“I try to lower the threshold for everyone.”
Opera Zuid toured the country last spring with Orphée aux Enfers. Benjamin Prins directed Jacques Offenbach’s comic opera with Amel Brahim-Djelloul, Mark Omvlee and Francis van Broekhuizen, among others. Elegance spoke with Van Broekhuizen about her mission to lower the threshold for opera.
1. What specifically attracted you to this role?
“I was asked for the role by Waut Koeken, the director of Opera Zuid. He saw the figure of Junon in me and wanted me to sing it, probably also because of my comic talent. I don’t know the operetta well yet, so I’m only now going to study it. What I see and hear about it is incredibly funny. Plus the music is beautiful. The famous CanCan comes from this piece. So I thought that was strange to suddenly encounter while studying.”
2. What do you hope people take away from an opera?
“I always hope, with any play or opera, that people have a nice evening out where they can enjoy the story and the music. My job is to perform the role I am playing at that moment as best as possible. Whether that is a tragic or comedic role. That’s what makes my job so much fun. It is extremely varied and you always learn something new.”
3. Part of your mission is to be an ambassador for the opera. How do you notice the effect of this over the years?
“The fact that I am known and can now sing again at Opera Zuid may mean that audiences who like me will now go to an opera performance for the first time. In that sense I am an ambassador. I try to lower the threshold for everyone. Opera is a beautiful art form that can be enjoyed by everyone. Sometimes you have to delve deeper into the story, so I recommend that to people. If you don’t know the piece well, read about it in advance, that will increase the enjoyment.”
4. Who has been the person who has most influenced your career?
“I have been inspired by the singer Maria Callas all my life. That is my great example. But I have been helped along very well in my life by my various singing teachers, such as Dobrinka Yankova, Kevin Smith and Cora Canne Meijer. I also learned a lot from the Scottish tenor Alexander Oliver. During the Opera Academy with him I really learned what it means to prepare, play and sing an opera. His experiences and stories from his career were always delicious and he gave me even more love for this profession. The nice thing is that I can now work with him again at the National Opera in the opera Animal Farm. That’s just a celebration.”
5. Is there a performance or role you would like to do again someday?
“My big dream is still to be able to sing Tosca one day. That is my favorite opera and Puccini’s music is so beautiful. I once adapted the opera together with Corina van Eijk for Opera Spanga. Then I sang all the roles by myself in a shortened version. But once it was completely as it should be, with choir, orchestra and soloists, that would be the end.”
Text: Jorrit Niels | Image: Private
