Out of Character: Isabel Leonard
To say that the superstar mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard is busy is to wildly understate things.
There are lead roles at all the major opera houses—at HGO alone, her acclaimed company debut as Charlotte in Werther in 2023, her current role of Maria in The Sound of Music, and her anticipated return as Angelina in Cinderella this fall, plus her upcoming directing debut for HGO Family Day Presents Cinderella. There are movie appearances: her 2023 film debut in the critically acclaimed She Came to Me starring Peter Dinklage and Anne Hathaway and, also last year, Bradley Cooper’s Academy Award-nominated Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro. There is motherhood, with all the time and attention that entails.
When we reached the multi-Grammy Award winner over the phone, Leonard shared that she’d recently given concerts in Buenos Aires and São Paulo and was about to set off for Montreal, then Japan. Was it any wonder that she was doing a bit of multitasking, chatting with Opera Cues while getting a walk in, strolling the streets of her hometown of New York?
“I probably am one of the world’s biggest multitaskers,” she shared with a laugh. “I started by sitting in the park for a minute, got a little bit of sun, had a little bit of my coffee. And then I thought, I should really start walking because I have to get home and pack for three months.”
It was a special treat to chat with Leonard about her life and career as the sounds of the city whirred in the background, setting the scene…
Opera Cues: You made your house debut at HGO as Charlotte in Werther this winter. How was that experience?
Isabel Leonard: It’s one of my favorite roles, so anytime I get to sing it, it makes me very happy. It’s a wonderful piece. Werther and Charlotte both grow quite a lot throughout it—in some ways, her more than him. She really evolves, and it’s just one of the things that I love the most about playing that character. And of course, singing with Matthew Polenzani is great. We’ve sung so many Mozart pieces together at the Met. Having somebody on stage that is not only a great colleague, but also a friend, allowed us to dive in even deeper and have more fun and just more comfort with each other. It was just a great experience.
OC: What were your first impressions of HGO?
IL: HGO is a great company. I love Khori Dastoor. I think that she has a really open mind as to what to do with the company. I think she’s really interested in making HGO be available to the audience, which is the right path. The audience starts to develop a relationship with the company, and the company promotes the singers so that the audience can get to know them. It’s like when you go to a sports game, right? And you’re there rooting for your team. You’re there because you’re wishing your best for the group of people “on stage.” And I think that’s what you want from an audience in a performing arts setting. You want the audience to come because they’re excited to root for the people on stage.
OC: The audience reaction to you in Werther was over the moon.
IL: It’s a really great audience. I also think that has to do with how they feel, and how they feel about their experience coming to the theater. You know, what are the audience-welcoming things that occur in the theater before, in the middle, and after the actual performance? Going to the theater should be a full experience that does not feel so prohibitory.
OC: You’ve worked with Francesca Zambello, who’s directing The Sound of Music at HGO, many times. How would you describe that experience?
IL: I have a very long history with Francesca. She’s fantastic. She’s a lot of fun. She’s kind of hilarious. I’m really happy to have known Francesca well. We’ve developed an artistic trust between the two of us that enables an incredible collaboration. She really wants you to put yourself into the piece, and she also wants you to try the things that she’s asking you to try. And it becomes a real back-and-forth. And she wants the productions to be great. She wants them to be vibrant and energized the whole way through. She really is thinking about how the audience is going to perceive the piece.
OC: What are you most looking forward to about performing the role of Maria?
IL: It’s both wonderful and daunting to do such an iconic piece that everybody knows. Whatever emotional reaction people have to this piece—and they absolutely have one—it’s a big one! It’s really exciting to give that music to the audience. It’s one of those pieces that has been a part of everybody’s life growing up. You immediately relate to the kids, and the joy of it all. The beauty of music, singing, and love and family—all those things are such good things.
OC: What are your thoughts on an opera company doing The Sound of Music?
IL: We’ve gone too long with this notion that opera is different from the rest of the live musical genres. Opera is still theater and music on stage. And an opera company putting on a piece as well known as The Sound of Music allows the audience to come in aware of the music. They have a sense of ownership over the piece already. They already get it. And then, perhaps, they get to hear it in a slightly different musical way, which allows people to go, Oh, I really liked that singer. Oh, they’re an opera singer. Oh, maybe I should go hear them in an opera. That’s really important.
OC: How do you balance your huge career with motherhood?
IL: You become a master organizer. You know, I feel like I should have another degree in to-do lists and time management. I do what I can. As much as women these days can go to work and have a family, seemingly “have it all,” there’s still so much that has to be built up in society that helps women do that. On top of everything else, I’m a single mom, and I’ve been a single mom since my son was an infant. He’s older now. I’ve always had to find and build support groups everywhere I’ve gone. People always say, How do you do it? And I say, I just don’t ask myself whether I can. You just do it. It’s very Nike.