Holden Madagame

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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]

Career[edit]

Madagame attended the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance,[4] where he[a] 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[edit]

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

Activism[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Notes[edit]

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

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Cooper, Michael (2019-07-11). "Transgender Opera Singers Find Their Voices". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  2. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c d Cooper, Michael (July 11, 2019). "Transgender Opera Singers Find Their Voices". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c d Moehlman, Lara (March 14, 2018). "Registering change: A trans opera singer's risky decision to follow his dreams". Michigan Radio. Retrieved August 6, 2023.

External links[edit]

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