Liz Bouk

Liz Bouk is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer and actor from Rochester, New York.[1] He came out in 2018 as a trans man, and played his first role as an openly trans man in a jazz opera character written with him in mind. A play about his transitioning was staged in 2018, and revived in 2019. In June 2019, he became the first openly transgender opera singer in a featured role written for a transgender singer in Stonewall.[2]

Education and personal life

Liz Bouk grew up in a conservative environment, with "misunderstanding, misattunement, and pain" from his conflicted gender identity.[1] He married his high school sweetheart when they were both 21.[1]

Bouk studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.[1] After graduate school Bouk and his husband had a child together.[1] The pregnancy and birth were extremely difficult for Bouk: "I felt drowned and suffocated by cisgendered parenting expectations. My son's existence wasn't the problem, it was all the social norms and expectations surrounding the idea of being a mother that plagued me with anxiety and anger."[1] Bouk initially thought his anger towards casual sexual harassment and the word "mother" was due to being a "staunch feminist"; later the family would stop celebrating gendered holidays.[1]

In 2014, Bouk quit his job, and hoping to boost his career and find himself, moved to Manhattan.[1] Around the same time, in order to feel more comfortable in his body, he started doing yoga and took dance classes. In September 2017 Bouk began to self-identify as a transgender man.[1] He came out to his husband, who was supportive.[1] Bouk doesn't take testosterone (hormone therapy) as part of transitioning because it would change his voice.[1] Bouk wears a tuxedo for concert singing rather than a traditional gown.[1]

In October 2018 Bouk took part in Bumble's worldwide campaign about New Yorkers "discussing their lives and loves".[3]

Career

Before coming out, Bouk sang a series of cabaret evenings featuring famous songs for female characters, by Stephen Sondheim, Kurt Weill, Jason Robert Brown, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Rodgers & Hammerstein, to "become comfortable inhabiting female characters onstage that I might be able to feel more confident in my body in my actual life".[4] Later he focused on female opera characters, “trapped by circumstance, society and gender”.[4]

In May 2018, as part of New York's 2018 Opera Fest, he came out publicly as a trans man in a new opera, Tabula Rasa, a jazz-inspired work presented by the Cantanti Project,[5] from gay composer Felix Jarrar and librettist Brittany Goodwin.[1] The role of dadaist Tristan Tzara was created for Bouk so he could "publicly express [his] new gender identity".[1] It was Bouk's first male role since coming out.[1][6]

In November 2018, Bouk and director Bea Goodwin presented “Mr. Liz Cabaret: Living in the In Between“, a coming of age story and cabaret about Bouk’s coming out process, at Alchemical Studio Lab.[7] For the one-man show they used his journal entries, photos, paintings, and memories.[7] It includes painful episodes of being misgendered.[4] The show returned in February 2019 at New York City’s The Tank.

Following his one-man show, he did the transgender-themed “As One” at Alamo City Opera.[8] “As One” is a newer opera which has already been performed around the world, telling the story with two characters, Hannah Before and Hannah After, who share insights into the transitioning experience.[9] Bouk portrayed Hannah After.[9]

He then did Giacomo Puccini’s “Suor Angelica” and “Gianni Schicchi,” at St. Petersburg Opera.[8] In May/June 2019 he reprised his role in “As One” at Merkin Concert Hall for American Opera Projects and New York City Opera.[10]

In June 2019, Bouk played a featured character in Stonewall, an opera about the 1969 Stonewall riots which had its world premiere in conjunction with Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019.[11] Stonewall was commissioned by New York City Opera (NYCO), and features music by Iain Bell, a libretto by Mark Campbell, and direction by Leonard Foglia.[2] Stonewall is the first opera to feature a transgender character written for a transgender singer.[2] Bouk portrays Sarah, a trans woman celebrating the one year anniversary of her transitioning.[12]

gollark: I have a 4G connection as a backup.
gollark: If that somehow implodes, I can *technically* open a browser on an old Kindle we have for some reason.
gollark: Nathaniel will let me borrow his old obsoleted phone too, so I could use that instead.
gollark: If he then takes that, I can use the spare tablet lying around somewhere.
gollark: If Zachary takes my laptop, which he cannot, I can simply use my (temporary, spare) phone.

See also

References
  1. Gunz, Rafaella (2018-04-28). "Meet Liz Bouk, the opera singer who recently came out as a trans man". Gay Star News. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  2. Gans, Andrew (Feb 19, 2019). "Cast Set for World Premiere of New Opera Stonewall". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  3. Jardine, Alexandra. "Transgender opera singer Liz Bouk opens up on life and love in Bumble's New York campaign". adage.com. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  4. "Trans opera singer Liz Bouk presents Mr. Liz Cabaret: Living in the In Between". Gay Star News. 2018-11-10. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  5. Martell, Logan (2018-05-12). "New York Opera Fest 2018 Review – Tabula Rasa: Jarrar-Goodwin Team Transcends Genre with New Work". Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  6. "Q & A: Liz Bouk & Bea Goodwin On Revealing The Journey Of 'Mr. Liz'". 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  7. "Bea Goodwin & Liz Bouk Team Up For 'One [wo] Man Show'". 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  8. "Liz Bouk To Present 'New Beginnings' In NYC". 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  9. January 19, David Hendricks | on; 2019 (2019-01-20). "Review: Alamo City Opera breaks ground with transgender-themed work". www.mysanantonio.com. Retrieved 2019-05-30.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. Busey, Kelli (2019-01-20). "Trans Man sings MTF role in Alamo City Opera 'AS ONE'". Planet Transgender. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  11. Leonhardt, Andrea (2019-04-30). "Whoopi Goldberg, Cyndi Lauper, Chaka Khan to Kick off WorldPride..." BK Reader. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  12. McPhee, Ryan (March 18, 2019). "Watch a Sneak Peek of New York City Opera's Stonewall". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
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