Looking Ahead
Quality of Voice
Limits in the relationship were only the most prosaic ones. Platts, for example, knew she would not end the year with Norman’s voice: “She knows how the vocal mechanism works, but she can’t give me her voice quality.”
“Susan has a wonderful voice! She doesn’t need mine!” exclaims her mentor. What she does need, in Jessye Norman’s view, is opera. “I think there are roles that I might help her find enjoyment in doing. And I intend to do that. I’d like her to have the experience of movement on stage – that infuses what we do as singers.”
Best not to count the days. As much as Platts might be a sponge, she knows her own mind. “I don’t feel drawn to opera,” she admits. “But then, I’m not yet in my prime.”
Extracted from a chapter, written by David Patrick Stearns for Unique Voices, Common Visions, a record of the 2004/2005 cycle of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.