Appropriation in opera : modern performance practice of racially evocative works

The repertoire of a classically trained singer has developed over centuries of cultural influence. As singers prepare for recitals, they decide which pieces they will include and how to perform each one. Many factors are essential for these decisions. In the 21st century, our environments challenge us to explore these conditions of creating a recital program. In a post-civil rights era, factors of race and ethnicity should become more important to programming than they were before. The consideration is not whether minority populations are portrayed, but how they are evoked on stage. In the following exposition, I will consider how the history of such portrayals and current institutionalized prejudices affect my decisions as a singer on the recital stage, taking into account performer, composer, and audience identities