Opera Is Life: Baritone Etienne Dupuis on Synergy, Fisherman's Friend Lozenges, and Opera's Power to Unite
Etienne Dupuis. Credit: Il barbiere di Siviglia (Wiener Staatsoper, Michael Pöhn).
French-Canadian baritone Etienne Dupuis is a big fan of television, especially Ted Lasso. So much so that he's adapted a key phrase from the comedy-meets-philosophy series — "Football is life!" — as a mantra to stoke people's interest in opera.
"Now I always say, 'Opera is life!'" Dupuis shares on the latest episode of the Classical Post podcast. "Bohème, Barber of Seville, Marriage of Figaro, they just feel so close to life sometimes. Opera allows us to emotionally connect together."
For Dupuis, building a larger fan base for opera means showing people that a night at the opera isn't about wearing the fanciest dress or worrying about clapping at a "wrong" moment — it's about taking part in a shared emotional experience.
"If you're so sad that you're in tears or so happy and elated that you want to stand up and clap and yell bravo, it's noble to feel that way, it's part of the experience. I always say opera should be as close to the human experience as it can be."
In this discussion, Dupuis talks more about how opera can return to its 17th-century roots as a relaxed social event everyone could enjoy, and what's on tap for him this season — including singing the title role in John Adams's The Death of Klinghoffer with the composer himself on the podium. Plus, he shares the ways brainstorming and synergy can lead to creative breakthroughs, why Fisherman's Friend lozenges are in fact a singer's best friend, and where to find the best pork buns in New York City.
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