Holden Madagame

Holden Madagame
Holden Madagame
Born	1990 (age 34–35)
Alma mater	University of Michigan
Occupation	Opera singer (tenor)
Years active	2017–

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

Career

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

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]

Notes

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

References

^ ^a ^b Cooper, Michael (2019-07-11). "Transgender Opera Singers Find Their Voices". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
^ ^a ^b "Good Country | CTX Live Theatre". ctxlivetheatre.com. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
^ Salazar, David (2019-04-11). "'Good Country' To be Featured During Cohen New Works Festival". OperaWire. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Cooper, Michael (July 11, 2019). "Transgender Opera Singers Find Their Voices". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Bio - Holden Madagame". Holden Madagame. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
^ "Holden Madagame: The trans opera singer who went from mezzo soprano to tenor". The Independent. 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
^ "5 Groundbreaking Transgender Opera Singers". Opera Wire. 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
^ 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.
^ "Holden Madagame". Opera-Arias.com. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
^ "5 Trans Opera Singers". Alternative Classical. 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
^ ^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.
^ "Did you always feel like a man?". Holden Madagame. August 23, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
^ ^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

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

[:0-1] Cooper, Michael (2019-07-11). "Transgender Opera Singers Find Their Voices". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-05.

[:3-2] "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.

[NYTimesCooperJuly2019-4] Cooper, Michael (July 11, 2019). "Transgender Opera Singers Find Their Voices". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2024.

[MadagameAbout2-5] "Bio - Holden Madagame". Holden Madagame. Retrieved January 27, 2024.

[7] "Holden Madagame: The trans opera singer who went from mezzo soprano to tenor". The Independent. 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2021-08-05.

[8] "5 Groundbreaking Transgender Opera Singers". Opera Wire. 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2021-08-05.

[9] 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.

[10] "Holden Madagame". Opera-Arias.com. Retrieved 2023-01-03.

[11] "5 Trans Opera Singers". Alternative Classical. 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2023-08-06.

[:2-12] "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.

[13] "Did you always feel like a man?". Holden Madagame. August 23, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2024.

[:4-14] Moehlman, Lara (March 14, 2018). "Registering change: A trans opera singer's risky decision to follow his dreams". Michigan Radio. Retrieved August 6, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[a]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]