Denise continues her conversation with transgender opera singer Breanna Sinclair.  A native of Baltimore, Maryland, and a graduate of CalArts, Breanna received her Masters from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and was the first transwoman of the opera program, under the pedagogy of Ms. Ruby Pleasure. Operatic performances include Carmen, La Calisto, The Old Maid and The Thief, The Magic Flute, L’enfant et les sortilèges, Platée, and West Side Story, as well as Meredith Monk’s Songs of Ascension at REDCAT, and Zachary Sharrin’s Time Bodies at MOCA.

Outside of opera, Sinclairé has enjoyed a variety of performance opportunities with LGBT and other nonprofit organizations throughout the nation — most recently the Gay Men’s Choruses of Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. She made her debut at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Gay Men’s Chorus. Other performances include Americans for the Arts, Washington, D.C. and Toronto Pride Festivals, SF Trans March, Fresh Meat Trans and Queer Arts Festivals, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, LinkedIn’s LGBTQ Employee Resource Group speaker series panel discussion (alongside civil rights leader Cecilia Chung), Janet Mock’s Redefining Realness book tour, and the Transgender Law Center’s SPARK! anniversary celebration.

Breanna also made her debut as a  guest artist for the Gay Men’s Chorus of DC in Durufle’s Requiem performing “Pie Jesu” at Church of the Epiphany. She was among Out magazine’s 2015 “OUT100” list of LGBT heroes. She was the first transwoman to perform the National Anthem at a professional sporting event for the Oakland A’s, SF Giants, and San Francisco Deltas. She made her debut with SF Symphony on December 31, 2018 as the first trans singer to perform with the orchestra.

What You Will Hear

• Feeling comfortable with your instrument/voice
• Singing voice vs speaking voice
• Being a transgender daughter of a pastor 
• Voice training

Quotes

“When people speak, you can fill in the blanks when they are really truly connected to their authentic voices.”

“So basically you are an upright basd with all these high, wonderful tones of a cello.”

Mentioned

Leontyne Price

Nathan Carter

New Shiloh Baptist Church

In anticipation of season 2, Denise sits down with transgender opera singer Breanna Sinclair.  A native of Baltimore, Maryland, and a graduate of CalArts, Breanna received her Masters from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and was the first transwoman of the opera program, under the pedagogy of Ms. Ruby Pleasure. Operatic performances include Carmen, La Calisto, The Old Maid and The Thief, The Magic Flute, L’enfant et les sortilèges, Platée, and West Side Story, as well as Meredith Monk’s Songs of Ascension at REDCAT, and Zachary Sharrin’s Time Bodies at MOCA.

Outside of opera, Sinclairé has enjoyed a variety of performance opportunities with LGBT and other nonprofit organizations throughout the nation — most recently the Gay Men’s Choruses of Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. She made her debut at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Gay Men’s Chorus. Other performances include Americans for the Arts, Washington, D.C. and Toronto Pride Festivals, SF Trans March, Fresh Meat Trans and Queer Arts Festivals, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, LinkedIn’s LGBTQ Employee Resource Group speaker series panel discussion (alongside civil rights leader Cecilia Chung), Janet Mock’s Redefining Realness book tour, and the Transgender Law Center’s SPARK! anniversary celebration.

Breanna also made her debut as a  guest artist for the Gay Men’s Chorus of DC in Durufle’s Requiem performing “Pie Jesu” at Church of the Epiphany. She was among Out magazine’s 2015 “OUT100” list of LGBT heroes. She was the first transwoman to perform the National Anthem at a professional sporting event for the Oakland A’s, SF Giants, and San Francisco Deltas. She made her debut with SF Symphony on December 31, 2018 as the first trans singer to perform with the orchestra.

What You Will Hear

• How Denise and Breanna met
• Breanna’s journey to finding her voice
• How opera found Breanna
• Developing her upper register 
• Breanna’s accomplishments and challenges  in the opera world
• Learning roles and staying ready
• Being homeless and the help of a perfect stranger
• Perseverance and upcoming performances
• Breanna’s hopes for her legacy
• Advice for young transgender people
• How Breanna researches a character

Quotes

“My performance is a message.”

“I find that having a tribe is so essential. People that hold you accountable. Not just accountability, but they remind you of who you are because sometimes we forget.”

“When you are authentic, it come, it shows through your art.”

“Living in your truth is the most beautiful and also exciting thing because when you're living in your truth you are giving room for yourself to evolve.”

“When you, confine yourself to what other people think of you or what people view you as, it puts you in a place of insecurity, and it kind of closes the room for you to grow.”

Continuing the conversation with Baritone, Steven Herring, Denise and Steven delve into the differences between a teacher and a coach and Steven’s love for arts education.  Steven has performed the roles of  Don Pizarro in Beethoven’s Fidelio, Amonasro in Verdi’s Aida, Sacristan in Puccini’s Tosca, Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata, the title role in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Sharpless in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Belcore in Donizetti’sL’Elisir D’amore. Mr. Herring had the distinct pleasure of performing in Jason and Alicia Moran’s WORK SONGS, for the 56th Biennale di Venezia. A recipient of an Olga Forrai Foundation Grant Mr. Herring is also the Director of School and Community Engagement for Bridge Arts Ensemble, an organization of New York-based teaching artists which brings high quality music education to over 50,000 public school students in Upstate New York. As a featured soloist, Mr. Herring’s concert repertoire includes performances of Beethoven Choral Fantasy with The Saint Louis Symphony, Fauré Requiem with Orchestra of Saint Lukes, Peter in Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion with Musica Angelica and The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, Carmina Burana at The John F. Kennedy Center with The CUA Symphony Orchestra, Messiah with The CUA Symphony Orchestra, Mozart Festival with The Juilliard Symphony.

What You Will Hear

• What is the difference between a difference and a coach?
• Sound quality and sound production as a singer
• Steven’s love for arts education and the Living Arts Collaborative and Bridge Arts Ensemble
• Juilliard and the community
• Storytelling
• What Steven would tell his younger self

Quotes

“Son we learn from everyone so always remain open and get the stuff that you need.”-Edward Zambara

“it really is a rite of passage to be able to perform for young, young kids.”

“ the sounds of your throat will never make you a great singer It's what you do below counts.” “Todd Duncan

“Singers must be great poets.”-Todd Duncan

“Trust the process, life continues moving forward.”

Mentioned

≈

LivingArtsCollaborative.com

Instagram Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

The Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts 

LivingArtsCollaborative.com

Instagram Facebook 

Jason and Alicia Hall Moran

Ed Berkely

Ed Zamabara

Marlena Malice

Steven Smith

Micheal Kahn

Marian Seldes

Jason and Alicia Hall Moran

Ed Berkely

Ed Zamabara

Marlena Malice

Steven Smith

Micheal Kahn

Marian Seldes