Podcast appearances and mentions of Lucia Lucas

For many artists there are barriers that go much deeper than the gender binary, but how can we ensure people of every gender have real access and are genuinely welcomed in the opera world?  Trailblazing American baritone Lucia Lucas reveals the highs and lows of inhabiting a role close to her heart; Lili Elbe at the Theater St. Gallen, about the eponymous painter who was the first person to have gender confirmation surgery in the 1930s.  Meanwhile, Spanish director, designer and visual artist Marta Pazos explores the world of intersexuality through her production of Alexina B at the Gran Teatre del Liceu In Barcelona; she shares how she brought the story of Herculine Barbin vividly to life.   Additional voiceovers by Celia Grau  Translation supervised by Joan Soley    View the OperaVision website here   Watch now on Opera Vision Lili Elbe by composer Tobias Picker & librettist Aryeh Lev Stollman Oper Frankfurt documentary From Studio to Stage Il Viaggio a Reims (Rossini), Rossini Opera Festival Accademia Rossiniana Masterclass with Sarah Connolly   More here about Alexina B   Music extracts Introduction and closing from Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Mozart): Overture All other extracts from Lili Elbe Theater St. Gallen featuring baritone Lucia Lucas, soprano Sylvia D'Eramo and bass Msimelelo Mbali  

The Atlanta Opera welcomed summer with a truly unique festival featuring the soul-searching, identity-defining chamber opera As One. The performances touched audiences and brought them into the journey of the trans experience that was poignant and uplifting. Baritone and As One cast member Lucia Lucas joined host Erik Teague back in March to talk about being a proud "Heldenbaritonisten" and the finer points of being a trans woman in the opera world, and we are thrilled to bring this interview back for this week! Come As You Are explores the intersection of the careers of arts professionals and their identities across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. In each episode, costume designer, trans man, and host Erik Teague discusses the complex narratives, unique challenges, and beautiful stories of a guest's journey through their discipline and their identity. So grab yourself a cup and join us for a good story!

On todays episode, we interview world renown baritone singer, Lucia Lucas. We talk with her about her life, how she got into opera, studying french horn, and how being a transgender opera singer has added more depth to her portrayals of some of the greatest villains such as Don Giovanni. She also has some inspiring words for anyone feeling like they can't be their true selves and the freedom they will have once they have had personal acceptance first. Guest:Lucia LucasPersonal Links:Personal Website - www.lucialucas.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lucialucas.deTwitter - https://twitter.com/lucialucasdeInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lucialucas.de/ Hosts: William F. Montgomery - www.williammontgomerycomposer.com Hillary Lester - www.thehealthymusiciansite.com Special Guest:Abigail Montgomery Become a Patreon:Patreon Link - https://www.patreon.com/soundsoftheworldpodcast Links for social media: Website – www.soundsoftheworldpodcast.com Host site link - https://redcircle.com/shows/sounds-of-the-world Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/soundsoftheworldpodcast Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/soundsoftheworldpodcast Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sounds-of-the-world/id1532113091YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsaZzOWvr_VaPQ_6_sB3OowTwitter - @SoundsoftheWTik Tok - @soundsofdaworldpodcast © Sounds of the World Podcast 2022Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sounds-of-the-world/donations

Erik interviews Lucia Lucas, self-described international Heldenbaritonisten. Lucia sings all over the world and is known especially in the US for her portrayal of the title role in Tulsa Opera's Don Giovanni. Her performance was explored in the 2020 film "The Sound of Identity." In this week's episode Erik talks with Lucia about her creative process and her upcoming role in As One at The Atlanta Opera.

On this week's episode, Lindsey Deaton sits down with trailbazing transgender baritone Opera singer Lucia Lucas. They discuss Lucia's mid-career transition and her concerns that it might derail the progress she had made in the up to that point in the opera world. Lucia also talks about her openness to appear on stage as male for certain roles, as well as her hopes and dreams for the future, not just for herself, but also for other transgender people coming out and thriving in the Opera world. This show is hosted by Lindsey Deaton. This show was engineered and edited by Meika Grimm. Logo created by Jack Grimm. This show is produced by Katherine Spiers. Sponsorship information and guest info can be found at transdialogues.com. This is a TableCakes podcast. To support this podcast, and others on their network, check out their Patreon page.

