Trans Music Tuesday: Holden Madagame
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: