Soprano Nicole Heaston, known for her “warm, supple” voice that is “creamy, fully formed, and flexible,” has been seen at many of the world’s most prestigious opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Houston Grand Opera, England’s Glyndebourne Festival, and Washington National Opera. In a career that has spanned over twenty-five years, Heaston is a shining example of a constantly evolving artist in an ever-changing operatic landscape, a singer who values story-telling and technical excellence, and someone who wants to inspire, encourage, and nurture young talent.
I had a chance to sit down with the American soprano, who was fresh from critically acclaimed performances as Claire in Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s The Listeners at Opera Philadelphia.
What got you interested in opera?
Heaston: What got me interested in opera was my music teacher, Dr. Lena McLin. In my high school we had some of the most talented and brightest singers in the state… not the city, the state. And Lena McLin was the linchpin to all of that.
The composer Lena McLin?
Yes. And she just happened to be my choir teacher. She insisted that if you sang jazz, gospel, R and B, you still had to sing classical music in her class. When I sang for her, I had always sung second alto in the Chicago Children’s Choir, and she said, “No honey, you’re a soprano. An operatic soprano.” And I was like, “I don’t know about all that. Black people don’t sing opera.” Then she showed me all these posters of artists like William Warfield, and Shirley Verret, and Leontyne Price. She told me, “Those are Black opera singers, and you’re one of them.” Then she opened up Messiah, turned to “Rejoice Greatly,” took off at 120 and said, “Read!” After it was over she turned to and said, “See.” From there I was off and running.
Wow! Sight-reading “Rejoice Greatly!” That is amazing. So, from there where did you do your training on the collegiate level and then, post-college?
I then went to the University of Akron where I studied voice. Following that, I went to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and when that was up, I did what everyone else was doing, audition for Young Artist Programs. I was fortunate to get into the Houston Opera Studio (Butler Opera Studio,) That turned out to be a particularly excellent choice for me.
Both CCM (Cincinnati Conservatory of Music) and Houston Grand Opera have a long-standing tradition of training opera singers. What made those places so special for you?
At Cincinnati I studied with Patricia Berlin who said she wanted me and that there were things she felt she could do for me. And she was absolutely right. Everyone in her studio flourished and grew because she was such a nurturing, generous person, and a great teacher. From her, I learned how to communicate with music. When I was at the University of Akron it was all about technique, technique, technique. Making sure everything is lined up, Alexander Technique, making sure your breath is flowing, intercostal muscles, all of that. Patricia taught me that you have to say something, and I worked with her on that. I didn’t get a lot of roles at CCM. They went to people in the top three studios. But I was a person who kept persevering, and I said to myself, “I’m going to do me.” Then when it came time to audition for Young Artist Programs I sang for Gayletha Nichols and Richard Bado who saw something in me and brought me to Houston. They nurtured me, gave me roles, and to this day, Richard Bado is still my coach and one of my best friends. It changed my life because I had people who were supportive of what I had to offer.
You began your career singing a lot of “-ina” and “-etta” roles but have now expanded into the lyric soprano repertoire. How did you manage this transition? Are you singing differently? We don’t often get to talk about career longevity and seeing artists grow because we often see singers who burn brightly for a few years but then sort of disappear.
I started off doing those “-ina” and “-etta” roles and I loved them, and I miss them. They were so much fun. But with each child my voice got a little bit richer. With the voice getting richer and me getting older, no one saw me as “-ina’s” or “-etta’s” anymore. I sang for Pål Moe (current casting consultant for the Bayerische Staatsoper and Glyndebourne Festival Opera) who had heard me sing since the start of my career. I came in singing “Deh vieni,” and he said, “Can you stop singing that? You need to be singing the Contessa.” And I said, “You think so?” and he replied, “Yes.” And he gave me my first Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro. I was nervous as I didn’t want to push my voice to a place where it doesn’t want to go, but my voice teacher, Stephen Smith reminded me, “Just sing the way you sing. Don’t change it, don’t make it darker, don’t make it heavier. Don’t make it anything other than it is on the page for your voice.”
So, after that, I started adding roles that were a little bit fuller, and it felt good. My thing was, if I can walk away after singing the whole opera, and then can sing it all again right now, I’m good. Now, early in my career even while singing the “-ina’s” and “-etta’s,” people would hear the color that is naturally in African American voices and some would say, “Oh, you would make a great Aïda!” I would have to know myself and say no to that role at that house because it wasn’t right for me. Honestly, after twenty-five plus years in the game, that’s served my longevity.
