Holden Madagame

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

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

Contents

Career


Madagame attended the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, [4] where he [lower-alpha 1] studied under the bass-baritone Stephen West. [4] [5] Initially trained as a mezzo soprano, he eventually became a tenor after transitioning. [4]

In 2017, Madagame participated in the Glyndebourne Academy. [6] He has worked for companies including Passaggio Oper, Fulham Opera, Gerhart Hauptmann Theater in Görlitz, and the Brandenburgisches Konzertorchester. [7]

In 2019, he collaborated and starred in Good Country in Austin, Texas, an opera about the life of stagecoach driver Charley Parkhurst. [1] [8] [ better source needed ]

Film and television

Madagame provided voice-over work for the 2016 film The Florence Foster Jenkins Story . [9]

Activism

Madagame is a trans activist. [2] [10] 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. [11]

Personal life

Madagame was born in 1990. He is an Odawa Native American. [11]

Madagame is a queer, transmasculine non-binary person. [12] He started hormone replacement therapy in 2015, [5] which had the side effect of altering his voice. [4]

Prior to transitioning Madagame was a mezzo soprano. [13] When considering whether or not to transition, Madagame was initially told that he "wouldn't be able to sing anymore professionally" due to the effects of testosterone on the voice. [13] He eventually contacted a singing teacher at the University of Michigan who suggested that as a result of the changes he might become a tenor, remarking "how exciting is that?" [13] His voice eventually settled into the tenor range, with Madagame remarking that his voice "is a completely different instrument", and that while he was a good student and had a lot of the same abilities, he was still "starting from the ground up". [13]

As of 2021, he resides in Berlin, Germany. [5]

See also

Notes

  1. Madagame uses he/they pronouns. [5] This article uses he/him pronouns for consistency.

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References

  1. 1 2 Cooper, Michael (2019-07-11). "Transgender Opera Singers Find Their Voices". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  2. 1 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. 1 2 3 4 Cooper, Michael (July 11, 2019). "Transgender Opera Singers Find Their Voices". The New York Times . Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Bio - Holden Madagame". Holden Madagame. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  6. "Holden Madagame: The trans opera singer who went from mezzo soprano to tenor". The Independent. 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  7. "5 Groundbreaking Transgender Opera Singers". Opera Wire. 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  8. 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.
  9. "Holden Madagame". Opera-Arias.com. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  10. "5 Trans Opera Singers". Alternative Classical. 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  11. 1 2 "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.
  12. "Did you always feel like a man?". Holden Madagame. August 23, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Moehlman, Lara (March 14, 2018). "Registering change: A trans opera singer's risky decision to follow his dreams". Michigan Radio. Retrieved August 6, 2023.