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? However, in the superficially respectable world of Opera, gender seems temptingly bendy at times…
For Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival 2021 Alice staged a “Spoken Word Overture”. At this evening of new experimental opera she laid down a challenge to herself in prose and verse; a pledge to try and overcome her deep, childhood inability to sing…
Two years, one ACE funded DYCP, numerous singing lessons with 6 different practitioners, scripting, composing, rehearsing and furiously attempting to relearn how to play to piano later, this self-confessed outsider in gender, and 51 year old late-starter in opera, returned to Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival 2023 to reveal if she was finally able to hold a note.
“Trans Lady Sings!” is the result of this eccentric endeavour…
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, perhaps this time some actual singing! Contains original music and possibly some foolhardy attempts at the classical repertoire.
