_{Artist of the Week} 19 Qs for Camille Rogers

When was your first singing lesson (and with whom)?
I started taking formal singing lessons in high school, but the very first time I was really asked to think about singing was when I was in a production of The Secret Garden in elementary school. I was in an offstage ghost child ensemble, and my dad was the vocal/music director and worked with us on blending and breath control.

What/who inspired you to sing?
I’ve always loved singing – the more important question is what got me into opera, since I used to hate it as a kid! It wasn’t until I was a teenager and saw videos of opera singers online that I realized they could ACT too… I was really inspired by Natalie Dessay, especially her performances of the Lucia mad scene. The amazing coloratura combined with the emotional power of her acting had me hooked.

Favourite city that you’ve worked in?
I think my favourite city I’ve visited is Avignon – I didn’t perform there, but I went there to do some archival research for my doctoral dissertation on Julie d’Aubigny. It was such a beautiful city and totally peaceful and relaxing (at least in April, before tourist season).

Top 3 favourite operas?
La Cenerentola – Rossini
Little Women – Adamo (unless Sweeney Todd counts as an opera…)
Pelléas et Mélisande – Debussy

Which opera role do you want to be singing right now?
My dream for a while has been to play Cenerentola – it has everything I want in a role: as many sixteenth notes as can fit on the page (I love coloratura), lots of fun duets and ensemble singing, a mixture of humour and sincerity, plus the potential to wear gorgeous costumes.

What’s the strangest/funniest thing that has happened to you on stage?
I think some of the most fun I’ve had onstage was when I got to play a cat in a U of T production of Paul Bunyan. I had a tail made out of a pool noodle and a coat hanger wire, and the way it moved was strangely realistic – endless hours of fun prancing around the stage.

What’s your favourite orchestral instrument? Why?
I have a soft spot for the French horn. I played it for a few years in middle and high school, and I love the timbre.

What’s your favourite thing about singing with an orchestra?
One of my favourite parts of singing with an orchestra is that moment right before the show starts and they’re all warming up – it’s one of my favourite sounds in the world. It represents so much excitement and anticipation, as well as the immense feat of bringing so many different individuals together to make music as one.

Which role do you wish you could sing, but is not in your voice type?
I’ve always wished I could be a soprano for a day so I could sing Salome – Strauss’s music is so deliciously jagged, and I imagine it would be really satisfying to writhe around the stage screaming at a severed head for several minutes. Bonus points if there’s lots of fake blood.

What was the first opera you ever saw?
I think the first opera I ever saw live was Dido and Aeneas, performed by students at the local university in my hometown. I remember I regretted not reading the synopsis beforehand because I got really confused who everyone was and what the witches were doing there… but it all came full circle because I’ve performed in Dido and Aeneas twice now, once playing Dido and once playing Aeneas!

What’s your ancestry?
My closest ancestry is Czech, my grandfather was born in what is now Czechia (then Czechoslovakia). I haven’t visited the country yet, but I love the music (Dvořák is a favourite) and I love singing in Czech.

Are there more musicians in your family? If yes, who and what do they play/sing?
Both of my parents are music teachers, and my dad’s side of the family in particular is filled with lots of musicians – including a strangely high number of trombone players. We’re also the kind of family where we genuinely sing “Happy Birthday” in four-part harmony at gatherings.

What’s your favourite non-classical band?
Lately I’m really into The Last Dinner Party, which I would describe as “Queen but lesbian.” Chappell Roan is of course also a favourite, especially for when I feel like dancing, and Lianne La Havas when I’m in the mood for something that feels whimsical.

What was your childhood dream job?
When I was in kindergarten, I really wanted to be a ballerina! Then later I wanted to be an author or librarian.

What book are you reading at the moment?
I just started The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling! It’s queer religious horror, which is a bit out of my wheelhouse, as I’m usually more into fantasy or sci-fi with a good dose of humour, but so far the claustrophobic setting and deeply weird characters have really caught my imagination (it’s set in a medieval castle in the midst of a months-long siege).

What is something most people don’t know about you?
I’m disabled! I’ve had various things going on my whole life, but only recently have I really embraced my disabled identity and connected with disabled community. It’s been so rewarding to learn from each other about the different ways we all need support and how to make the world more accessible for everyone. That’s why you’ll often see me out and about wearing a N95 mask – it’s one small way I can keep myself and my community safer. 🙂

Who has been inspiring you lately?
I’m really inspired by Imani Barbarin (@crutches_and_spice on Instagram and TikTok). She always has the most clear and concise way of delivering political messages while also being funny and never pulling her punches. If you’re totally new to disability justice (or even if you aren’t), I really recommend giving her a follow.

Do your on stage experiences also feed into your personal life?
Definitely! I find that in order to portray a character I have to find at least part of them within myself, so it can absolutely lead to discoveries about myself. The most formative of these was probably when I played Cherubino in undergrad – I wasn’t out as non-binary yet, even to myself, but seeing myself in the costume made me realize that SOMETHING was going on with my gender, even if I didn’t know exactly what yet. I also remember intentionally incorporating more stereotypically “masculine” physicality into my portrayal and finding it bled into my offstage physicality as well. At the time I thought I was just “getting really into character,” but it was more that embodying Cherubino allowed me to explore a part of myself I hadn’t discovered yet!

What does success look like to you?
I want to keep making art that I’m passionate about, while maintaining a sustainable work/life balance. Almost from the beginning of my opera training I knew I didn’t want to perform full-time, so right now I’m really happy having an admin “day job” and performing occasionally when there’s a project that calls to me. For example, over the past few years I was able to write, produce and perform in a film based on my doctoral research on Julie d’Aubigny Maupin. It was absolutely a passion project for me – Maupin is such a fascinating historical figure, and I can’t wait to share more about her with audiences. It feels very meaningful to bring her to life, since it’s still rare that we get to see queerness portrayed at all in opera, let alone a queer character who was a real person!