Looking back, Kathryn Rudge was destined to become an opera singer. Singing her way up through the ranks, she transformed from a talented Liverpudlian school girl to a global opera star, her mezzo soprano voice performing with the likes of English National Opera, Opera North and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic everywhere from The Royal Albert Hall to Leeds Castle and Wigmore Hall.
So one might expect her to be somewhat of a diva, her impressive list of accolades, scholarships and performances preceding her.
And yet Kathryn could not be more approachable if she tried; keen to talk about her craft, her hopes and fears, highlights, strengths, challenges, her love of opera, her journey, and the up-and-coming opera students she teaches.
The mezzo-soprano attributes her career to her music teacher at school in Liverpool who introduced her to opera, encouraged her to apply to Royal Northern College of Music and taught her some survival skills along the way.
“My husband is not a musician but he has headphones”
Since making her operatic debut to critical acclaim with English National Opera as Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro) Kathryn’s career has soared, her reputation ensuring that she has remained in huge demand, having been constantly working since she left college.
And she is now returning to Oxford to perform a recital at Trinity College’s de Jager Auditorium on Sun 28 Jan at 2.30pm alongside Christopher Glynn (piano), with a programme of Schubert, Mahler, Faure, Browne and Vaughan Williams, which they curated themselves. BOOK HERE
“I can’t wait to come back to Oxford. I love it there and and I’m really proud of the programme we have put together,. It’s been fun finding a thread that runs through all the music so that the audience can come on a journey with us,” she adds.
“The Vaughn Williams is such a big cycle, so you have to find the heart of it and run it through to find the layers, put it to bed and then come back to it”
So how long does it take her to prepare for a concert? “A lifetime really,” she smiles, “but I start preparing properly at least six months before. The Vaughn Williams is such a big cycle, so you have to find the heart of it and run it through to find the layers, put it to bed and then come back to it.
“It’s like looking at a painting because every time you see something new and something else to focus on. And Chris has this incredible energy – it’s like an unspoken communication. He knows everything back to front.”
Presumably after this long in the industry she doesn’t get stage fright? “No! I always get nervous. I always wake up on the day of a concert thinking ‘how’s my voice today?’ but you have to channel the nerves into focus, because the things you worry about never happen, because opera always has a life of its own and you can sense the audience’s excitement.”
“I always get nervous. I always wake up on the day of a concert thinking ‘how’s my voice today?”
“So I sing to react with people. You can always find an emotional connection and opera is something to enjoy and relate to. That’s what I love the most – that it means so much to people, and makes a difference to the audience.
Kathryn is not only a passionate advocate of opera but disagrees that it is elitist. “”Music is such an amazing way of connecting with people even if they don’t know much about it, especially people who’ve never been to opera before. We need to acknowledge that we need opera in our lives and our culture,” she says. “It’s so important for the next generation and for our young people.
“Which is why I teach a lot now and I think my students teach me more than I teach them,” she laughs. “It’s a hard path anyway. It a vocation really, but the talent coming through is really encouraging.”
“I’m still pinching myself that I have had the career that I have, but I never take it for granted. I just feel so lucky to have found my voice,” she adds.
“That’s what I love the most – that it means so much to people”
That’s not to say that Kathryn hasn’t had to make sacrifices along the way, shunning nights out and celebrations to look after her voice, her busy schedule meaning that she misses a lot of social occasions. And yet she would never complain, happiest on stage.
“It can be pretty full on so you have to build up your stamina but I always felt at home with big productions and the big sounds of the orchestra. You just have to ensure that your voice is in your body and make sure you enjoy yourself.”
“When I became a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist (she was also an ENO Young Artist and a YCAT artist at the same time) it was a really busy time performing, recording, travelling, learning new repertoires and being away from home so it was challenging with so many new places and people. I had to take stock. You have to find a balance, but all these experiences put you in good stead. It was amazing but I made sure to keep my feet on the ground.
“But yes there have been times when it’s hard because you always have to look after your voice so you are always worried about going out socially and whether you then need to rest your voice. But it’s always worth it – sleep, diet and mental preparation is key. It’s a balance between rest and pace. So my Achilles Heel is underestimating how long it takes to get back to where you were after a rest. It’s like being an athlete.”
“sleep, diet and mental preparation is key. It’s a balance between rest and pace. It’s like being an athlete”
And what of her down time? “Well I got married last June. My husband is not a musician but he has headphones,” she jokes. “And sometimes I think he knows the pieces better than I do! We live in a detached house so I try not to disturb anyone when I’m practicing, but apparently the neighbours can still hear me through the walls. My cat hates it!
“I love living in Liverpool though – what you see is what you get, and you need a sense of humour. So my down time at home with my husband. And my family have always been hugely supportive – my parents aren’t musical either but always come to my concerts and help keep my feet on the ground.”
As for the future Kathryn says: “For me, it’s always about the next concert, but I just want to carry on as long as I can. Some amazing opera singers have continued into their the 80s. Its just amazing to me that my love of singing has afforded me a career. I just take each stage as it comes!”
“Its just amazing to me that my love of singing has afforded me a career. I just take each stage as it comes!”
Kathryn Rudge (mezzo soprano) & Christopher Glynn (piano) perform as part of Trinity Events at Trinity’s de Jager Auditorium on Sunday Jan 28 at 2.30pm-4.25pm BOOK HERE For more information on Trinity Events go to https://www.trinity.ox.ac.uk/events-at-trinity
