“I don’t try to reel my audience in - I try to reel myself in.” - Deborah Voigt

Living the Classical Life: Episode 39
www.livingthec...
In one of our most emotionally revealing interviews, American operatic soprano Deborah Voigt opens up about her long and acclaimed career. She discusses performance psychology, acting, the difficulty of maintaining relationships while on the road, and speaks candidly about her struggle with addiction and weight loss.

[@maywww]

She's so honest about herself and music. What a pleasure to be her audience!

[@DivaDeb1234]

I will never forget the Los Angeles recital in the little black dress. It was triumphant , spectacular and superb. The Verdi songs were fantastic

[@aboulkheirdavid2880]

Wonderful Debbie. She's a fantastic singer and a great human being as well. And a very smart girl. Lots of love Miss Voigt.

[@richterkleiber]

Thank you for watching!

[@demontra29]

Thank you so much for doing this interview with Madame Deborah. She is truly an inspiration. So many of us are so uncomfortable, telling our gut wrenching truth. She is so open and so honest about her struggles with addiction. I am a young opera singer basso profundo. I to have had my own struggles with addiction. I think when we are open and vulnerable to speak about this publicly. We can inspire people. To keep moving forward. Regardless of their addiction, putting 1 foot in front of the other. Great interview! bravo to living the classical life

[@rc_1477]

Excellent interview! Not only did he ask the right questions, which prompted her great responses, but he was also an amazing listener!

[@karoliinakorpijaakko]

This is such a wonderful interview. I’ve watched it multiple times. Deborah is such an inspiration. What a wisdom she has.

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Multiple thanks, Karoliina Korpijaakko!

[@cliffgaither]

_She is such an honest opera-singer w / her autobiography that was very forth-right._ _One of the few Wagnerian Sopranos w / a very warm voice._

[@saxamaphoneguy1]

Great interview! I saw her play Marie in Wozzeck at my first ever Met opera. I was stunned by the shear beauty and clarity of her voice--she was absolutely the star of the evening. I must say, her Strauss is also some of my favorite. She mentioned Die Agyptische Helena, which she sings like an absolute dream.

[@nardakarinnamunozsuarez7458]

Thank you very much for this interview. I can tell Miss Deborah is an amazing, honest and generous human being, but I must say you were kind, intelligent and very sensitive to her. You did a beautiful job here. I don't consider myself a "young singer" anymore. Even though I'm not old and I'm dealing with all the big expectations I had about myself in this business... And looking for some advice, inspiration... things I found this amazing and touching interview. For me Deborah is like a god. Always perfect, with the perfect career. But listening to her talking like this is refreshing and helpful. It's beautiful to see that you idols are amazing, but are humans as you are. Thank you again! Amazing interview!

[@adrianprota2105]

Refreshing, real and very likeable. What a lovely women. The opera world needs women like this who are prepared to talk about subjects such as addiction. You don’t have to wish to be remembered as likeable you already are in spades!

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thanks for watching and commenting, Adrian Prota!

[@richterkleiber]

Thank you for watching!

[@francoisjoubert6867]

One of the greatest artist interviews I ever had the privilege to watch.

[@wishingonthemoon1]

Her warmth and honestly is just lovely. (Just as her voice)

[@thomasgrass6357]

I like this interviewer, he is so smart. And Deborah looks great.

[@ROBINdulce]

Deborah Voigt es Brunhilde. Tuve la fortuna de ser testigo de su desempeño en el Metropolitan Opera House en la celebrada producción de Robert Lepage. Ahora veo esta entrevista y crece mi admiración por ella: es una mujer no sólo muy valiosa como cantante sino también muy valiente como ser humano. Me emociona mucho verla ahora triunfante, dueña de su destino y generosa para que los demás aprehendamos su lucha, ¡Muchas gracias!

[@powers6253]

Excellent interview! What a gift of honesty from both of you!

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thanks for watching and commenting, powers6253!

[@wotan10950]

I’ve always been a fan of Voigt. Despite what we now know about the turmoil in her life, the operatic characters she presented were honestly portrayed and brilliantly sung. It’s a bit trendy these days to criticize her, but she was at the top of the opera world for 20 years for a good reason.

[@republiccooper]

What turmoil was there in her life?

[@matthewbrown17]

@@republiccooper A bad marriage and a couple other bad relationships with men, aswell as undue criticism over her performance and appearance due to the fact she was so beautiful, so talented, and so large all at once...for a long time as least. She expressed a complicated relationship with alcohol, In addition to the general isolation that comes with the lifestyle of being a professional singer.

[@johnpickford4222]

@@republiccooper Why are you watching this if you don’t know who Deborah Voigt is and are aware of her struggles?

[@republiccooper]

@@johnpickford4222 I'm a pianist. Don't know so much about singers. But I've since looked her up. What a marvelous human being! God put his grace and favor upon her.

[@Luciapanizza.soprano]

Moving and heartfelt. Thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful interview!!

[@rwdust]

Probing questions and generous, inspiring responses. Thank you.

[@garssympa500]

What a wonderful interview! I knew the great voice but I had no idea of the person, which is equally great. Thanks for making this happen.

[@lilianarovegno3876]

wonderful interview . A great singer and human being hope she could be my teacher. What an honour

[@briananderson8428]

A stunning delight! I'm so glad I was able to see this interview.

