photographer DAVID WHITE
interview by CARMEN DARIE
lead stylist VERA ULISKO
producer & co-stylist CYNTHIA ALTORISO
hair & makeup ANASTASIA ROSE for 3LAB
additional hair stylist YUMIE WARE for THE HARDER GROUP
stylist assistants MARIAH NEPTUNE & HELENA LICAJ
backdrops CHARLES BRODERSON
fine jewelry editor EDGAR ACERO

As a child, Alyson Cambridge was able to do a wide range of musical impressions of entertainers like Madonna and Whitney Houston. Her life took a fateful turn when she was overheard doing a joke impression of an opera singer to amuse her friends.

left:
Dress by Saint Laurent
Earrings by Alberta Vita
right:
Earrings by Jacob & Co.
Bracelets by Marina B
Dress by Dolce Gabanna

What was growing up like for you?

I had a wonderful upbringing. We travelled all over the world because of my father’s job at the World Bank. I played sports and was involved in lots of extracurricular activities – soccer, piano and voice lessons, musicals at school, clubs, you name it. My parents are lovers of all types of music and theater and exposed my brother and I to all of it from a very young age. I give great credit and thanks to my parents for making sure my brother and I had such a culturally rich and diverse upbringing. My father is from Guyana and my mother is Danish and Norwegian, born in Minnesota, I grew up in the suburbs just outside Washington, DC in Arlington, VA.

When did you find your calling for opera singing?

I was introduced to opera through my mother, who loved listening to it, and it was often playing in our house. I loved pop music, and tried to imitate all the singers I heard on the radio, from Madonna to Whitney Houston. To make my friends laugh, I would also do an impersonation of an opera singer. One day, I was joking around with my friends and doing my “opera voice”, and a neighbor overheard me and said: “Alyson, I know you’re doing that as a joke, but you actually sound great. You should take voice lessons!” My mother took me to a voice teacher when I was just 12 years old, and I sang for her. She could not believe my age, and said I had a natural ability for opera and that she would like to begin training me classically. And, as they say, the rest is history.

left:
Earrings & Hair Pieces by Jacob & Co.
Dress by Nili Lotan
Kimono by Dries van Noten
Shoes by Jil Sander
right:
Raincoat by Yves Salomon
Bodysuit by Azzedine Alaia
Pants by Osman
Earrings by Alberta Vita
Bracelet by Vintage

Who is your favorite artist?

That is almost an impossible question to answer, I have such a wide range of favorites. I love the raspy, powerful, and earthy vocalism of the late Chris Cornell, Leontyne Price for the pure beauty and power of her voice, and there is no one that can quite compare to the late Whitney Houston; her voice was just incredible.

Tell us about your Met debut as Frasquita in Carmen!

I made my Met debut in 2004. It was absolutely an incredible and a surreal experience. I was 24 and in my second year in the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, after having won the Grand Prize of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions the year prior, and two years after graduating from college. To make my debut just a year later was really something special and that I will never forget. I shared the stage some of the greatest singers of that time, and every day I marveled at their artistry. I was truly honored to make my debut alongside them.

This year you played Carmen at the Opera Carolina and Toledo Opera. How did you prepare for the role and what was it like playing the ultimate seductress?

Playing the role of Carmen was a dream come true. As a soprano, it is not a role that I thought I would have the opportunity to play, since it is typically sung by a mezzo-soprano. However, over the past five years or so, my voice had developed even more richness and depth, and I was suggested to look into playing Carmen. I prepared for months, working with my vocal coaches and teachers, as well as learning to play the castanets and dance flamenco. Carmen is a wonderfully complex character – both strong and vulnerable, as well as fierce, cunning, independent, and fearless. It was one of the greatest performance experiences of my career thus far. I absolutely LOVED transforming into Carmen, and can’t wait to do it again!

left:
Dress & Shoes by Saint Laurent
Earrings by Alberta Vita
right:
Necklace & Bracelet by Jacob & Co.
Dress by Azzedine Alaia

Is opera a competitive field of work?

The music industry in general is very competitive. Opera in particularly is competitive, perhaps now more than ever in the United States, since opera is not quite as popular here than it is in Europe. There aren’t as many opera houses here, and therefore opportunities are limited. That being said, I have been very fortunate to have a 20 year career singing at some of the greatest opera houses and concert stages around the world. The intense dedication and discipline it takes to sustain an opera career is not to be underestimated; it really requires full commitment of mind and body. But also, as with any career in the performing arts, there is a level of luck involved, as well as perseverance. You will not always get the role you want or get the review you were hoping for, but being resilient and continuing to grow despite the ups and downs is what long careers are made of, and how long term success is achieved.

Some mainstream artists like Jay-Z have use opera in their music. How do you feel about that?

As I said before, I absolutely love the blending of different musical genres. In fact, one of my first experiences doing that was at the Soul Train Music Awards in 2014. I was asked to open singing opera with a hip hop track by T.I. It was a hit! Last summer, I spent several weeks in the studio with a jazz pianist, drummer, rapper, and hip hop producer working on some VERY cool tracks that merge all those genres together. I look forward to seeing that project come to fruition and sharing it with everyone. I’m also currently producing a new show with one of my longtime musical collaborators that fuses everything from rock to pop, to opera, to symphonic works. It will be epic!

You’re also a jazz singer and a model!

