Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野

Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野 comes from a background of over a decade of singing both traditional and contemporary operatic roles across North America and Europe, most recently praised as “a force of nature” (Toronto Star) and “an artist with extraordinary things to say” (The Globe and Mail). They combine opera, theatre, and taiko in their artistic practice and also co-lead Amplified Opera, a new initiative which is bringing Toronto an “injection of creativity and a politics of inclusivity” (barczablog) to the opera community with their recent inaugural concert series AMPLIFY highlighting stories of equity-seeking artists. During their residency, they will work on an opera project called Little Mis(s)gender, which challenges the idea of voice type that dominates the opera industry. 

Kasahara explains, “This system has been maintained and continues to be enforced by the predominately white, male, heteronormative, patriarchal opera industry at large which continues to suffer from racist and sexist ideologies that are deeply embedded within opera houses and traditional, canonical operas themselves. My project will consist of a one-person opera that uses what I refer to as a “transitional Fach” to disrupt and transcend the expectations of the operatic voice type(s) and prescribed gender and body types that follow suit.” You can learn more about their work on their website.