To celebrate my move to Canada, this week's #transmusictuesday is an amazing Nikkei-Canadian artist! Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 (they/he) is a non-binary transmasc coloratura soprano and the founder of Toronto company Amplified Opera, working to shake up the whitewashed opera world. Their solo show, the Queen in Me, explores gender stereotypes and agency in opera repertoire through the Magic Flute character the Queen of the Night. Check out a trailer here:
This week’s #transmusictuesday artist is Breanna Sinclairé (she/her), a groundbreaking trans woman in opera. Originally categorized as a tenor, she trained her high range all the way up to a gorgeous, warm soprano. One of the things she’s known for is being the first trans singer to perform the USA national anthem at a professional sports game, in 2015. She has also sung on symphonic and opera stages internationally, and is featured in the new documentary short “Tessitura”, about trans classical singers finding their place in a very gendered field. Here’s a lovely recording of her singing “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess:
Today’s featured artist is Holden Madagame! Holden Madagame (he/they) is the first hormonally-transitioned transmasc pro singer I had ever heard of, when the NYT published a 2019 article featuring the stories of 4 trans opera singers. Since going from mezzo to tenor in their 20s, they’ve made waves bringing their nonbinary trans identity and Odawa heritage into the all too cis, white, and traditional opera world. One major milestone is when Madagame starred in the premiere of the opera “Good Country”, a (gorgeous) chamber opera about historical trans man Charley Parkhurst, and one of the first roles specifically written for a transgender voice.
Though he doesn’t have a lot in the way of studio recordings (yet), they can be heard on the album “Wagner by Arrangement” with the Regents Opera Ensemble. He also has years of live and self-produced videos on YouTube, showing how his voice has bloomed since starting T in 2015. These videos were massively helpful to me when I was getting ready to take the leap, and I recommend them to any classical or classical-adjacent singer interested in learning more about T’s effects on the voice! Here’s one of my favorite recent-ish recordings, from 3 years ago:
Since International Non-binary People’s Day was yesterday, I want to shine a special #transmusictuesday spotlight this week on J Harrison Ghee (he/she/they), a groundbreaking singer and actor from the musical theatre world! They were the first non-binary performer to win a Tony in a lead role, and one of the first 2 non-binary Tony winners for performance in general (The other was Alex Newell, who won for a supporting role in Shucked earlier that night).
I was lucky enough to see Ghee live when they starred as Lola in the Kinky Boots tour, and their “Hold Me In Your Heart” stole the entire show. If you like queer representation and top-notch musical theatre belting, go check out J. Harrison Ghee! Here’s the joyful self-discovery anthem “You Coulda Knocked Me Over With A Feather” from their Tony-winning role in the musical Some Like It Hot:
I’ve started a little series on my social media where I highlight a trans musician that inspires me every week, and I figured I may as well cross-post here!
One of the singers I listened to most in the uncertain stage of my voice change, when I was between voices and needed a little reassurance from other singers on T, is Anjimile (he/they). Anjimile is a singer-songwriter with an incredible stylistic range. Their two full-length albums so far, Giver Taker and The King, are both amazing in very different ways. Giver Taker lives in a more wistful, intimate fingerstyle folk zone, while The King is a lot more avant-garde (the a cappella choir opening transitioning into ominous distorted arpeggios gives me chills every time) and explicitly political. Here’s one of my faves from Giver Taker:
Check out Classical Crossover Magazine’s interview with Rose and the other members of REGINA, about their new single “If I Can Dream”!
This summer, I was fortunate to work together with 11 other young classical crossover singers from around the world, to spread a message of joy and hope during COVID-19! Along with my fellow Tre Principesse singers Anastasia Lee and Tatiana Marie, and our other friends including Mireya Derksen, Agne G (former Tre Principesse member, who arranged the lovely harmonies), Diana Marie Paunetto, and more, I sang a cover of “I Believe” by Andrea Bocelli and Katherine Jenkins.
The video has been successful so far, racking up over 2500 total views on our respective YouTube channels and plenty of positive press. It was even featured on July 18’s online Sunshine Concert, presented by Tony Award winner Laura Benanti. Here are some articles with more information on the inspiration for the song, and the process behind the scenes: