Maria Stuarda Programme Book 2022

on the stage. You have to find a balance in it.
It’s not good to overlap a Handel role with bel
canto role. Some people are better at jumping
around. I’ve found as I’ve gotten older and
my voice has gotten bigger, that I need time,
particularly moving back into the baroque, to
get the agility in the voice. My number one tip to
young singers would be to make sure that you
do plan your repertoire and, most importantly,
plan when you’re going to learn it. And look at
a season as a whole and ask is it realistic that
I can actually do all of this. Don’t think too far
ahead. But have a basic plan in place so that
you fit your everyday life around it.
IF YOU WEREN’T AN OPERA SINGER,
WHAT MIGHT YOU HAVE BECOME?
When I was a teenager the other thing I
dreamed about was becoming a showjumper!
Equally challenging, equally difficult. But I
did also dream of becoming the head of a
corporation and leading people and telling them
what to do in my high-heels and power suits.
My parents had their own company. They were
always leading something, moving something
forward and progressing. I always had this idea
that I had to make an impact, do something,
achieve something. I don’t know if achieving
something is necessarily a good thing. I don’t
think life is necessarily about achievements.
I think it’s about experiences. I’d love to do
some coaching and some stuff to do with
leadership. There’s an awful lot you learn from
being a performer, from this lifestyle, that
has something to offer someone who has no
connection with it. Also, I’m fascinated by the
body. I feel I’ve learnt so much about the body
and the micro-things that happen it, I’d love to
impart some of that to other people, too.
IN CONVERSATION WITH
MICHAEL DERVAN
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