Irish soprano singer and Wicklow native, Margaret Bridge, is now based at the New England Conservatory in Boston studying for a graduate diploma in operatic performance. She spoke to Polly Dennison about being an Irish performer in America, her career thus far and the world of opera.
Working with performers from the States makes me realise that the Irish are great story tellers. It is something I was told from a young age, but I took it for granted. Our literary heritage surrounds us and now that I'm working with performers from places where that is not the case, I really see a difference. I believe the tradition, as part of our identity, comes through in the way we approach parts, in how we perform and portray characters on stage.
"The Irish are great storytellers"
My parents weren't that happy with me doing a performance degree at eighteen, so I did an academic music course at Trinity College Dublin instead. I figured that if I didn’t get to perform, I would still end up doing something I enjoyed. Even though I’ve been formally singing for more than a decade, I didn’t always think I would be an opera singer. In fact, I walked away from solo work at Trinity and hid in choirs. But, I couldn’t get away from my love of solo performance. I really enjoyed my degree and it was a useful exercise overall to find out what I really love to do.
Soon after finishing at Trinity, I started my masters at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in performance, which I did for two years. There's a side of me that loves the drama and the glamour of opera and the fact that a lot of my work wear is ballgowns. But, for the most part I love what I do because I believe the arts, music and opera can be incredible forces for good. And that can be at any level; the most powerful performance I’ve ever seen was a community work about the Magdalene Laundries on a budget of less than €10,000. Opera doesn’t have to be grandiose to be brilliant.
"I love what I do because I believe the arts, music and opera can be incredible forces for good"
But there is a problem with perception. A lot of people see opera as a thing of the elite and as something which is too difficult to understand. And there is a problem within the opera world as well. People within it complain about singers who aren't technically brilliant, but who have a wide popular appeal, like Andrea Bocelli, for example. Some say he’s not polished enough in his technique, that he isn’t a serious opera singer and some laugh at those who enjoy his work. But these are the same people who claim to be desperate to broaden the appeal of opera to a wider audience. I think there needs to be a little more understanding on both sides.
I would love to break down the divide and show people that opera is something anyone can enjoy. Language plays a big part, so staging more subtitled or English language works would help. I think it’s important for people to find personal relevance in works staged, but I also know that people love going to the opera because it’s a glamorous night out. A balance of all these things might just work.
Copyright all text and images: Polly Dennison