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thanks for watching, Brian Anderson!

[@karenbaumgartel6077]

Cudos to her for being honest with the student about to do the Met Auditions who had a lot of extra weight. Better for the student to be made aware of it now early on. Sad to say, but this is the reality if you want to have a career now. As she says, the days of "park & bark" are over. Also too, I agree with her assesment that men in the singing world are not put under as much pressure about extra weight that the women are.

[@michaelrollo6518]

Debbie you are a beautiful person I always wanted to sing opera but my voice wasn't good enough for opera I fell in love with Verdi's La Traviata my mother was a voice teacher that I recently learned about so I gave up singing I turned to composing love you so much Mike

[@CharlieWhitaker]

I absolutely love her honesty and vulnerability

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thanks for watching!

[@fil-ammusicfoundationnfp4650]

Fantastic episode. ❤

[@republiccooper]

What a tough interview! Deborah has an appealing candour. Zsolt was lucky that she is such a sweetheart, haha. She's always been one of my favourite singers. I hope she just tries a whole food, plant-based diet and an active lifestyle. We love you, Deborah, & that's got nothing to do your talent and voice. You the human. I hope she sees my comment. Good interview.

[@republiccooper]

@@LivingtheClassicalLife at this rate I'm an addict. 😐 I'll try to contain myself henceforth. These are really good videos, though. Easy to binge watch.

[@caralott2970]

Wonderful interview. So honest.

[@michaeldoyle6702]

Great questions and interview.

[@josephhapp9]

Those long dresses and wearing rubber boot's for Walkure,,,I was wondering why when I saw "that" clip on youtube. Another great interview. Thank you Peter and crew.

[@greatmomentsofopera7170]

It would be great to do one with Barbara Bonney. She is someone who reached the top who says she would not choose the same career again.

[@joebloggs619]

Very courageous woman and so honest about her addictions. I am glad someone accepts that some operatic roles that require a very thin girl eg Violeeta dyingof Tuberculosis as she sin gs Addio Del Passato or gallivanting around as a pretty party girl doing the social whirl in excess etc, will look ridiculous as large very rotund female silhouettes, no matter how beautifully they sing. But there seems tobe some truth in certain types of female voices needing to be in a solid, strong, slighlty larger, well grounded female body witha big chest, like the low dramaticvoices need to pump put those strong dramatic dark lower notes such voices sound so good singing. They just wouldnot sound as convincing if they emerged from a frail, thin, willowy looking blonde pretty female body. They need to come out of a female body with a bit of substance, though it probably makes no difference what colour complexion she has, or even her height, though I like to see big, tall, solid looking females with low voices. I like the big blonde Wagnerian female opera singers, looking so strong, intense, Germanic...So deadly serious...Like they really mean serious artistic business, though I also like the more playful etc light hearted or highly melodramatic Italian onesthat everybody of Italian cultural background knows are not meant to betaken too seriously as being a true representation of reality. Afterall, operais mere entertainment, a spectacle and the operas often show up and make fun of the values, morals, social customs and decadent etc goings on among the upper classes. Which explains why even your average uneducated Italian peasant working on the land farming etcwill know bits of of operatic arias, whilst Anglo types consider it to be "high culture stuff". The poor folkwill often sing bits of these operatic arias (badly, often drunk etc) to make a personal point in some relationship or family life matter not going so well. The famous "La Donna E Mobile" (Woman Is As Fickle As A Feather In The Wind) male aria is a favourite of drunken men complaining about "the one that got away" or a flirtatious wife or lover etc. And, as a runaway teenage girl, I only came to learn bits of La Traviata because mymother used tosing the arias from that opera and tell me I was growing into "one of those girls who would come to grief, just like Violetta, the tragiccharacter in that opera, unless I changed my ways. She sang it so much that I learned one famous aria, though I hated its meaning. Actually it served me well. I decided I would have as much fun as the wild fun loving Violetta did, but not be so stupid as to end up in serious trouble,like she did. The operas look fake and contrived, notmeant to be like cinema. They had to be a bit over the top, to entertain with spectacle eg highnotes, costumes, grand stage setting, crazy plots etc. But they were also a way to teach subtle social moral type lessons and to comment on certain sections of society, historical events etc.

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thank you for sharing your experience, Annemarie May!

[@RaymondHng]

From the thumbnail, she looked like Nancy Grace!

[@johnpickford4222]

RaymondHng: Nancy Grace likely has no singing voice like this woman! And she’s not as attractive or presents an open and honest soul.

[@Nicktenor2017]

Vogit opinion on the heavy male singer is intersting. Im my opinion the stage still are open to the plus size woman but the window of a heavy man is no more

[@livebig9231]

DUI offender . Bitter in real life . A narcissist. The hubris is off the chart . Being DUI offender tells a lot about how selfish and apathetic to humanity she is. What a disgrace.

[@cliffgaither]

_People make mis-takes & sometimes, terrible ones ..._

[@johnpickford4222]

live big: Because she opens up about her demons, which everyone has, does not make her a demon, a narcissistic, bitter, selfish or apathetic to humanity. She is no embarrassment to anyone except someone as lacking in humanity as yourself. Go to hell a**hole.