The ever fabulous openly trans* classical singer CN Lester talks about vocal androgyny, sharing classical singing videos highlighting high male/androgynous roles and female tenors, baritones and basses:
Before we proceed – I’m not going start with the voices of trans people (that means you have to come back for part two). I thought, rather, to begin with an introduction to the fact that, contrary to what a very foolish society claims, there is no gender binary in the voice. We sing over it all the time. All the time. Do trust me on this – I know whereof I speak. On average the voice of someone who has been through a testosterone-laden puberty will be capable of lower notes than someone who hasn’t – and vice versa. On average. And the size of the chords is only one factor in what gives each each voice its unique flavour.
I think nothing illustrates this fact quite so spectacularly as my classical speciality – the high male/androgynous role. Doesn’t matter what sex or gender you are, so long as you can make a convincing poet/god/hero/prince/musician/knight/page (or look soulful for the religious music) whilst keeping your sound spinning over a broad and shining range.
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And have a lovely long look at the work being done by Vivaldi’s Women - where the talents of female tenors, baritones and basses are celebrated rather than ignored.
Read the full post and watch/listen to the videos on CN’s blog