Hörspiel von und mit der amerikanischen Transgender-Opernsängerin Lucia Lucas über Authentizität und Rolle.

A year-and-a-half into the pandemic, Christina, Bryan, and Rumaan look back at all the times we did not get to share our milestones -- good, bad, or just big -- with other queers. If a queer comes out in the forest where no one can hear them are they still queer? Yes, but perhaps less joyfully than if they had been in community. The hosts then speak with Lucia Lucas, the first female baritone to perform a principal opera role on the American stage as Don Giovanni. Items discussed on the show: A recent assault at Nellie's gay bar in DC draws protests. Richard Branson wore a rainbow ribbon during his space flight. Breakthrough COVID infections strike Provincetown. The Sound of Identity, a documentary about Lucia Lucas's appearance as Don Giovanni. Gay Agenda Bryan: director's cut of Studio 54 Christina: How Twitter Can Ruin a Life by Emily VanDerWerff Rumaan: two wistful and sexy short stories read by author Douglas Stuart on The Writer's Voice podcast. This podcast was produced by Katya Kumkova. Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A year-and-a-half into the pandemic, Christina, Bryan, and Rumaan look back at all the times we did not get to share our milestones -- good, bad, or just big -- with other queers. If a queer comes out in the forest where no one can hear them are they still queer? Yes, but perhaps less joyfully than if they had been in community. The hosts then speak with Lucia Lucas, the first female baritone to perform a principal opera role on the American stage as Don Giovanni. Items discussed on the show: A recent assault at Nellie's gay bar in DC draws protests. Richard Branson wore a rainbow ribbon during his space flight. Breakthrough COVID infections strike Provincetown. The Sound of Identity, a documentary about Lucia Lucas's appearance as Don Giovanni. Gay Agenda Bryan: director's cut of Studio 54 Christina: How Twitter Can Ruin a Life by Emily VanDerWerff Rumaan: two wistful and sexy short stories read by author Douglas Stuart on The Writer's Voice podcast. This podcast was produced by Katya Kumkova. Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A year-and-a-half into the pandemic, Christina, Bryan, and Rumaan look back at all the times we did not get to share our milestones -- good, bad, or just big -- with other queers. If a queer comes out in the forest where no one can hear them are they still queer? Yes, but perhaps less joyfully than if they had been in community. The hosts then speak with Lucia Lucas, the first female baritone to perform a principal opera role on the American stage as Don Giovanni. Items discussed on the show: A recent assault at Nellie's gay bar in DC draws protests. Richard Branson wore a rainbow ribbon during his space flight. Breakthrough COVID infections strike Provincetown. The Sound of Identity, a documentary about Lucia Lucas's appearance as Don Giovanni. Gay Agenda Bryan: director's cut of Studio 54 Christina: How Twitter Can Ruin a Life by Emily VanDerWerff Rumaan: two wistful and sexy short stories read by author Douglas Stuart on The Writer's Voice podcast. This podcast was produced by Katya Kumkova. Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lucia Lucas is a baritone who made her U.S. debut in 2019 at Tulsa Opera as Don Giovanni.

Jeanne Veillette Bowerman talks with opera singer, Lucia Lucas, and The Sound of Identity's director, James Kicklighter. Lucia shares her experiences being the subject of a doc, the first transgender opera singer to take on a lead role, and a peek behind the curtain of the world of opera. Together with James, they explore all aspects of an artists life—realities not often discussed, like money, relationships, and film festival challenges for LGBTQ+ films.Whether you're an opera lover or not, this is an episode full of important details of living an authentic artistic life. Oh, and there's this weird, little-known German law ...  Where's Sadie Dean you ask? Find out what kept her busy in the show's intro. All OG Pipeline Artists podcasts can be found on pipelineartists.com/listen.Resources from this episode:Lucia Lucas interview in Opera NewsTwitter: @lucialucasdeInterview of James Kicklighter on Pipeline ArtistsTwitter: @jameskickThe Sound of Identity WebsiteThe Sound of Identity on HuluFollow us on Twitter:@recklesscr8tive@SadieKDean@jeannevb@pipelineartists@scriptmag

