Holden Madagame
Holden Madagame (born 1990) is an American (Odawa) opera tenor and trans activist.[1][2][3]
Holden Madagame | |
---|---|
Born | 1990 |
Alma mater | University of Michigan |
Occupation | Opera singer (tenor) |
Years active | 2017– |
Career
Madagame attended the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. While still a mezzo-soprano, he studied under bass-baritone Stephen West.[4]
In 2017, Madagame participated in the Glyndebourne Academy.[5] He has worked for companies including Passaggio Oper, Fulham Opera, Gerhart Hauptmann Theater in Görlitz, and the Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester.[6]
In 2019, he collaborated and starred in Good Country in Austin, Texas, an opera about the life of stagecoach driver Charley Parkhurst (Parkhurst was a transgender man).[1][7]
Film and television
Madagame provided voice-over work for the 2016 film The Florence Foster Jenkins Story.[8]
Activism
Madagame identifies as a trans activist.[2][9] His YouTube channel features videos about various transgender topics.
When participating in the 2021 "Circle of Resilience" concert for Intermountain Opera Bozeman in Bozeman, Montana, Madagame produced a video educating the audience about Two-spirit people.[10]
Personal life
Madagame was born in 1990. He is an Odawa Native American.[10]
Madagame is a non-binary and transmasculine person and identifies as queer.[11] On becoming a tenor, Madagame explained,
He began hormone replacement therapy in 2015, which altered his voice and carried the risk of ruining his professional career as a vocalist. Despite this, Madagame persevered, as the "quality of [his] life and the quality of [his] mental health was so poor that [he] wasn’t singing anyway" prior to transitioning.[12] Regarding his vocal transformation, Madagame stated, "[My voice] is a completely different instrument...I still have a lot of the same abilities [as a mezzo soprano], and I was a good student, and so I know how to practice and I know how to look at technique, but it’s...starting from the ground up."[12]
References
- Cooper, Michael (2019-07-11). "Transgender Opera Singers Find Their Voices". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
- "Good Country | CTX Live Theatre". ctxlivetheatre.com. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- Salazar, David (2019-04-11). "'Good Country' To be Featured During Cohen New Works Festival". OperaWire. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- "Holden Madagame". Operabase. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
- "Holden Madagame: The trans opera singer who went from mezzo soprano to tenor". The Independent. 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
- "5 Groundbreaking Transgender Opera Singers". Opera Wire. 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
- solomon, brin (2019-07-10). "Transphobia Takes Center Stage in New York City Opera's Stonewall". I CARE IF YOU LISTEN. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- "Holden Madagame". Opera-Arias.com. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
- "5 Trans Opera Singers". Alternative Classical. 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- "Celebrating Native American Music in Montana - Intermountain Opera Bozeman's Interim Artistic Director Michael Sakir & Soprano Kirsten Kunkle on 'Circle of Resilience'". Opera Wire. 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
- Kazuko, Gabrielle. "Native American Artists in Opera". Retrieved 2021-08-05.
- https://www.michiganradio.org/people/stateside-staff (2018-03-14). "Registering change: A trans opera singer's risky decision to follow his dreams". Michigan Radio. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
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