Upclose with Michael Chance
British classical singer Michael Chance is one of the world’s leading countertenors (a male singing voice with a vocal range of a soprano, usually through falsetto). Ahead of his Hong Kong debut, he talks to Penny Zhou about his career change and Greek mythology.
HK Magazine: Is your family musical?
Michael Chance: Not professionally, but yes, my family members all have musical talent. My father played the saxophone, my mother played the violin and my brother sang in choir. I was the youngest one, and music actually came to me quite late.
HK: How did you get into opera?
MC: I grew up in the 60s and 70s, so naturally I was a big fan of The Beatles. But the school I attended took classical music very seriously, and I always sang in the choir. I enjoy classical music very much, but prefer the loud, powerful type to the gentle kind. After graduating from Cambridge I got into the stock exchange. When I quit my job and started singing professionally I was in my late 20s.
HK: What it a tough decision to change your career path at the time?
MC: Haha, if I had a wife and children, probably. But I was by myself so it wasn’t particularly tough for me to decide to pursue what I felt passionate about.
HK: And how did you become a countertenor?
MC: At boarding school, I sang in a boy choir, where it was discovered that I have the ability to sing as a countertenor. It’s not a new thing; countertenors have existed for more than 500 years, but I guess they’ve become more popular nowadays.
HK: How many languages have you sung in?
MC: I speak Italian fluently, and some German as well, so these two and English are my major languages when it comes to singing. I’ve also sung in French, Hebrew, Korean and Japanese.
HK: What’s your favorite opera role?
MC: Definitely Orpheus (from “Orfeo ed Euridice” by Christoph Willibald Gluck). Greek mythology has so many aspects to it, so it’s interesting to explore how Orpheus and his wife Eurydice relate to each other in a contemporary, post-Freudian language. One can look at the story and the role in many different ways, and I’m fascinated by everything about it.