Holden Madagame

Holden Madagame (born 1990) is an American (Odawa) opera tenor and trans activist.[1][2][3]

Holden Madagame
Born1990
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
OccupationOpera singer (tenor)
Years active2017–

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]

As of 2021, he resides in Berlin, Germany.

See also

References

  1. Cooper, Michael (2019-07-11). "Transgender Opera Singers Find Their Voices". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  2. "Good Country | CTX Live Theatre". ctxlivetheatre.com. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  3. Salazar, David (2019-04-11). "'Good Country' To be Featured During Cohen New Works Festival". OperaWire. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  4. "Holden Madagame". Operabase. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  5. "Holden Madagame: The trans opera singer who went from mezzo soprano to tenor". The Independent. 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  6. "5 Groundbreaking Transgender Opera Singers". Opera Wire. 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  7. 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.
  8. "Holden Madagame". Opera-Arias.com. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  9. "5 Trans Opera Singers". Alternative Classical. 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  10. "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.
  11. Kazuko, Gabrielle. "Native American Artists in Opera". Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  12. 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. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
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