Pietà, Signore!

Gweneth Ann Rand trained at the University of Exeter, Goldsmith’s College, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. She is a former Vilar Young Artist at The Royal Opera House and in 2001 represented England at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. She is currently an Associate Artist at Wigmore Hall. Her operatic engagements include Aida (English National Opera); Serena Porgy and Bess (English National Opera); and in contemporary opera she created the role of Gwen in 4.48 Psychosis with acclaimed performances for The Royal Opera / Lyric Hammersmith, Prototype Festival in New York and Opéra national du Rhin.

Highlights from Gwen’s conversation with The Enormity of Now are below.

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Gweneth Ann Rand. I’m an opera singer, new music producer and composer.

How did you get here?

I got here through hard work, failure, frustration, and with little bursts of joy along the way.

I was lucky enough to have a mother that would have supported me in any career I chose. It hasn’t been easy, and trying to be better – in order to be considered equal – is a lifestyle and process that many black kids of my generation have lived by. A 100% is never enough – you have to be even better. I was always the only one or the first, and that’s a strange way to live.

Luckily I’ve got to a place in my life where I can sing for joy… and can sing to express myself. I don’t do it for applause, I always found singing to be a place to hide in plain sight. Being immersed in the music and words took me places imaginatively and physically that I never thought I’d be able to experience.

How has the journey of your art/career engaged your voice – personally, artistically, politically?

Just standing on a stage in a classical music venue, looking the way that I do, is a political statement in itself. There are few people of color in classical music, so I stand proud and will not be grateful for being there. I shall not apologize for my presence.

Artistically, I’ve grown into the shedding of “trying to be like everyone else” and accepting and celebrating the voice that I have, with its own beauty and quirks. Sometimes, emotionally, it’s been a battle to stay sane in an insane world, but I love what I do.

What is the voice that you found while finding your voice?

As I grow, my voice grows. It can change like the wind. The challenges I face in life, and in music, are echoed in the voice that I present to the world. But there’s no artifice or mask, it just constantly tries to ring true, sometimes confused but always present. Confidence comes and goes but the joy…the joy is there and I love the fact that my voice is mine, regardless of how it’s perceived and heard.