My father listened to a lot of jazz music when I was growing up, so that has always been in my ear, and I also had a natural affinity for it. In 2012, I did a show that required me to use a more jazzy side of my voice, and soon after people began encouraging me to sing in that style more. So in 2016, I released my sophomore album “Until Now,” which showcases the jazzy, and sultry sides of my voice. And now, I’m touring the album and perform cabaret shows around the US. I love the intimacy and storytelling that comes with jazz. As for modeling, when I moved to NYC in 2003, one of my first makeup artists at the Met suggested that I try modelling. It wasn’t something I had considered because I thought I wasn’t tall enough, but then I learned all about commercial and print modeling. I signed with my first agency about a week later. Now I have three different agencies that represent me for on camera, print, and commercial modeling. I also have an agency that represents me in my opera and Broadway work. I am VERY thankful to have such an incredible team of people to keep it all organized for me. I really can’t thank them enough for all that they do!

Earrings by Jacob & Co.
Bracelets by Marina B
Dress by Dolce Gabanna
Fur Jacket by Yves Salomon
Shoes by Saint Laurent

What was your inspiration for your new album “Sisters in Song” with Nicole Cabell?

Nicole and I were longtime friends, having grown up in the opera world together. We admired one another’s voices and artistry, and we always wanted to collaborate. The inspiration for the album came from the fact that we are both multi-ethnic with some African/African-American heritage, so it was important to us that we include some spirituals. The operatic and classical song selections are all pieces that have meant something to us personally and in our careers. It really was a passion project that we were so happy to see come to fruition with Cedille Records. We will begin touring the album with symphony orchestras next year.

Tell us about your work on Broadway’s Rocktopia.

Rocktopia began as a PBS concert special and then had a brief tour in the US. When the show was announced to be coming to Broadway in 2018, they held auditions for the role of the opera singer. I went in for the audition and got a call from the producer just a few hours later. I was beyond excited and accepted the part right away! Part of my mission in my career is to make opera more accessible, to take away the stigma that it’s stuffy or pretentious, and Rocktopia does just that! By fusing opera with rock in such a cool and seamless way, you experience opera in a totally new and unexpected way. It is fun, sexy, enchanting, and can be enjoyed by everyone!

Who were your castmates?

I can’t say enough about my AMAZING castmates! We recently finished our Spring tour, which took us all along the east coast and the south. The cast of our spring tour was simply outstanding and every single performance ended with standing ovations! The cast includes Toby Rand, Colin Smith, James Valenti, Chloe Lowery, Kia Warren and myself, with the insanely talented Mairead Nesbitt on violin, Luis Guzman on bass, and our music director Tony Bruno leading us on guitar.

left:
Necklace by Jacob & Co.
Dress, Belt & Shoes by Azzedine Alaia
right:
Blouse & Skirt by Balenciaga
Necklace & Glove by Jacob & Co.
Earrings by Paolo Costagli

Do you miss your castmates now that the show is over?

I do miss all my castmates immensely, but we all became such great friends and are all in touch with each other! As an opera singer, you rarely – if ever – have the opportunity to travel the country on a tour bus, playing what is essentially a rock show night after night, to the most enthusiastic and adoring fans you can imagine. It was a once in a lifetime experience that I will NEVER forget, and I sincerely look forward to reuniting with everyone.

What was your favorite role?

That is a very difficult question… I usually say it is the one I am currently performing, but looking back on my career, there are four that have really changed me as a person: Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Julie La Verne in Show Boat, Mimi in La Boheme, and of course, Carmen in Carmen.

What is your favorite pastime?

I am a social butterfly, so I love spending time with my friends – going out to parties, events, and hosting dinner parties. I’m also an avid runner, and I have started biking. I have a few friends that have become my running and biking buddies, and we go for long-distance runs and rides together. And I must confess, I do like shopping, too. Since I was a little kid, I have been obsessed with fashion. That is still the case!

What inspires you the most?

I find inspiration in many different things. I suppose it depends on my state of mind and what I may be looking for. This summer I am singing the role of Julie LaVerne in Show Boat at the renowned Glimmerglass Festival in upstate New York. Up there, I live at a lakefront and I’m surrounded by trees, mountains, rolling hills, and glorious sunsets. Every morning I wake up to such beauty, and that inspires me. I am working with one of my mentors and a true great in the opera world, our show’s director Francesca Zambello. As a director with whom I have worked with for many years, she inspires me to constantly challenge myself as an actress and singer, and I am grateful for that invaluable inspiration.

left:
Outer dress by Paco Rabanne
Under dress by Nili Lotan
Cuffs & Earrings by Paolo Costagli
Necklace by Jacob & Co.
right:
Dress by Zac Posen
Jewelry by Jacob & Co.
Gloves courtesy of Glimmerglass Opera

What is your next project?

I have a very exciting season ahead of me. After my summer at Glimmerglass, I will begin preparing for my Fall and Spring season which will include a return to Carnegie Hall for a solo concert in December, a return to Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center as Bess in Porgy and Bess, and a return to Opera Carolina as Coretta Scott King in a new opera based on the Martin Luther King, Jr. called I Dream. I will also have solo jazz and symphony shows throughout the year. And, of course, I am very excited about the new rock/opera/classical fusion show I am working on, which will make its debut during the season as well.

Do you have any advice for aspiring Opera singers?

Stick with it. You will hear “no”, and face rejection, but that is all part of the process. Also, surround yourself with a small handful of people you can really trust to guide your career and who will be honest with you, in good times and bad. And, finally, make sure you love what you do! I thank my lucky stars every day that I get to go to work and do something that doesn’t FEEL like work. To perform and bring joy to thousands of people is blessing and something for which I am immensely grateful.