For nearly as long as opera has existed, its roles — and its singers — have fit neatly into the categories of male and female. Yes, there have been complications, including the tradition of the trouser role, in which a woman appears as a male character; but even those have generally been offered with a knowing wink.
As the gender binary continues to blur, though, the world of opera is keeping pace, making a space fornonbinary singers, composers and storylines.
“Expansive,” a musical showcase presented by Opera Parallèle, spotlights some of these artists. Mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz, a gifted Adler fellow at the San Francisco Opera, is a well-established figure on the local music scene, and they’re joined by tenor Katherine Goforth and harpist and multidisciplinary artist Ahya Simone.
Afrika America will host the event, co-sponsored by the Transgender District.