AMVA ThoughtLuck: Casting Away the Generic Asian Musician
8 – 9:30PM
Presented by Asian Musical Voices of America (AMVA)
While there’s a strong presence of East Asians in string sections in major orchestras, there is a dearth of overall Asian representation in the opera industry. Regardless of whether they’re singers, instrumentalists, composers, or a combination, Asians face constant typecasting and are portrayed as robotic and not expressive. How do these stereotypes affect the results of casting, auditions, and interviews? Nina Yoshida Nelsen, Mezzo Soprano and co-founder of Asian Opera Alliance will help lead a discussion centered on the experiences of Asians and other BIPOC singers in opera and the question of what true diversity looks like.
About Nina Yoshida Nelsen:
Hailed as a “rich voiced, expressive mezzo-soprano” by San Francisco Classical Voice, Nina Yoshida Nelsen made her New York City Opera debut with great success as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, conducted by George Manahan. In fall 2021, Nina Yoshida Nelsen makes her Boston Lyric Opera debut as Mama Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana, sings Mother Chen in HuangRuo’s An American Soldier, returns to Opera Santa Barbara for Il Tabarro and El Amor Brujo, and makes her Chicago Opera Theater debut as Queen Sophine in Becoming Santa Claus.
About Asian Musical Voices of America:
Asian Musical Voices of America (AMVA) is devoted to community-building and activism for transformational change among self-identified Asian Americans working and creating in classical music. We educate ourselves on the ways structural racism is present in classical music and engage in activism to dismantle structural racism, promote equity, and lift up BIPOC musical voices working and creating within the field.
About Asian Opera Alliance:
The Asian Opera Alliance (AOA) comprises a diverse group of Asian-identified industry professionals, who join together to uplift one another and to advocate for greater Asian representation in opera, while striving for broader equity.