ally to the trans community, fight intolerance where you see it. Don’t just ignore it and pretend that it’ll just go away. It’s not up to the minority or oppressed party to educate and enable change all the time. Be brave and take a stand.”
Lucia Lucas
Baritone, based in Germany
@lucialucas.de on Instagram / @lucialucasde on Twitter
Lucia Lucas made history when, in March 2018, it was announced that she would become the first female (transgender) baritone to perform a principal role on an American operatic stage. She was also the first trans singer to perform with English National Opera (in a male role). She would like to see more opportunities for trans singers to play standard roles, as opposed to appearing solely in specialty projects featuring trans or non-gender-specific characters.
“I like female baritones because it reduces the stigma of women having a low voice. I know cis women who didn't sing because they felt their voice was not in a ‘normal’ range. I never envisioned that I could both be myself and do my career. There are people who are not on my side and may never be, but you gravitate towards the people who like you and you try not to worry about the people who don’t.”
Holden Madagame
Tenor, based in Germany
@holden.mad on Instagram / @HMadagame on Twitter
Holden Madagame is an American tenor and a passionate trans activist, forging the way for trans-identified artists to work openly in opera and classical music. He hopes to reach out to both audiences and industry professionals to discuss gender and sexuality whenever possible. Holden was assigned female at birth and trained as a mezzo soprano. In 2019 he did the workshop premiere of Good Country, an opera about the life of transgender stagecoach driver Charley Parkhurst.
“It was absolutely a gamble to take testosterone and hope to have a career singing operatically because the research that I had done said it wasn't possible. That if you start testosterone, your voice will deteriorate, your range will be reduced, the quality of your voice will deteriorate, and you can't sing professionally, But I knew that I had to try. Now I sing as a tenor.”
Baritone, based in New York
@lucas.bouk on Instagram
Lucas Bouk is an American opera singer and actor. Prior to 2021 he lived as Mr Liz and performed as a mezzo soprano. He has physically transitioned with testosterone and now continues his career as a baritone. In June 2019, Lucas became the first openly transgender opera singer in a featured role written for a transgender singer in Stonewall, an opera by Iain Bell and Mark Campbell.
"Prior to COVID, I had no intention of physically transitioning with testosterone. Performing has always been a beautiful escape: a chance to be someone else and to embody a character onstage. I couldn't imagine taking a year off to transition and re-train. COVID gave me that time. In September 2020 I decided to begin my physical transition and started taking low-doses of testosterone. I've been working remotely with my voice teacher throughout the transition and the work has paid off: I debuted as a baritone with On Site Opera in August!"
Hannah Fiddy is a creative entrepreneur, developing new audiences for classical music. She has created and promoted numerous concerts outside of traditional spaces, including warehouses, pubs, clubs, museums, hospitals, prisons and even in Primark. Hannah is also an interviewer, writer and guest lecturer, and runs the Avon Chamber Choir in Bristol. In a past life she founded London Flashmob, producing quirky events from wedding proposals to cultural pranks for up to 1,000 people.
Follow Hannah on Twitter @Hannah_Fiddy.