John Holiday sings on NBCâs The Voice If the name John Holiday sounds familiar, you might have caught him on season 19 of NBC's The Voice, a vocal competition television series. Next week we will talk more about âthe crossoverâ (when opera singers crossover from opera to other genres); however, today, we are going to focus on an important piece this countertenor (the highest male adult singing voice) performed with Opera Philadelphia in 2017.
I tried my best to wrap my head around these contemporary opera selections. I confess that I still have to be led by the hand - so strong is my preference for classical opera. I felt especially let down by "We Shall Not Be Moved", even though it featured the great countertenor John Holiday, composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, librettist Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and director/choreographer Bill T. Jones.
For me, this was an experiment that ultimately failed as art. On the one hand, I didn't like the pun conflating the old civil rights anthem with one of the more infamous cases of police murder of African Americans. It was not just the painful subject matter ripped from the headlines (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/us/philadelphia-bombing-apology-move.html). The performance itself seemed disjointed and amateurish. The parts - the dance, the voices, the poetry, the stagecraft - never quite fit together to create a satisfying whole. This was not so much a "hybrid opera" as a "choreopoem", like Ntozake Shange's renowned play (and film) "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf". I want to see the entire production to be sure of these first impressions, but why? Firebombings and killings of black people have been as routine in American history as mass shootings are today. I find both hard to take, whether real or imagined.đ
At any rate, here's what I enjoyed when I finally overcame my biases and listened: (1) Julia Bullock singing the "Magnificat" from John Adamsâs oratorio âEl Niñ  o.â (Even though she seems firmly planted in the contemporary and experimental camps, I want to hear Julia Bullock perform traditional bel canto roles.); (2) Nicholas Tamagna, singing "Hymn" from Philip Glassâs âAkhnaten.â (Having fallen for another countertenor, I'd really like to see that production.); and (3) Kiera Duffy performing in Missy Mazzoli's âBreaking the Wavesâ (What a beautiful soprano voice.)
Out of respect for the Listening Club, I dipped my toe in contemporary opera again. I found it somewhat cold and uninviting, but I'll keep trying.đ Â
I tried my best to wrap my head around these contemporary opera selections. I confess that I still have to be led by the hand - so strong is my preference for classical opera. I felt especially let down by "We Shall Not Be Moved", even though it featured the great countertenor John Holiday, composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, librettist Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and director/choreographer Bill T. Jones.
For me, this was an experiment that ultimately failed as art. On the one hand, I didn't like the pun conflating the old civil rights anthem with one of the more infamous cases of police murder of African Americans. It was not just the painful subject matter ripped from the headlines (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/us/philadelphia-bombing-apology-move.html). The performance itself seemed disjointed and amateurish. The parts - the dance, the voices, the poetry, the stagecraft - never quite fit together to create a satisfying whole. This was not so much a "hybrid opera" as a "choreopoem", like Ntozake Shange's renowned play (and film) "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf". I want to see the entire production to be sure of these first impressions, but why? Firebombings and killings of black people have been as routine in American history as mass shootings are today. I find both hard to take, whether real or imagined.đ
At any rate, here's what I enjoyed when I finally overcame my biases and listened: (1) Julia Bullock singing the "Magnificat" from John Adamsâs oratorio âEl Niñ  o.â (Even though she seems firmly planted in the contemporary and experimental camps, I want to hear Julia Bullock perform traditional bel canto roles.); (2) Nicholas Tamagna, singing "Hymn" from Philip Glassâs âAkhnaten.â (Having fallen for another countertenor, I'd really like to see that production.); and (3) Kiera Duffy performing in Missy Mazzoli's âBreaking the Wavesâ (What a beautiful soprano voice.)
Out of respect for the Listening Club, I dipped my toe in contemporary opera again. I found it somewhat cold and uninviting, but I'll keep trying.đ Â