It's important to know the stakes, the professional and personal.We've got a really interesting story on this episode as we look at the film 'The Sound of Identity' and take a look in the world of opera that is more then a little surprising.In the spotlight of global media coverage, the first transgender woman ever to perform as Don Giovanni in a professional opera, makes her historic debut in one of the reddest states in the U.S.We got the unique pleasure to sit down with director James Kicklighter to talk about this story and his subject; Lucia Lucas as this wasn't a story about transitioning or making any kind of cultural statement but it was one about artistry and laying yourself bare for the work and the chance to succeed.We talked with James about this, giving the film a very big feel, getting to know the "Opera Town" that is Tulsa, Oklahoma (I couldn't believe it either) and so very much more...

Not everyone who is trans wants to change their voice. Some do. Either way, what does the voice - the actual voice - of trans and non-binary people tell you about who they are? Today, you’ll meet a trans woman whose work adapting her voice led her to help others. Also, hear from a transfemme non-binary yoga teacher who uses Vedic Chanting to feel centered, and to feel closer to their voice. You’ll hear from members of a choir in the bay area that is exclusively for singers who self-identify as transgender, intersex, or gender-queer. And you’ll get to know Lucia Lucas. She's the first female baritone to perform a principal role on an American operatic stage, and she happens to be trans. Photo: Patrick Fore - Unsplash / Illustration by Chion Wolf Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The American-born, German-based Baritone chose the moment carefully, knowing it could be the end of an operatic career. With an impeccably made-up face and full-length ball gown, and accompanied by a Marlene Dietrich-styled wife, Lucia Lucas attended the company ball where she was an Ensemble member at the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe. This signalled the beginning of her social transition. Lucia has gone on to be the first female transgender Baritone to perform a principal role on an American operatic stage with her Don Giovanni at Tulsa Opera, and her career has continued to go from strength to strength, bringing her to the UK to play Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld at English National Opera and with some incredibly exciting roles and venues to follow in – Covid-depending - the near future.  Lucia is living proof that being trans is not - and should not be - a hindrance to being hired. Don't miss her extraordinary story. 

Lucia Lucas is an operatic baritone based in Germany. She was the first trans singer to sing a principal role on a US stage when she played the title role in Don Giovanni at Tulsa Opera. Her experience in that production is the subject of a new documentary called "The Sound of Identity". Lucia talks about with Denis about opera, her training, her work ethic and her unique path to becoming a professional singer.Lucia Lucas:Website: lucialucas.deInstagram: @lucialucas.de"The Sound of Identity" Documentary: thesoundofidentity.comPhoto: Josh NewDenis:Website: denislambertonline.comInstagram: @denis_e_lambertPodcast: Website: thevoraciousstudent.comInstagram: @thevoraciousstudentFacebook: /thevoraciousstudent

Today we get to discuss gender and art with Lucia Lucas, the first openly trans singer to perform a lead role in an opera in America. You do not want to miss this episode! You can find out more about Lucia on: Twitter: @lucialucasde Website: www.lucialucas.de YouTube: PostApocalypticCreatives You can find us on: Twitter: @yeahbuttpod Instagram: @yeahbuttpod and @thegaborium Website: www.TheGaborium.com You can tip us at: Paypal.me/VivienGabor, or Venmo/CashApp @VivienGabor Please send all questions, comments, and freak-outs to: yeah.butt.podcast@gmail.com Thanks for listening!

Jennifer Williams interviews baritone and transgender activist Lucia Lucas. Hailed as “one of the most powerful and beautiful baritone voices you can hear,” American baritone Lucia Lucas is making waves on operatic stages internationally, with recent performances in Berlin, Torino, London, Dublin, Brussels, Korea, and the United States. She is the first transgender baritone to perform a principal operatic role in the United States and the first transgender baritone to appear with the English National Opera. She was slated to make her Metropolitan Opera debut this 2020-21 season, which, at the time of this recording, has been canceled due to the pandemic. We discuss her experience launching an international performance career while transitioning, her take on some of opera’s notoriously toxic masculine roles, and blueprints for how the arts can create more inclusive spaces for future generations of transgender artists. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Lucia Lucas talks about her history-making opera career. Her performance in the title role of Don Giovanni made her the first known trans person in the U.S. to perform a principal role in an opera, and is documented in the documentary, The Sound of Identity. LGBTQ&A is hosted by Jeffrey Masters and produced by The Advocate magazine, in partnership with GLAAD. @lgbtqpod We want to hear from YOU! Please take 2-3 minutes to fill out our (short!) listener survey: bit.ly/lgbtqpodsurvey

