Thursday, November 7, 2024
Cailin Smith (MM ’23) and Sé Brown (MM ’23) are promoting equity in the classical music scene through Voice of Iris, their new, Boston-based production company that aims to dismantle the gender disparity gap in staged vocal works.
Smith and Brown, both sopranos, were inspired by the arduous reality of auditioning for professional productions as treble voices.
“It is very difficult to watch our soprano and mezzo colleagues and friends face more rejection due to the number of treble voice opportunities being disproportionate to the number of singers looking for paid singing jobs,” said Brown.
Sé Brown and Cailin Smith
This frustration, and their experiences starring in Longy’s production of Antigone, provided the impetus for Voice of Iris, which ensures that singers like themselves receive stage time and the experiences necessary to bolster a vocalist’s resume.
“It was so empowering to be working with a group of sopranos and mezzo-sopranos all dedicated to their craft and the story,” Smith recalled about the production.
Initially, the duo envisioned reprising Antigone independently after graduation but decided to channel their energy into forming Voice of Iris, which could provide a space for treble voices on a long-term basis. “Over our final semester at Longy, I realized there was so much potential to create something bigger.”
Brown describes Voice of Iris as “inevitable,” citing their shared determination to provide equal opportunities for vocalists. “While Longy appeals to many who yearn for increased equity in classical music, Cailin and I share a deep passion for justice and had the drive behind it to take legitimate action.”
In the spring of 2023, Voice of Iris began to take shape, with the duo spending months researching other organizations’ work, writing mission statement drafts, and looking up repertoire possibilities.
“I told Sé that I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else,” Smith added.
Now in its first full year of operation, Voice of Iris ensures that inclusivity is consistently upheld as a core tenet, particularly in programming. They are fierce advocates for those most directly affected by the gender disparity gap, actively working to look beyond the traditional canon and center the voices and perspectives of women and gender-nonconforming vocalists.
Smith and Brown commit to this goal by hosting annual staged song cycles to foster connections between local composers and performers and champion new music; highlighting underused works composed for all-treble casts and reintroducing them to new audiences; and presenting gender-bending performances that explore intersectionality in music and encourage musical revolution.
For example, next spring, they will collaborate with local composer Laura Nevitt on The Ninth Wave, an operatic retelling of an ancient Irish myth. “It is about true but forbidden love, and we are telling it through feminist and queer lenses,” Smith explained. Future seasons promise to expand on these themes, ensuring that marginalized artists are always represented.
The secret to their success so far is Smith and Brown’s unique expertise, honed through pursuing different programs at Longy, underscored by their mutual understanding of the barriers vocalists face in professional spaces.
“I bring knowledge of historical repertoire and stylistic approaches to early music, and Cailin has the info on the traditional operatic canon and the style to back it up. When you combine these things, we are at an increased advantage in providing opportunities for a wider group of singers. We can produce shows that focus on earlier styles, more traditional operatic repertoire, musical theater, and new classical and operatic works, and we can combine styles to produce something truly unique,” said Brown.
Through this innovative production company, Voice of Iris hopes to continue to redefine the landscape of classical music locally and create a more equitable environment for all artists.