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1/29/2020, 8:34pm

Acclaimed opera singer comes to UNC rooting for the villain

Acclaimed opera singer comes to UNC rooting for the villain Buy Photos

Carolina Performing Arts is hosting baritone opera singer Lucia Lucas on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020 at 8 p.m. Photo courtesy of Josh New. 

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BY Emma Craig

On Saturday, Feb. 1, Carolina Performing Arts will host critically acclaimed opera singer and trans-activist Lucia Lucas, who will perform a show made up entirely of songs from the perspective of villains.

“Lucia Lucas is an artist who has really been making waves on the international opera circuit, but she also has a really incredible personal story,” said Christina Rodriguez, the associate director of marketing and communications for CPA.

The use of songs solely from the villain’s perspective comes in part from Lucas’ personal connection to villains, in that she too struggles with fitting in the opera world due to her identity as a transgender woman, Lucas said. 

“The evening isn’t just villains doing villainous things,” Lucas said. “We have villains falling in love, villains showing compassion, villains showing inner struggle, villains showing revenge, villains who weren’t necessarily villains but were turned into villains by other people. Even the Grinch. The Grinch who stole Christmas. Well why did he steal Christmas? You know, there’s a back story.”

Playing the role of the villain is also familiar to Lucas because her voice type as a baritone makes her more likely to sing songs intended for villains.


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“Often I have to convince people that I still can do my job, because of who I am, even though I’ve been doing this job full-time for 10 years,” Lucas said. “I’m not sort of a standard person for the opera world.” 

Part of the show will include Lucas singing four stories in which death is personified. 

“I think the most interesting villains there are, are villains we identity with, at least in part, their story," Lucas said. "I think we can empathize with them."

The show will be followed by a Q&A for those who hope to get to know Lucas better, which she hopes will be helpful for LGBTQ+ people, especially for performers. 

Rodriguez said Lucas is a great fit for CPA’s season theme focused on the creative leadership of women.

“Lucia maintains this existence as both this incredibly talented singer but who is also an advocate in her personal and professional life,” Rodriguez said.

Lucia also spoke at a program called Women’s Work, a discussion held on Jan. 29  which focused on the invisible labor of women, said Amanda Graham, associate director of engagement at CPA.

"It's really a discourse where they're interrogating gender and sexuality," Graham said.

The discussion highlighted erasure in music history or on musical stages, said Andrea Bohlman, an associate professor of music at UNC who also spoke at this discussion.

Lucas’ show is accompanied by Clara Yang on piano. The show will take place at 8 p.m. in Moeser Auditorium in Hill Hall. Tickets are $37 for the general public and $10 for students.

“Why come? Because it’s good,” Lucas said, with a laugh.

@emmatcraig

arts@dailytarheel.com


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The Daily Tar Heel welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic.

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