Grammy Award-winning opera singer Isabel Leonard chats with Evans about how to approach each role with compassion, what raising a son looks like as a professional performer, and her perspectives on operatic characters both old and new. Hear about why she prefers to be called a “singer” rather than a “soprano” or “mezzo-soprano”—to the point that she can’t wait to see an opera house list her as a tenor in a program!
Show notes
The Damnation of Faust (La damnation de Faust) is a work by 19th-century French composer Hector Berlioz for four solo voices, chorus, children’s chorus, and orchestra based on German Romantic poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust.
Santiago del Estero is a province and city in northern Argentina.
Carlos Gardel was a French Argentine singer notable for his tango compositions and hundreds of recordings of tango pieces.
Loons are aquatic birds found in North America and northern Eurasia.
The Peruvian panpipe (Andean panpipe or siku) is a traditional flute-like instrument associated with music from the Qullasuyu region of the Andean Mountains of South America.
Ella Fitzgerald was one of the best-known American jazz singers of the 20th century.
Frank Sinatra was an American singer and actor who is one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
Fred Astaire was an American dancer, singer, actor, and choreographer most noted for work in film and television.
Gene Kelly was an American actor, dancer, and director known for his lead roles in Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris.
Located near Lincoln Center in New York City, LaGuardia High School is a public magnet high school focusing in the visual and performing arts.
Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano and music pedagogue.
Matthew Epstein is a prominent artistic advisor and artist manager within the opera community.
Der Rosenkavalier is a frequently performed comic opera by German composer Richard Strauss.
A pants role (or trouser role) is a character which is performed by a woman in traditionally masculine clothing. Some examples of these roles include Cherubino from W.A. Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Count Ottavio from Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier.
Dorabella is a principle soprano role from W.A. Mozart’s comic opera Così fan tutte.
Marnie is an opera by contemporary American composer Nico Muhly based on Winston Graham’s 1961 novel by the same name. Notably, Alfred Hitchcock directed a film adaptation of the same novel. Leonard performed the title role in the U.S. premiere of the operatic adaptation at the Metropolitan Opera in 2018.
Coal Mountain is an opera by contemporary American composer Jennifer Higdon surrounding the American Civil War.
The Fach system is a method of categorizing singers’ voices into specific “types.” Not all musicians agree with every aspect of the system, however it is a commonly used tool for understanding the range, weight, and color of a singer’s voice.
Rosina is a principle soprano role in Gioachino Rossini’s comic opera The Barber of Seville. Leonard will perform this role in Cincinnati Opera’s 2021 Summer Festival.
Edith Bers was a member of the voice faculty at The Julliard School.
White Fragility is a book by Robin DiAngelo about systemic racism in the United States.
Trevor Noah is a South African comedian and political commentator known for being the current host of the satirical The Daily Show.
The Hardy Boys is a series of mystery novels for children written under the name Franklin W. Dixon.
Schitt’s Creek is an acclaimed Canadian television sitcom.