Lucia Lucas is an opera star on the rise, having sung on major stages all over the world, including Italy, England, Korea and Germany, where she currently resides. In 2019 she made her U.S. opera debut in “Don Giovanni” at Tulsa Opera. What made her well-reviewed performance historic is that Lucia sang the title role, becoming the first trans woman to play a leading part on an American operatic stage. She continues to impress audiences with the same powerful and warm baritone she trained and developed when she presented as male. When Theater Magdeburg in Germany cast her as Wotan, the king of the gods in Wagner’s “Die Walküre” and one of the plummest and most challenging roles for any dramatic baritone, Lucia did not fail to impress. The newspaper Volkstimme praised her for her “powerfully clear singing” and “dramatically intense Wotan.”   In this interview with Pier Carlo Talenti, she explains how her focused commitment to her craft and career has kept her on a path of excellence that continues to open doors not only for her but hopefully also for the next generation of diverse and singular operatic talents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nAizLLPT80 https://tulsaopera.com/2020/06/lucia-lucas-sings-pieta-rispetto-amore-from-macbeth/

Lucia Lucas is an opera star on the rise, having sung on major stages all over the world, including Italy, England, Korea and Germany, where she currently resides. In 2019 she made her U.S. opera debut in “Don Giovanni” at Tulsa Opera. What made her well-reviewed performance historic is that Lucia sang the title role, becoming the first trans woman to play a leading part on an American operatic stage. She continues to impress audiences with the same powerful and warm baritone she trained and developed when she presented as male. When Theater Magdeburg in Germany cast her as Wotan, the king of the gods in Wagner’s “Die Walküre” and one of the plummest and most challenging roles for any dramatic baritone, Lucia did not fail to impress. The newspaper Volkstimme praised her for her “powerfully clear singing” and “dramatically intense Wotan.”   In this interview with Pier Carlo Talenti, she explains how her focused commitment to her craft and career has kept her on a path of excellence that continues to open doors not only for her but hopefully also for the next generation of diverse and singular operatic talents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nAizLLPT80 https://tulsaopera.com/2020/06/lucia-lucas-sings-pieta-rispetto-amore-from-macbeth/

Lucia Lucas is an opera star on the rise, having sung on major stages all over the world, including Italy, England, Korea and Germany, where she currently resides. In 2019 she made her U.S. opera debut in “Don Giovanni” at Tulsa Opera. What made her well-reviewed performance historic is that Lucia sang the title role, becoming the first trans woman to play a leading part on an American operatic stage. She continues to impress audiences with the same powerful and warm baritone she trained and developed when she presented as male. When Theater Magdeburg in Germany cast her as Wotan, the king of the gods in Wagner’s “Die Walküre” and one of the plummest and most challenging roles for any dramatic baritone, Lucia did not fail to impress. The newspaper Volkstimme praised her for her “powerfully clear singing” and “dramatically intense Wotan.”   In this interview with Pier Carlo Talenti, she explains how her focused commitment to her craft and career has kept her on a path of excellence that continues to open doors not only for her but hopefully also for the next generation of diverse and singular operatic talents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nAizLLPT80 https://tulsaopera.com/2020/06/lucia-lucas-sings-pieta-rispetto-amore-from-macbeth/

We sit down (digitally) with Dana Kaufman, Tom Swift, Ariana Lucas and Lucia Lucas, the creative team behind Exotic V. Baskin, to talk finsing opera in pop culture, the process of… The post Scapi Radio 06.01.20 Exotic v. Baskin appeared first on Scapi Magazine.

