Tell us about your journey into opera

I’ve always been a noisy person, even as a kid! I grew up surrounded by and engaging in all kinds of music, and for as long as I remember I have wanted to be part of something bigger, making beautiful things with other people. When I was young this manifested in me wanting to run away and join the circus(!) but when I saw an opera for the first time it really just clicked. To be surrounded by so many incredible artists and craftspeople on all sides, and to be a small part in making these stories come to life … to say that it’s now my job is a dream come true.

What does your role as education artist-in-residence at Scottish Opera involve?

I’m working on several projects at once, supervised by the brilliant team that is the Scottish Opera Education and Outreach department. I’m developing my own initiative The Small Magician; researching and assisting on existing community music initiatives that Scottish Opera already delivers, as well as devising and performing new music education performances for children and young people.

How do you balance main stage performing and your education work?

Like anything, it’s all about balance and keeping an eye on my own inner weather state. Both main stage performing and education/outreach work are very important to my practice. The arts do not exist in a vacuum, and I feel a great responsibility to share what I have been given in terms of accessing my own voice; the opportunity to explore my experience as a person through theatre, imagination, and music. Practically it’s a matter of scheduling and making sure I dedicate time to each part of my practice – and making sure I factor in space for mental and physical wellbeing.

Tell us about The Small Magician

The Small Magician is a vocal education initiative that focuses on providing a safe space to learn about your voice, and explore your voice in the context of self-actualisation, self-care, and recovery from stress and trauma. It draws on my own practice as a performer, traditional vocal pedagogy, free improvisation, current scientific research, and holistic well-being practices like yoga and somatic body-work. People can engage with the initiative using digital workbooks, audio guides, and video guides, and will soon be able to work on elements of The Small Magician in workshops led by myself. My wish is that folk feel empowered to use their voice as an extension of their authentic self, and to revel in the small magic that makes them, and their voice, unique.

What’s one thing you wish audiences knew about the life of an opera singer?

I guess the thing that stands out to me the most is to know that behind every single thing you see on stage, there are usually at least 10 people behind it, and hours and hours of working, waiting, and going back to the drawing board! This is not always as glamorous as the final experience; there are shoes to be broken in, lighting to be fixed, wigs to be glued, makeup and costume to be finessed, musical corners to be ironed out, hours of travel, fittings, rehearsals, warming up, steaming our heads if we’re under the weather, and countless auditions and emails. As opera singers, we are truly the sum of all our parts! ON

The Small Magician is an education resource which will be launched by Scottish Opera to coincide with National Self-Care week, which runs
18-24 November: scottishopera.org.uk/what-s-on

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of Opera Now. Never miss an issue – subscribe today