The Washington Post quotes me in today’s paper in an article about Racism in Opera.
I thought I would share with you my full thoughts here:
Racism and oppression are deeply rooted in the American opera world. If we are not capable of acknowledging this, how will we ever attain change? Change isn't easy for most people but we will learn that the more we change the more our hearts will be open and available.
We have to remember that oppression is projection because we project what we feel about ourselves onto others. I try not to take personally the disrespect and mistreatment that I’ve received over the years as an opera singer, because I know that it comes from a deep-rooted toxic disrespect of oneself. So many people in the industry are suffering from massive insecurities and lack of self love. We all wear our insecurities in different ways and it gets projected.
In order to make real change we have to be willing to risk something and hold ourselves accountable for our own participation. This may seem scary but it is so empowering and will lead to what I think we are all looking for, which is generational change. It's simply not enough to say you support a hashtag.
Over the last couple of weeks I've been wondering what the industry is going to do in order to deconstruct the systemic racism that exists in classical music. I realize that most individuals that make up the classical world can't even recognize how they themselves have contributed and/or benefited from oppression and racism in the Arts. We all have the opportunity in these times of isolation to self-reflect and see how we personally have contributed to this mess.
I myself have contributed by not speaking about the oppression I've experienced in my life. Musicians have learned in conservatory that we are supposed to follow our coaches, teachers and administration blindly with little to no questioning. I thought if I was to forge a professional career, it was better to not say anything about the oppression I was experiencing, suck it up and do my best. The only problem is my best was never enough for the United States.
Lauren Michelle as Irina in Kurt Weil’s Lost in the Stars at Washington National Opera
The truth is I am an award winning international opera singer who has only been hired once at an “A” house in the United States. This house was Washington National Opera, who needed a black singer that had the acting ability and large enough voice to fill the role of Irina opposite Eric Owens. I was offered the role with no audition, because the American industry knows me, yet only hires me when it's convenient. In spite of the show getting a lukewarm review by the Washington Post, my portrayal of Irina received stellar accolades.
“When soprano Lauren Michelle, in the guise of the hapless, pregnant Irina, begins the opening verse of ‘Trouble Man,’ the otherwise stentorian rhythms of ‘Lost in the Stars’ suddenly take on a becoming urgency... Michelle manages to evoke all the gentle and heavier sorrows of this 1949 musical drama, set in a racially torn South Africa that contains echoes of the United States’ own history of racial turmoil. Yet her affecting interludes prove to be exceptions in the Washington National Opera’s dramatically inert revival...”
Peter Marks / Washington Post
WNO’s Lost in the Stars backstage at the Kennedy Center. From left to right: John DeMain (Conductor), Manu Kumasi (Absalom Kumalo), Tazewell Thompson (Director), Eric Owens (Stephen Kumalo), Renee Fleming, Lauren Michelle (Irina)
I remember Renee Fleming waiting outside the dressing room to greet me with some of the best compliments I have received in my career. So much was put into that role, it was beautiful to see that the hard work was paying off. The time that was spent crafting that role was tremendous and I didn’t stop with just preparation. I generously made myself available for talks and outreach performances. Strangely, with so much participation and generosity from my end, the only interaction I had with Francesca Zambello, WNO’s Artistic Director, was when she noticed me chatting with one of her top donors at opening night. Mrs Zambello inserted herself into the conversation just in time to hear the donor ask me when I was returning.
UPDATE: Washington National Opera has yet to hire me back.
I have gone on to sing at Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, and was to make spectacular “A” house debuts in my dream role, Violetta, this season at La Fenice. The truth is I am not often hired in the States, not based on my ability but because of the color of my skin.
I'm always going to work because I make a way for myself. The essence of my being sings so no one and nothing will ever be able to take that away from me. Therefore I am not scared of the threats that have and will come. I am not even scared of the American opera world wanting to close in on me because I am speaking out against the racism that exists in opera. The fact is, I know the value I bring to a production. Just like Washington National Opera knew.
I would like to see the classical world look in the mirror and see how you have personally participated and continue to profit from systemic racism in the classical world.
Whether you're a general director of a company, conductor, administrator or singer, ask yourself “how have I personally participated and/or continue to profit from systemic racism”. I know that it might be scary, but if we can't see how we participate in this system, then how can we ever imagine change? How can we ever imagine a better future? I believe in my heart and soul that classical music heals and opera is for everyone.
There is real work that needs to be done in the classical music community that is based around mental health and well-being. Low self-esteem and lack of love for yourself is what enables someone to oppress another. But I could be wrong, and if I am then it will be very easy for the classical world to hire black people in administrative and executive positions. When the curtains finally rise, real change will be easy, and met with no resistance.