The spread of the Coronavirus is disrupting studies for college students worldwide. As many as 45% of U.S. college students are food insecure, but some face a stigma that makes it hard for them to seek help. UNC trustees approve the creaction of an Asian-American Center. There's a growing trend of college students running for public office. Students protest a planned campus appearance by "Food Babe" blogger Vani Hari. Acclaimed opera singer Lucia Lucas, a powerful voice for transgender rights, appears in Chapel Hill.

Elliot Franks, Lucia Lucas and Breanna Sinclairé are transgender opera singers navigating an industry that has been slow to evolve with the times.

Clive Anderson and Arthur Smith are joined by Patricia Cornwell, Lucia Lucas, Daisy May & Charlie Cooper and Tracie Bennett for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Nine Below Zero and Josin. Producer: Sukey Firth

Elliot Franks, Lucia Lucas and Breanna Sinclairé have taken enormous risks to live their most authentic lives. And they’ve navigated an industry that has been slow to evolve with the times.

It wasn’t easy for Elton John to get producers to keep all the scenes in his new fantasy-biopic, “Rocketman.” He was determined that the Paramount film not gloss over his sexuality or past drug use. Despite his efforts, Russia’s version appears to be missing about five minutes-worth of footage. . Also, we meet the American singer who teaches Italian kids how to sing like Beyoncé; plus the story of how Lucia Lucas became the first transgender person to sing a lead part in a standard operatic work in the US; why Lincoln, Nebraska is a great place to hear traditional Yazidi music; and Filipina-American musician Ruby Ibarra tells her family story with rap. (Elton John (R) and David Furnish attend the "Rocketman" UK Premiere at Odeon Leicester Square in London, United Kingdom. Credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

The OBS team goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with American baritone Lucia Lucas. She sang the title role in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” at Tulsa Opera last month... Weston ‘Crunches the Numbers’, critiquing the Royal Opera House’s upcoming season against the Dodson Scale™... In the ‘Two Minute Drill', the Met bails on producing a complex show and the Holland Festival in Amsterdam *doesn’t* bail on producing a complex show... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

This is part 2 of my interview with the wonderful Baritone, Lucia Lucas. Enjoy! 

On today's two-part episode, Baritone Lucia Lucas stops by to discuss everything from working in Germany vs. America, her french horn roots, single use plastic and how she has navigated coming out and transitioning as a trans woman in the opera world...We really caught everything in this interview! 

Join Sam and Tim for more classical pod treats. In their latest episode they discuss an Arthurian legend, Estonian choral music and the new album from pianist Vanessa Wagner. PLUS Tim talks to Apollo5 founding member Clare Stewart about their latest album ‘O Radiant Dawn'. Music Credits: Eric Satie, Gymnopedie 1 performed by Brandon J. Acker Tchaikovsky, ‘Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet with ‘Hey Jude' by Lennon & McCartney, performed by Timmy Fisher Eric Satie, Gymnopedie 1 performed by Timmy Fisher Thomas Tallis, Te lucis ante terminum, performed live by The Gesualdo Six Coldplay ‘Clocks' with ‘Hey Jude' by Lennon & McCartney, performed by Sam Poppleton & Timmy Fisher Moondog, ‘Für Fritz' (Chaconne in A Minor) performed by Vanessa Wagner Fraser Wilson, ‘Wishes' performed by Apollo5 for the album ‘O Radiant Dawn' Follow us here: instagram.com/classicalpod/ twitter.com/ClassicalPod facebook.com/ClassicalPod/ Read about Music for Dementia 2020: https://www.musicfordementia2020.com/ Gesualdo Six's website: http://www.thegesualdosix.co.uk/ Lucia Lucas' review in Tulsa World: https://www.tulsaworld.com/entertainment/review-tulsa-opera-s-don-giovanni-delivers-a-unique-take/ Concert programme for ‘Blossomings' at the Estonian Music Days Festival: https://www.worldmusicdays2019.ee/en/event/blossomings/Stream and order Vanessa Wagner's ‘Inland' here: https://idol.lnk.to/Inland Pre-oder Apollo5's ‘O Radient Dawn' here: https://orcd.co/oradiantdawn

