Q & A: Soprano Máire Flavin on ‘William Tell,’ Owning Different Vocal Styles, Her Favorite Artists

By David Salazar

The Nov. 8 performance of  Rossini’s “William Tell” at the Irish National Opera will mark the first time in 145 years that the opera returns to Dublin.

That kind of history is not lost on the artists involved, but it has special significance for soprano Máire Flavin who was born in Dublin. The soprano, who takes on the role of Mathilde, doesn’t share the operatic origin story of many singers today. While she always had classical music in her life, she didn’t actually know this was her destiny until her university days.

“I always had music, and classical music in my life. My parents loved it and I learned piano from a young age. I wanted to work with children initially and did a degree in Music and Psychology with the aim of perhaps working with children on the Autistic spectrum,” she told OperaWire in a recent interview. “It wasn’t until I had singing lessons at college that I caught the bug.  Once I experienced marrying singing and theatre in the huge emotions of opera I was hooked.”
What follows is OperaWire’s conversation with Flavin on her career trajectory, life during the pandemic, and, of course, taking on Mathilde in “William Tell.”

OperaWire: What was the pandemic like for you? Your husband is an opera singer as well so was it difficult? How is it now that you are back to work after having a baby too?

Maire Flavin: The pandemic was challenging, as it was for everyone. Our industry was decimated and is certainly struggling to recover. We were lucky though in that we had just moved into our new home on the coast of Fife so although our belongings were trapped in France for the first 6 months we were right by the beach so daily walks with our then 11 month old daughter were beautiful. My husband took on a normal job and I was lucky enough to have the odd recording project to keep me going, mentally and musically throughout.
I was back to work when my daughter was five-months-old and had two contracts (Wexford Festival Opera and Opera North) before COVID hit. It was certainly a silver lining to have all the quality time with my daughter in lockdown as my diary was very full so it would have been quite different. She is now three and a half and has taken to the troubadour life well and even wishes me toi toi toi before each performance! It is of course challenging balancing parenting and any career but worth it at every turn. Opera companies are also starting to realize the approach to scheduling needs to change (more advanced) not just for parents but so that singers can plan their lives, and their working life better.

OW: You are set to open “William Tell” at the Irish National Opera in a few days. What are the particular challenges of singing the role of Mathilde? How do these challenges compare with those in other repertory you have performed?

MF: Mathilde is a wonderful role. It is not like any other Rossini soprano role. It is very lyrical. The two main challenges in the role are the tessitura, it sits quite high in the voice, and with very long phrases. Both of these elements mean it needs a lot of singing in, repetition, so that it is really in the voice and body. It is, however, a relatively short role so compared to Violetta, Alcina, Elena (La Donna del Lago) which were my other roles this year that is a blessing!

OW: In your view, who is Mathilde? How is she similar or different from you? What do you identify most with the character?

MF: Mathilde is a strong Hapsburg princess in occupied Switzerland who falls in love with her rescuer, a Swiss commoner. Mathilde is compassionate and empathetic with a very strong moral centre and she is abhorred by her brother’s treatment of the Swiss people.
I strongly identify with Mathilde’s strong love and compassion. We are in a difficult world at the moment with many, many struggles it can be hard to keep going. The more compassion and empathy we have for eachother the stronger we will be.

OW: Do you have a favorite musical / dramatic moment in this piece?

MF: There is a moment of beautiful stillness where  William Tell, played by the phenomenal Canadian baritone Brett Polegato, sings to his son Jemmy before taking aim and shooting the apple placed on Jemmy’s head. This moment of love from Father to son is extremely moving and I have teared up every single time Brett sings it.

OW: Speaking more generally about your career, you were previously a mezzo-soprano? What was it like to shift to being a lyric soprano and how did you realize this was necessary?

MF: I had always had an easy top as a mezzo and while singing Dorabella for WNO I started playing around with singing some Fiordligi and it felt like home. I tried some Mimì and that too came so naturally. I went to some trusted coaches and I realized I fit more into a lyric soprano than a high mezzo. It was the best decision I ever made.
With the support of many wonderful companies I already worked for, including Fergus Sheil who gave me my first Mimì, I made the move and haven’t looked back since.

OW: What are some of the major challenges you have overcome to get to this point in your career? Was there any particular moment / performance that you remember as being particularly formative or essential to that journey?

MF: I think you are always learning and growing in this career. There are endless challenges in this job- it is not an easy profession to be in and if you didn’t have a passion, a kind of vocational devotion to it, you wouldn’t do it. I sing such a wide range of repertoire – Handel, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, Strauss, Verdi – that a major challenge is owning each style. You need to know what the stylistic challenges are, do the work, be open and flexible but then always sing it with your voice, your instrument. You also cannot please everyone and would tie yourself in knots trying to do so.
I recently sang the title role of Alcina for Opera North. The company, music staff and entire team were delighted with it and I know I sang it really well but it wasn’t as well received in some reviews. They always say with reviews to take it with a pinch of salt…you can neither believe the good nor the bad as a rabbit warren can lie at the end of each.

OW: Who are the artists you look up to most and why?

MF: I look up to any artist who is authentic on the stage and with their voice. I take inspiration daily from the colleagues I work with. It takes a lot to survive in this career and even more to thrive and there are a lot of phenomenal singers out there who are not “famous”. In terms of listening to the greats, I love Callas for her connection and emotion; Contrubas, Scotto, Tebaldi for their phenomenal tone and consistency; Caballé for those piannissimi! Current crushes include Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Lisette Oropesa and Sonya Yoncheva.

OW: What are some future projects you are looking forward to? What are some dream roles you would like to sing that you haven’t yet?

MF: I am really looking forward to returning to some more Verdi next year – Alice in “Falstaff.” I can’t say where as it is yet to be announced. I am lucky enough to have sung most of my dream roles (Violetta, Mimì, Fiordiligi) but if the opportunity arises I would love to explore some more Strauss.

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