Congratulations to Katherine Goforth, a top-tier opera singer who now lives in Portland. I have heard her in Portland Opera's production of Tosca and in Puccini's Messa di Gloria with the Vancouver Symphony.
From the Press Release
Washington National Opera Announces
Inaugural Recipient of the True Voice Award
Katherine Goforth
Award provides training and opportunities for trans and nonbinary opera singers;
Goforth will perform recital at Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, May 2024
Announcement made in recognition of Transgender Day of Visibility, March 31
(WASHINGTON)—Washington National Opera announces Katherine Goforth as the inaugural recipient of the True Voice Award (TVA). This award was announced today in recognition of “Transgender Day of Visibility,” which is celebrated on March 31 each year and raises worldwide awareness of transgender people. The TVA was developed to create more space in opera for artists who identify as transgender or nonbinary. The Award was conceived by filmmaker and librettist Kimberly Reed and created in partnership with composer Laura Kaminsky and opera librettist Mark Campbell, the collaborative team behind the groundbreaking opera As One. Awarded every three years, the TVA is designed to support the training and increase the visibility of transgender or non-binary opera singersthrough career training, artistic coaching, a performance with the Cafritz Young Artists, and a cash prize of $5,000. Recipients will also be presented by the Washington National Opera on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in a recital; Goforth’s recital will take place in May 2024. Additional event details will be announced.
Goforth, a transgender woman, has appeared in performances at Oper Köln, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Portland Opera, and Bozeman Symphony, among others. She received degrees from The Juilliard School and St. Olaf College, and was awarded the Career Advancement Award from the Dallas Symphony at their fourth Women in Classical Music Symposium, where she sang a recital performance with Julia Bullock.
“I am very lucky to be living in a time when there are national arts organizations that are willing to support and foster trans artists,” says Goforth. “I hope that this award will mean that I am at the beginning of a
career in which I can work, connect, create, and live fully as myself, and that we will model what our opera industry could be: a place where every artist gets to fully self-actualize and every person has a right to self- determination. My heartfelt thanks go out to WNO, the selection committee members, and to Mark, Laura, and Kim, who created this award.”
“Katherine Goforth is a perfect choice for the inaugural TVA,” says Kimberly Reed. “She personifies the artistry and activism that this award represents. Not only does Katherine set the bar for future recipients, she is a singer who will raise awareness and uses her platform to lift up other trans and nonbinary singers.”
“At Washington National Opera, we are committed to artistic citizenship,” says WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello. “That takes many forms, but one of the most important is actively working to create a world in which all people can be celebrated for their authentic selves.”
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