Lucia Lucas sweeps across a noisy diner in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at 9 a.m. on a Saturday wearing a calf-length, black brocade frock coat and a bright, lipsticked smile.Most opera singers in her position would be resting up the morning after a big debut. But not Lucas.“Last night was super weird,” she said, tucking into a plate of chicken fried steak and eggs. “There were so many things going on all at once.” When Lucia Lucas stepped into the role of Don Giovanni, she became the first transgender person to sing a lead part in a standard operatic work in the US. Credit: Emily Steward The 38-year-old, Germany-based baritone just made her debut as Don Giovanni with the Tulsa Opera, becoming the first transgender person to sing a lead role in a standard operatic work in the US.Related: A US transgender activist is stuck in Sweden. The UN wants to investigate.The New York Times sent a reporter. The Metropolitan Opera sent a casting representative. Lucas had a documentary crew following her around. And her dad, whom she hadn't seen for a decade, flew in specially for the occasion.“There was a lot of pressure to sing well,” Lucas said.Lucas says she'd been wrestling with questions about her gender identity since she was a kid growing up in Northern California.“My mom caught me with makeup,” she said of her formative years. “My dad found my stash of girl's clothes.”It was a difficult time.Related: 'Transgender women are women,' organizers say after controversy over women-only pond in LondonShe nearly came out at college. But her career was starting to blossom, and she fell in love with a fellow opera singer — a woman. They got married (and are still together today). So, Lucas put the decision off. Transgender opera singer Lucia Lucas moved to Germany in 2009. Her wife followed two years later. Lucas says they headed for Europe because there was more opportunity there. Credit: Josh New “I guess I just sort of thought maybe I can have this normal life,” Lucas said.Lucas moved to Germany in 2009. Her wife followed two years later. Lucas says they headed for Europe because there was more opportunity there.“It's really difficult to make a career in opera in the US,” she said. “But in Germany, there's 80-plus full-time theaters.”Lucas continued to present as a man publicly. But she says she kept a drawerful of “inside clothes” at home, and she and her wife sometimes talked about her gender identity.She was close to five years into a steady, salaried job as a singer with the highly regarded Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe when she finally decided she had to come out.“There's so many people that would love to be a working artist where they make at least enough money to live and continue doing their art full time. But it wasn't fulfilling for me.”Lucia Lucas“There's so many people that would love to be a working artist where they make at least enough money to live and continue doing their art full time,” Lucas said of her decision to come out. “But it wasn't fulfilling for me.”Lucas chose the Staatstheater's splashy 2014 opera ball for the occasion. She made quite an entrance.“We were startled,” said Jan Linders, the company's deputy general artistic director. “She came fully dressed as a woman, and made it clear that she wanted to be addressed as Lucia from that day on.”Linders says after getting over the initial shock, the company grappled with what to do about their first female baritone.