_{Artist of the Week} 15 Qs for Barbara Hannigan

When was your first singing lesson (and with whom)?
My first singing lesson was with Sylvia McDonald in Halifax in 1986. She taught me from age 15 until I moved to Toronto at age 17 (and began studies there with Mary Morrison).

If you weren’t a singer/conductor, you’d be…?
A veterinarian. I have developed a strong attraction for animals and animal welfare over the past years, and I would definitely work in this field if music had not called me.

Who is a singer you admire that is currently working?
Asmik Grigorian. She is a risk-taker, a fabulous actress, and an authentic performer.

Coffee or tea?
Yorkshire Tea! A nice strong black tea which I carry with me on the road, along with a small jar of honey, and I always add milk.

What was the first opera you ever saw?
Tales of Hoffman! The COC Ensemble came to Nova Scotia on tour back in 1986 or 1987 and my singing teacher took me to hear their performance. Kathleen Brett and Christiane Riel were singing, I think!

What’s your favourite mind-calming practice?
I love running, especially outside in nature. I do a beautiful 5km loop daily when I am at home in northwestern France, and when I’m on the road, as much as possible.

What’s your favourite non-classical band?
I’m really into Björk at the moment and going through all her albums.

Are you a cat person or dog person?
I love all animals, truly. But I have three cats who were feral, living outside my house, and they adopted me and now only live indoors. They are not related, but they are best friends. Their names are Spot, Louisa and Elizabeth Taylor. If you need photos of them I have about 8,000 to choose from.

Are you happiest in the country or in the city?
Country! As a younger performer, it was very important for me to be in the thick of the action, so I lived in cities (Toronto, Amsterdam, Paris), but since 2019 I moved to Finistere in Bretagne, and I cherish every moment I can have there, to be surrounded by nature and the calm view from my house down to the inlet.

Which album did you listen to last?
Bertrand Chamayou, his Good Night! album. He and I are on tour at the moment so its funny, because I already have the luxury of hearing him play live, every day.

What book are you reading at the moment?
I just finished When We Lost our Heads by Heather O’Neill, and am just starting another of hers. Fabulous.

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Not telling.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken for a production?
Going on pointe shoes for Lulu (2012 and 2021 at La Monnaie, Brussels). It was the first time I would work with director Krzyszytof Warlikowski, in a new production of Lulu (my first and his first), and we became very strong colleagues from that experience and went on to create four more opera productions together after that. I had never been on pointe and am not a trained dancer, but I wanted to do it, so I did.

Which of your roles has had the greatest impact on your perspective?
I would say, the 24-month period in which I had four major creative experiences was a huge turning point for me just after I turned 40: the world premiere of George Benjamin‘s Written on Skin (Aix-en-Provence, 2012) which became a hit that we toured all over the world, Lulu (Brussels, 2012) with a director who was to become a true sparring partner for me, the world premiere of Hans Abrahamsen‘s concert work let me tell you for my voice with orchestra (Berlin Phil, 2013) and the gruelling role of Marie in Die Soldaten (Munich, 2014) conducted by Kirill Petrenko and directed by Andreas Kriegenburg. All this happened at the same time as I was beginning my conducting career, and so it was a very powerful time in my life. I felt everything was starting to come together that I had been working on since my childhood.

What’s the most important lesson you learned from childhood?
I learned to work hard and to try and be organized and effective in my work and study. To make time for work, and to make time for play.