# Female tenors and other vocal/gender items.



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

There is an interesting article in today's Guardian about how women's voices often can move into the tenor range so why shouldn't they sing there...

http://https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/04/opera-female-singers-tenor-roles-cross-gender

The reference in this article to Holden Madagame, a trans-man singer reminded me of another recent article about Lucia Lucas a baritone trans-woman who will be singing Don Giovanni in the upcoming season of the Tulsa Opera.

http://http://slippedisc.com/2018/02/breakthough-first-us-opera-role-for-a-trans-woman/

This will really put the cat amongst the fachs.


----------



## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I think this topic raises a number of questions. If a woman is going to play Rodolfo or Alfredo would they play the part as a male or female role? A lesbian Traviata with Violetta and Alfreda? Are roles written for a particular voice and should they only be performed by that voice? (If Mendelsohn's violin concerto is performed with a pianist instead of a violinist, is it still Mendelsohn's concerto?) At least the fach fans will get to create a few new fachs to cover these scenarios.

N.


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Once when asked what role she'd most like to play Magda Olivero answered,"Otello".
(Frankly, so would I!)


----------



## sharkeysnight (Oct 19, 2017)

I think people moving across gender divides is always interesting, and of course there are loads of trouser roles in opera already so why not?


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

For some reason I can't bring up those links. "Server not found..."


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Try these...
http://slippedisc.com/2018/02/breakthough-first-us-opera-role-for-a-trans-woman/

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/04/opera-female-singers-tenor-roles-cross-gender


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Thanks. Interesting articles. 

If the voice is right for a role, and you look good in costume, who cares what your gender or gender identity is? The Elizabethan theater did cross-gender casting, and female actors have played Hamlet. Theater is illusion. This has nothing to do with "lesbian Traviatas" or other absurd alterations of existing artistic material. But it could open the door to new operas incorporating LGBTQ themes.


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Two of my very favorite pop singers, Dionne Warwick and Judy Garland, were both smack dab in the tenor range. Both sing huge climaxes no higher than the C above middle C. This was Dione before she smoked for 25 years, too.


----------

