Opera not that ‘far out there,’ singer says
Opera singer Jeanine Williams shares her journey through music
“I always sang.
“My parents say that when I was a baby, I’d be crying and they ’d put Shania Twain on and I’d stop crying and kind of babble along with it. So I think music was always a big part of my life. I’d always say ‘Mom, I want to take singing lessons. Mom, I want to take singing lessons,’ so when I was about 10, I finally took singing lessons. And pretty much as soon as you start studying in voice, privately, they push you toward more classical music, with art song — when you sing as a classical singer, you’ll be singing oratorio, choral works, opera and art song. Art song is individual poems set to music. It’s not within the context of a show; it’s not staged or costumed.
“So we began with some art song and musical theatre, and I really liked musical theatre. In Grade 10, I transferred to a fine arts high school in Calgary. It was a musical theatre program — I always tell people musical theatre is the gateway drug to opera. And I was taking voice lessons on the side, and it just started being more and more classical music, and then when I chose to do a degree in music, I started doing fully staged operas, and sort of never looked back. I love it so much.
“What is it about singing? I had an interesting conversation about that with friends recently, all of us master’s students. It starts with being good at it, and as a kid you want to be good at something. But at this level, there has to be something that keeps you coming back. There were probably five of us, and we all had a different reason. And I feel that singing is, in its union between music and text and drama, an opportunity to share the absolute range of human emotion. I love that music and singing provides a sound to go with an emotion. So I feel it’s an emotionally cathartic experience for the singer, and ideally for the audience. It means a lot to me to share and to process emotions in a healthy way, and in a beautiful way.
“When I started performing operas, people were like ‘You’re an opera singer? I didn’t know that still existed. That’s so cool.’ And I found that hilarious, because all my friends are opera singers, from coast to coast. You get in this little opera-singer niche with your blinders on, and you forget that to so many people it’s a novelty.
“I also minored in psychology, so I’m interested in music therapy as well, but I kept saying as long as I’m getting opportunities in singing, I’m going to keep doing it.
“I’m also really passionate about Canadian music and women in music, so I’m doing a women-inmusic-themed recital — an hour of solo music — for my final performance as a student, including two Canadian sets by female composers: Kelly-Marie Murphy ’s Winter Songs, and Floris Clark McLaren, and in the other some Jean Coulthard pieces.
“Women in music are very under-represented, especially in classical music because so much of it is a long, historic practice. It’s important to me to find those women who really pushed against the grain to make their music. I think it’s important when women say ‘This is something I want to do at a professional level.’ And the same thing with Canadian music — we’re under-represented because we’re a newer country, so any opportunity to get into the scene means something to me.
“Opera is a very global community, because it’s smaller than the popular music communities. As an opera singer, you’re constantly flying around the world. You’re always on the move, and I feel it’s important to know where you came from and have that connection to your country and your nationality. I’m going abroad for a year, in Austria. I wanted to get overseas to start doing the auditions and competitions that have a bit more money and a little more recognition, but I want to represent the Canadian tradition.
“As I said before, I think people find opera a novelty, but if you actually go see an opera, it’s very relatable and enjoyable, and not as far out there as you would think, especially the way that Canada, and France, are handling it right now. It’s very much about renewing it and putting it in a contemporary lens. For example, last year’s UOttawa’s production of Carmen was set in 2020, post-Brexit, a very interesting production concept. I
was singing Micaëla, who is normally this nice little church-mouse coming to visit Don José, but in our production she was a Canadian backpacker making her way through Europe on a gap year after finishing high school.
“So opera is much more relatable than people think, and the human voice is so communicative and therapeutic, it’s so powerful. I strongly believe that if people are exposed to opera, they will enjoy it.”
Singing is, in its union between music and text and drama, an opportunity to share the absolute range of human emotion.