“There were many questions arising,” Linders said. “Where should be her dressing room? Should it be in the ladies or the gentlemen floor? How should she be addressed in program books? How could we convey this private change to directors that would cast her?”Lucas says the opera company ultimately decided not to renew her contract. (The company isn't commenting on that.) So, she threw herself into finding other work. She landed opera gigs with companies across Europe, performed in clubs and bars, and settled on pursuing a freelance career.Opera has a long history of gender play. Female singers have been masquerading as young men and boys in so-called “trouser roles” or “pants roles” for hundreds of years, like Cherubino in Mozart's “The Marriage of Figaro” and Octavian in Strauss' “Der Rosenkavalier.”But professional opportunities for transgender performers have been slow to come about. There are only very few singers currently getting mainstage work at opera houses around the world. The most prominent example, other than Lucas, is the Norwegian mezzo-soprano, Adrian Angelico, who identifies as male.Lucas says the compliments she often gets at auditions don't necessarily translate into contracts. So, she often dons fake facial hair at auditions to prove she can play male characters onstage.“A lot of people are really confused because they have ‘Ms. Lucia Lucas' on their paperwork as a baritone. But I'm presenting with a beard in masculine attire.”Lucia Lucas“A lot of people are really confused because they have ‘Ms. Lucia Lucas' on their paperwork as a baritone,” she said. “But I'm presenting with a beard in masculine attire.” Lucia Lucas, a transgender opera singer, often performs alpha male roles. “A lot of people are really confused because they have ‘Ms. Lucia Lucas' on their paperwork as a baritone,” she said. “But I'm presenting with a beard in masculine attire.” Credit: Johannes Kaplan Taking female hormones doesn't raise your voice. And Lucas made a conscious decision not to retrain hers to sing higher parts.“I don't know how long I would have to take off from my day job, which is singing baritone,” she said. “And I have work through 2022.”She's also suspicious of the reasons companies give — if they give any — for failing to follow through on auditions she's been promised, or dropping her from their roster.“Nobody is fired for being trans,” Lucas said. “They're fired for being 90 seconds late, or not complying with the dress code regulations.”While trans opera singers are only just starting to make headway in an industry steeped in tradition and not known for its forward-thinking ways, opera administrators are beginning to show interest in the possibilities of casting them.“The potential doors that this is now opening for trans singers is a very exciting step forward,” said Matthew Shilvock, the director general of the San Francisco Opera. He says trans singers have not yet come forward to audition for roles at his organization, one of the largest in the US. “I don't see it any different from us looking at any other singer. If the voice is right for the role and right for the house, I would gladly hire that person.”Tobias Picker, the artistic director at Tulsa Opera — and a composer — says he cast Lucas as Don Giovanni because he simply fell in love with her voice.“Lucia has her own sound,” said Picker, who is currently writing an opera based on David Ebershoff's 2000 novel about a transgender painter, “The Danish Girl,” with Lucas in the starring role. “It sparkles. It has flecks of light like gold.” Lucia Lucas stars as Wotan in "Die Walküre" with Theater Magdeburg.  Credit: Andreas Lander Though she says the visibility she's been getting lately has been helpful for her career, Lucas hopes the hoopla around transgender opera singers will eventually go away.She wants to continue to play baritone roles like Wotan and Don Giovanni, without anyone making a big deal of the fact that she's a woman.“I had a theater director in Germany say, ‘Oh my gosh, this trans thing, it's hot right now,'” she said. “I don't want that. I want it to be not a thing.”

