Opera Lives

About the Book

What makes an opera singer?

And where in the making of a performance is the identity of the singer themselves?

Linda Kitchen goes behind the scenes with prominent voices who have valuable insight about the world of opera, discussing what it means to be a performer, how they got into the profession and how who they are affects how they perform.

Illustrated with photos of the artists in places that lend meaning to their lives by renowned photographer Nobby Clark.

Table of Contents:

• Biographies - La favorite, Donizetti
• Prologue - Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs, Nyman
• Act One ‘Shoving us from the jetty’
• Scene One - Family background
• Scene Two - School days
• Scene Three - Defining moment
• Scene Four - Singing study
• Scene Five - Preparing
• Act Two ‘Carry on – it’s going very well’
• Scene One - The unfolding
• Scene Two - Learning the score
• Scene Three - Warming up
• Scene Four - The feeling of singing
• Act Three ‘No good playing Mime as if you’re Brad Pitt’
• Scene One - Character, text, drama
• Scene Two - Body work
• Scene Three - The essence
• Scene Four - Problems
• Scene Five - Humour
• Intermission - by Thomas Allen
• Act Four ‘Goodies and Baddies’
• Scene One - People around you
• Scene Two - Composers
• Scene Three - Conductors
• Scene Four - Directors
• Scene Five - Designers
• Scene Six - Agents
• Scene Seven - Reviewing reviewers
• Act Five ‘Bowls of sushi on a conveyor belt’
• Scene One - Changing paths
• Scene Two - Legacy
• Scene Three - Family
• Scene Four - Life beyond the job
• Scene Five - The future
• Scene Six - Advice
• Epilogue - Hänsel und Gretel, Humperdinck

About the Author :
Opera Lives has emerged from a career in opera, which began in 1982. Being cast at a young age in soubrette and lyric roles, Linda Kitchen sang at major European opera houses and festivals. She was a soloist at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden during a large part of her career, whilst singing major roles with Welsh National Opera, Opera North, De Nederlandse Opera and other European houses.

In 2004, Linda lost her voice, but she leapt off the stage into directing, teaching and writing. Bringing together voices in this book is the fruit of her journey – from a singer with a flourishing career, a hiatus and a moment of reflection, to her reinvention and a desire to continue to share the world’s great music and its artists with tomorrow’s audience.

Since his prestigious career began with Michael Croft’s National Youth Theatre and Verity Bargate’s Soho Poly Theatre, Nobby Clark has also worked for many UK publications including The Observer, The Guardian, The Times and The Sunday Times. His work has also been commissioned by almost all the major British theatre, opera and ballet companies including the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, English National Opera, Northern Broadsides, Theatre Royal Bath and the Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

Nobby has worked on a wide range of musicals, notably Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express, Cats and Stephen Ward and the award-winning American production of Rent and Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Oliver! He has photographed Dave Allen and Billy Connolly for their live shows and he was the director of Billy Connolly’s World Tour of Australia for television. Nobby has also donated his time and photography in aid of Mencap, Charity Projects, Comic Relief and the Rumanian Angels Trust. His flair and wealth of experiences are far-reaching and have been captured in his photographs in exhibitions and film festivals and in his book on the Rolling Stones, Star F*cker, published by Oberon Books. Nobby has a great understanding of where art sits in the real world, and both he and his work express a direct and candid sincerity.

Review :
"An intriguing and richly-detailed insight into the minds, routines, concerns and joys of being an opera singer. A must-read for all performers." —Martin Duncan, Opera and Theatre Director

"Linda Kitchen has done a great job curating a fascinating insight into the professional lives of some of our best-loved singers and sure to be of interest to a next generation of young artists." —Lynne Dawson, Head of the School of Vocal Studies and Opera, Royal Northern College of Music.