A South Asian Bess

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Mahajan: The South Asian Soprano
I can hear you asking, is the opera even mutinous? Well, when one of the main characters is played by a South Asian, I guess it starts to fall into that category. Soprano Indira Mahajan is making her debut with the Washington National Opera, in its production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, playing the lead female, Bess. This is the final week of the show which is playing at the Kennedy Center, and has been receiving reviews, which seem to be mostly positive [link via DCist] thus far. For those of you that don’t know, here is a bit more about Porgy and Bess…
“Welcome to Catfish Row. In this poignant tale of love found and lost, the disabled beggar Porgy wins the beautiful but troubled Bess from her macho thug boyfriend Crown only to lose her to “happy dust” and the bright lights of New York.”

This isn’t even close to Mahajan’s first big-time performance, and I am a little surprised we hadn’t heard too much of her until now, although I guess opera circles are a bit different than ones many of us belong to. Here is some more on Mahajan from her bio…

Acclaimed for her portrayal of Musetta, she appeared in the Opera Omaha production of La bohème conducted Hal France and returned to Dallas Opera in the Garnett Bruce production which was conducted by Claus Peter Flor. Recognizing her command of the role, the soprano was invited to perform “Quando me’n vo” in the prestigious Richard Tucker Gala at Lincoln Center. Having performed Mimi for the first time in the Dayton Opera production, Miss Mahajan was invited to repeat the role at Royal Albert Hall marking her opera debut in the United Kingdom. The production was directed by three-time Olivier award-winning director Francesca Zambello and conducted by David Parry. Following her debut, Miss Mahajan was recognized for her “substantial voice” in The London Sunday Times. She will reprise the role at Royal Albert Hall in spring 2006.
To hear an mp3 of what the South Asian Soprano sounds like, click here. Sadly, for those of you wanting to see one of the remaining shows of Porgy and Bess, it seems three nights have already sold out (11/15, 11/18, 11/19), so if you are interested, grab your tickets quickly.

5 thoughts on “A South Asian Bess”

  1. A 1988 Oberlin graduate, Indira Mahajan flirted with becoming a voice major in college before deciding on African-American studies… Daughter of a Punjabi father and an African-American mother… [Link]

    Man, talk about a belter’s pedigree 😉

  2. OAM: You’re so tiny. Do people ever wonder how you manage these big roles? IM: People are always surprised about the volume I can produce because they equate making a big sound with a big body. It’s not about that. It’s about strength, endurance, and learning to sing in your body. You don’t have to be big—you have to be strong. I do yoga, about 15 minutes a day. It’s really good for breathing, and that’s what singing is all about… OAM: … What’s the most shocking thing that has ever happened to you on stage? IM: I’ve made every major mistake possible. In The Marriage of Figaro, I was supposed to jump into Figaro’s arms. He’d twirl me around, and then we’d land on the bed and begin the scene. One time, as we landed, the bed collapsed. My dress was stuck underneath. We couldn’t move, and we started laughing. The audience had stopped applauding, the harpsichord was rolling to begin the dialogue, and we couldn’t stop. Then the audience joined in, and they were laughing at us and with us, and applauding. We had to stop the show for three minutes– a long time. [Link]

  5. This is entirely unrelated and I’m really sorry for being an arse like this BUT…

    Could someone tell me about or give me links about the demography and culture of South Asians in England? I’m doing a paper on it and SM seemed like an obvious place to look for info. Thanks