Advocate
Photo by Ken Howard
superstar tenor Russell Thomas on being a black queer man in opera
Blessed with a golden, honeyed voice that fills the halls of stages around the world, out and proud tenor Russell Thomas could be content with being one of the rising stars in opera. Instead, he uses his Black and queer identity to change what we see onstage and off.
“Opera is elitist,” he says. “Especially in this country. It’s funded by wealthy people. What makes it accessible is that these stories can be done in ways that are relatable to our present-day lives. It is important to include all communities onstage — Asian, Black, gay, straight, transgender, nonbinary — so that people see themselves reflected and they feel welcome in these spaces.”