Alice d'Lumiere

The Trans Lady Sings!

15 June — 22 June

See all dates 15+

Music - Spoken Word / Poetry - Theatre / Performance

A woman with long brown hair, in a red evening dress & opera gloves is holding a music score - she looks to camera worriedly.

Contralto? Baritone? No Limits! No Preconceptions! No Clue!

To Alice d'Lumiere, classical music always seemed terrifyingly stratified: Soprano, Contralto, Tenor, Bass; is the role you play always ordained by the limits of your vocal physiology? However, in the superficially respectable world of Opera, gender seems temptingly bendy.

Performing a 'Spoken Word Overture' at Tête à Tête Opera Festival, Alice laid down a challenge to herself to overcome her childhood inability to sing.

Two years, numerous singing lessons, a lot of scripting, composing, and furiously attempting to relearn to play piano later; this self-confessed outsider in gender (and 50-something late-starter in opera) returned to Tête à Tête to reveal if she was finally able to hold a note.

This year's show at WAF is the result of that mad adventure. Themes of vocal identity, gender fluidity, life-long learning and the individual's need for self-expression are humorously explored by a beguiling communicator in a piece combining verse, comedy, performance art and yes, some actual singing!

Contains original music and possibly some foolhardy attempts at the classical repertoire.

Words/Performance by Alice d'Lumiere. Original Composition by Tina Gooding.