As far as moving into contemporary opera, I did some stuff during my time in the program at Houston, but I wasn’t always a fan because a lot of contemporary stuff was all over the place. That wasn’t me. I like to sing lyrically. Now, there’s nothing wrong with roles that don’t do that, but it just wasn’t for me. So, when the offer came from Missy Mazzoli saying she had written the role of Clare Devons (The Listeners) for me, I was intrigued as to what it would be. I remember going to the first workshop and singing through it, I wasn’t sure it was for me, but the composer, company, my colleagues were all like, “Yes, this is for you!” The minute I felt that permission, it was actually very freeing. One, I wasn’t burdened by language as it was in English. Also, I didn’t have the burden of legacy, “Well, when Callas sang this…” I was able to make this role whoever Nicole Heaston wants it to be. And while singing that, I realized I was able to sing a lot of other things. Last year I was asked to sing Dido (Dido and Aeneas). I had wanted to sing Dido forever and even though it might be regarded as a mezzo role, I was like “I can sing Dido.” I was able to sing Dido and Thaïs in the same season because I learned how to pace things out by not having things back-to-back, but also remembering, “Sing things with your voice.”
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As an artist who sings a variety of things and who has been in the business for many years you’ve seen it move in all sorts of directions from the types of singers who are in vogue to the shift in what repertoire is being performed. How have you managed to not only stay relevant, but to thrive?
I navigated by minding my business. Everything changes and everything is in flux. If you had asked me ten, fifteen years ago what it was like, well, I’d walk into a room and most likely be the only black person in that space. Fast forward to last season where I did operas with multiple people of color in the cast. I thought it was wonderful. Does it feel like that’s about to change? It’s like, okay, we’ve given you enough, let’s look in another direction.
Because of the economy, opportunities have shrunk to sing some of the standard rep because that is being done by many of the same singers. However, I think opera is going through a phase now with the contemporary works being written that feel like they’re bringing people back to the opera house. This is creating opportunities for singers beyond the few that only sing standard rep because it’s not necessarily in their wheelhouse. This means there is a widening of operas being written for people of color, and it means that I am able to sing a variety of repertoire that spans hundreds of years.
The pandemic certainly shifted how opera singers and opera companies engaged with audiences. Many artists leaned into creating digital content. You created “The Purple Robe Series.” What was the inspiration behind that? And secondly, did you already own the purple robe?
The purple robe I did own. I purchased that in Copenhagen. I was there working; I believe I was singing Alcina. Anyway, my bedroom was freezing so I went to the mall and found the warmest robe I could find. Doing those purple robe songs when it was starting to get warm outside, I was sweating so much. It is a thick robe. But I had committed to wearing a purple robe, it was the name of the series; I had to roll with it.
The inspiration came because I was sitting here, quarantined, not having anything to do. A friend, Marcy, with whom I went to the University of Akron, had posted a calendar that asked, “Can you think of songs for each day?” The first day was a song that was about a color. I looked at every day for thirty days and I could easily think of a song for each of those days. Then I thought, what if I sing a song for every day? The first day was me literally sitting in front of my computer, constantly pushing the light from my computer so it wouldn’t go dim and singing Mel Torme’s “Born to be Blue.” I put on the robe because I was not about to get all dressed up every day. I’m just going to have fun. It was the most freeing thing because I didn’t care what I looked like.
You know, on your first day of rehearsal as an artist, you want to look really cute. Or when you do a performance, you want to make certain your hair and make-up are done and you’re wearing your best gown. You’re always presenting. But the Purple Robe Series was a “get what you get, and don’t throw a fit” moment.
People think opera singers only grew up listening to opera, but I grew up listening to The Silvers, Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Frankie Beverly. That’s who I listened to growing up. And because my musical library in my head is so much bigger than classical music, I wanted to bring that to the Purple Robe. So, every time I looked at a day, I assigned a category. This is a jazz day; this is a musical theatre day. I’ll rap here. Never rapped before in my life. Hardest thing on the planet. I gained mad respect for rappers. That’s just too many words to remember.
At first, I was doing it for my entertainment, period. I was doing it to give me something to do every day because I like to be creative and active.
We’ve talked a little about the challenges of being a singer of color. You and a host of other African American opera singers created a new organization, B.L.A.C. (Black Leadership Arts Collective). What is its mission?
The members of the group often talked in group chats and the idea of doing a masterclass came up. But to do the masterclass at Manhattan School of Music, we needed the group to have a name, so B.L.A.C. was created. We wanted to be able to offer mentorship, masterclasses, and information to up and coming singers of color. When I was coming up as a young Black singer, there wasn’t a great connection to the older Black singers who could help guide us through the pitfalls of the career. It’s always been in my heart to offer information to young singers. If someone were to come up and ask, note only if they ask, I will never offer unsolicited advice—minding my business – but if they come and ask, I want to offer help. We artists felt that there was a need for an organization to uplift, educate, and inspire young black singers by giving them access to things that they will need to succeed. This career, especially for this younger generation is difficult because it’s expensive, including the cost of college where some are spending upwards of $80,000 a year.
Time management as an opera singer is key and you’re often called upon the learn a variety of roles, sometimes simultaneously. What is your routine?