Lucia Lucas sweeps across a noisy diner in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at 9 a.m. on a Saturday wearing a calf-length, black brocade frock coat and a bright, lipsticked smile.Most opera singers in her position would be resting up the morning after a big debut. But not Lucas.“Last night was super weird,” she said, tucking into a plate of chicken fried steak and eggs. “There were so many things going on all at once.” When Lucia Lucas stepped into the role of Don Giovanni, she became the first transgender person to sing a lead part in a standard operatic work in the US. Credit: Emily Steward The 38-year-old, Germany-based baritone just made her debut as Don Giovanni with the Tulsa Opera, becoming the first transgender person to sing a lead role in a standard operatic work in the US.Related: A US transgender activist is stuck in Sweden. The UN wants to investigate.The New York Times sent a reporter. The Metropolitan Opera sent a casting representative. Lucas had a documentary crew following her around. And her dad, whom she hadn’t seen for a decade, flew in specially for the occasion.“There was a lot of pressure to sing well,” Lucas said.Lucas says she’d been wrestling with questions about her gender identity since she was a kid growing up in Northern California.“My mom caught me with makeup,” she said of her formative years. “My dad found my stash of girl’s clothes.”It was a difficult time.Related: 'Transgender women are women,' organizers say after controversy over women-only pond in LondonShe nearly came out at college. But her career was starting to blossom, and she fell in love with a fellow opera singer — a woman. They got married (and are still together today). So, Lucas put the decision off. Transgender opera singer Lucia Lucas moved to Germany in 2009. Her wife followed two years later. Lucas says they headed for Europe because there was more opportunity there. Credit: Josh New “I guess I just sort of thought maybe I can have this normal life,” Lucas said.Lucas moved to Germany in 2009. Her wife followed two years later. Lucas says they headed for Europe because there was more opportunity there.“It's really difficult to make a career in opera in the US,” she said. “But in Germany, there’s 80-plus full-time theaters.”Lucas continued to present as a man publicly. But she says she kept a drawerful of “inside clothes” at home, and she and her wife sometimes talked about her gender identity.She was close to five years into a steady, salaried job as a singer with the highly regarded Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe when she finally decided she had to come out.“There's so many people that would love to be a working artist where they make at least enough money to live and continue doing their art full time. But it wasn't fulfilling for me.”Lucia Lucas“There's so many people that would love to be a working artist where they make at least enough money to live and continue doing their art full time,” Lucas said of her decision to come out. “But it wasn't fulfilling for me.”Lucas chose the Staatstheater’s splashy 2014 opera ball for the occasion. She made quite an entrance.“We were startled,” said Jan Linders, the company’s deputy general artistic director. “She came fully dressed as a woman, and made it clear that she wanted to be addressed as Lucia from that day on.”Linders says after getting over the initial shock, the company grappled with what to do about their first female baritone.“There were many questions arising,” Linders said. “Where should be her dressing room? Should it be in the ladies or the gentlemen floor? How should she be addressed in program books? How could we convey this private change to directors that would cast her?”Lucas says the opera company ultimately decided not to renew her contract. (The company isn’t commenting on that.) So, she threw herself into finding other work. She landed opera gigs with companies across Europe, performed in clubs and bars, and settled on pursuing a freelance career.Opera has a long history of gender play. Female singers have been masquerading as young men and boys in so-called “trouser roles” or “pants roles” for hundreds of years, like Cherubino in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and Octavian in Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier.”But professional opportunities for transgender performers have been slow to come about. There are only very few singers currently getting mainstage work at opera houses around the world. The most prominent example, other than Lucas, is the Norwegian mezzo-soprano, Adrian Angelico, who identifies as male.Lucas says the compliments she often gets at auditions don’t necessarily translate into contracts. So, she often dons fake facial hair at auditions to prove she can play male characters onstage.“A lot of people are really confused because they have ‘Ms. Lucia Lucas’ on their paperwork as a baritone. But I'm presenting with a beard in masculine attire.”Lucia Lucas“A lot of people are really confused because they have ‘Ms. Lucia Lucas’ on their paperwork as a baritone,” she said. “But I'm presenting with a beard in masculine attire.” Lucia Lucas, a transgender opera singer, often performs alpha male roles. “A lot of people are really confused because they have ‘Ms. Lucia Lucas’ on their paperwork as a baritone,” she said. “But I'm presenting with a beard in masculine attire.” Credit: Johannes Kaplan Taking female hormones doesn’t raise your voice. And Lucas made a conscious decision not to retrain hers to sing higher parts.“I don’t know how long I would have to take off from my day job, which is singing baritone,” she said. “And I have work through 2022.”She’s also suspicious of the reasons companies give — if they give any — for failing to follow through on auditions she’s been promised, or dropping her from their roster.“Nobody is fired for being trans,” Lucas said. “They’re fired for being 90 seconds late, or not complying with the dress code regulations.”While trans opera singers are only just starting to make headway in an industry steeped in tradition and not known for its forward-thinking ways, opera administrators are beginning to show interest in the possibilities of casting them.“The potential doors that this is now opening for trans singers is a very exciting step forward,” said Matthew Shilvock, the director general of the San Francisco Opera. He says trans singers have not yet come forward to audition for roles at his organization, one of the largest in the US. “I don’t see it any different from us looking at any other singer. If the voice is right for the role and right for the house, I would gladly hire that person.”Tobias Picker, the artistic director at Tulsa Opera — and a composer — says he cast Lucas as Don Giovanni because he simply fell in love with her voice.“Lucia has her own sound,” said Picker, who is currently writing an opera based on David Ebershoff’s 2000 novel about a transgender painter, “The Danish Girl,” with Lucas in the starring role. “It sparkles. It has flecks of light like gold.” Lucia Lucas stars as Wotan in "Die Walküre" with Theater Magdeburg.  Credit: Andreas Lander Though she says the visibility she’s been getting lately has been helpful for her career, Lucas hopes the hoopla around transgender opera singers will eventually go away.She wants to continue to play baritone roles like Wotan and Don Giovanni, without anyone making a big deal of the fact that she’s a woman.“I had a theater director in Germany say, ‘Oh my gosh, this trans thing, it’s hot right now,’” she said. “I don't want that. I want it to be not a thing.”