By: Katy Lindhart
As opera continues to evolve in response to cultural, technological, and societal shifts, BLO remains at the forefront, reimagining classic repertoires, integrating bold contemporary works, and making opera more accessible to everyone in our community. We love opera for where it’s been and where it’s going.
In our interview series Opera’s Next Act, BLO’s artistic leadership shares in their own words what excites them about opera’s past, present and future. Recently, we sat down with BLO’s newest board member — and star of our upcoming production of Die tote Stadt — soprano Christine Goerke!
About Christine
Soprano Christine Goerke has appeared in the major opera houses of the world, including The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh Opera, New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Paris Opera, Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse, Deutsche Oper Berlin, La Scala, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Real in Madrid, Teatro Municipal de Santiago, and the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto.
She has sung much of the great soprano repertoire, starting with Mozart and Handel heroines and now earning critical acclaim for dramatic Strauss and Wagner roles. Of her Brünhilde at Houston Grand Opera, the Dallas Morning News said “Christine Goerke is the Brünnhilde of dreams, progressing from girlish enthusiasm to defiance to tragic acceptance, her soprano thrilling from top to bottom.” She has also received praise for her portrayals of the title roles in Elektra, Turandot, and Ariadne auf Naxos; Brünnhilde in the Ring Cycle; Kundry in Parsifal; Ortrud in Lohengrin; Leonora in Fidelio; Eboli in Don Carlos; The Dyer’s Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten; Cassandre in Les Troyens; Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes; Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia; Alice in Falstaff; Madame Lidoine in Dialogues des Carmélites — and more.
Offstage, Goerke is a passionate and visionary arts advocate and artistic consultant. Before her tenure at BLO, she served as Associate Artistic Director at the Detroit Opera. In the 2024/25 season, she performs with the Washington National Opera, BLO and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and New World Symphony, among others.
You’ve had an incredible career as a singer. How has that shaped your approach to leadership in arts governance?
I’ve been very lucky to have had the career that I’ve had — and am continuing to have! I feel very strongly that our draw to the magic of opera is a sum of all the elements that go into its creation. No one part is greater than the other, and this includes the moving pieces that you don’t necessarily see behind the scenes. Our collective goal is to excite and invite. That takes a village.
What inspired you to take on a leadership role in opera, specifically by joining Boston Lyric Opera’s Board of Directors?
I was honored to be asked to join BLO’s Board of Directors. I have been so impressed with the work that BLO has done onstage — bringing new voices, new directors, new works, and new life to the art form that we love — as well as bringing the gift of the performing arts into the Greater Boston community and schools.
In your view, how can opera companies like BLO make a meaningful impact in their broader communities?
It’s important to remember that we strive to create art to be shared with, above all, our audiences. We want to offer opportunities to see our community reflected in the work that we do onstage. We want to invite the community to feel as though they have ownership and pride in the uniqueness and intimacy of BLO’s productions, while we continue to craft ways to partner with arts, educational, and other local organizations to support the creativity and imagination of the next generation of artists. In the spring half of our season, we’re excited about upcoming collaborations with Groundwater Arts, VOICES Boston, Stone Living Lab, and many more organizations!
Looking ahead to the production of Die tote Stadt, which is presented by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with BLO, why do you think it’s an opera experience that audiences can’t miss?
First of all, you get BLO and the BSO together — two great experiences in one! Second, Korngold’s music: it’s lush, expansive, delicious, and the composer was a trailblazer as the first “international” composer to write Hollywood movie scores. You can really hear this in the writing. Also, when you take the story down to basics, haven’t we all lost someone and had a difficult time moving on at some point in our lives? Seeing some people being held in place by grief and others embracing what is to come is sadly relatable, and charming and heartbreaking all at the same time. Then there are the amazing musicians involved in this epic collaboration — I truly can’t wait!
Why do you think opera and classical music still matter to modern audiences?
The stories that we tell in opera are not random stories that do not pertain to us. They’re stories of love, loss, happiness, vengeance, wrongdoing, justice, hope, anger, grace. There is something in every opera that each of us can relate to. One of my favorite things to do is to bring a newbie to classical music or opera. Seeing their face, watching their body language when the waves of unamplified sound wash over them, and seeing the reaction to the visceral feeling — that’s magic. That joy should be shared by everyone.
Tickets are on sale now for our star-studded 2024/25 season! Up next: Christine Goerke in Die tote Stadt, Anthony Roth Costanzo in Vivaldi’s The Seasons; followed by Brandie Sutton and Jamie Barton in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s American classic, Carousel.
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