For me it’s all about taking the time to do the work early. I’m in a unique position because I’m also a mother and one of the things I learned is that things change on a dime. Last season I was learning two roles that couldn’t have been more opposite, Melissa in Handel’s Amadigi di Gaula and the title role in Barber’s Vanessa, at the same
time. I knew I needed time. I never leave learning an opera to the last minute. Normally, I start with the translation, then music, then put them together. For this, I came up with working on Amadigi for two weeks, then I’d put it away and work on Vanessa for two weeks. With them being distinct types of music that work different muscles, every time I went back to the other, I had a stronger base. The Handel coloratura was cleaner after spending time with the Barber and the high, big notes of the Barber were easier after working on Amadigi. The reason I like to take time learning is that if something else were to come up: illness, my coach being out of town, another singing opportunity, the last thing you want to do is not be prepared on day one. Not being prepared on day one makes the people who hired you have doubt, and it will never go away and two, you will doubt yourself. The minute I get something, I start working on it.
Often singers are contracted to do something, but a unique, exciting opportunity arises, and you have to decide if you’ll take the new opportunity or stay with the existing one? How do you manage those types of situations?
I was supposed to do a Gilda in Dallas early in my career that was offered by Jonathan Pell (former Artistic Director) who knew me well from my competition days. I got an offer to sing in La bohème at Lincoln Center and it was going to be telecast. I told my former agency that you need to tell Dallas that “Nicole has been given this opportunity. If you can find someone else to sing Gilda, she would be grateful. If not, she will honor her contract.” Working through the lens of honesty meant that Jonathan was able to find another soprano and I was able to do the telecast. I prefer to be upfront and honest.
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You’ve done traditional opera, off-the-beaten path roles, and contemporary opera. Was it a conscious career choice to have such a diverse repertoire?
It has not been a conscious choice at all. I’ve been accepting what is being offered to me. It’s sometimes strange that people look at me and think, “Let’s have Nicole learn that thing that no one has ever done before. Let’s have her do that.” I will say this, in doing Vanessa, it was a benefit for me to have done it at Spoleto, as I was the first person on the list to call when they needed someone to jump in for the National Symphony. There are certain roles that are so niche that it puts me on a certain level. An example being, I’ve sung the title role in Thaïs. I’m one of a handful of sopranos in the country that have done that role. It puts me in an exclusive club of people which is extremely exciting. It’s been wonderful having casting directors think, “We think Nicole can do this.” And it’s been a joy to rise to the occasion; that’s thrilling to me. It’s given me the chance to sing a lot of different things. It’s all about what’s offered to me. I honestly believe that when the Purple Robe series became popular it showed folks that I could do a lot of styles.
You’ve performed at many of the world’s top opera companies. Are there still places you want to sing and roles you want to perform?
A role that I really want to perform hasn’t been written yet. Don’t get me wrong, I have done so many exciting roles, but I really loved performing The Listeners, because it was written for me. And it was a character that was close to me. Ideally, I’d love to create something new and a character that no one else has touched.
As far as houses, I’m happy where I’ve performed. I’ve sung at the Metropolitan Opera, if they invite me to sing there again, that would be wonderful. Now, I would love to sing at Covent Garden (The Royal Opera House), that would be quite special. But the one place that I was truly burning to perform, and I am going to perform in, is the Lyric Opera of Chicago. My parents, being from Chicago, always said that once I got to Lyric Opera, then I had truly arrived.
It’s my mission as a writer who is also a singer to help reshape the narrative that a singer is not truly in competition with other singers, but with themselves. With that in mind, many young singers think that other singers are people to step over, around, or through. Do you have any advice on how to reframe the idea of competition through your own experiences?
I tell young singers that “what is meant for you, is meant for you.” God gave everyone a talent. Now, your talent may be to sing at La Scala or the Met. Your talent may be to sing at regional houses. Or it may be singing in a variety of solo and choral experiences. The thing to remember is that all of these are perfect and wonderful. If you are constantly in competition with other people, you’re not going to focus on the main thing that’s going to get you where you need to go. When we look at the careers of others, the grass is always greener, but we don’t know what’s happening in their minds and lives. Once you get to a certain point in your career, you do get less of a competitive energy, but there are artists out there on a prominent level that do compete against each other. However, I feel there’s room for everybody and you just have to stay in your lane.
Now, I will say it can be tough when you are hearing singing that is not up to par. But that is something every artist has to reconcile with that there are singers in certain places not solely for their singing talent. And once you come to that recognition, you have to go back to: “What’s for them is for them.” There are so many things that go into casting beyond voice like visual concept, chemistry, who wants to work with whom. It’s tricky, but you have to mind your own business. The best thing to do is keep your voice and your work ethic up and be a great colleague.
The fact that Nicole Heatson’s career continues to flourish at leading opera houses around the world in repertoire ranging from Händel to contemporary, proves that minding one’s own business while continuing to hone one’s craft is the secret to a long, fascinating career.
For more information, visit https://www.nicoleheaston.com
