The Liberated Libretto: Engaging the Operatic Voice and the Multilingual Modes of Singing

This chapter draws on the multilingual tradition of opera, theories of authorship and performance and the embodiment of knowledge in song to shed light on ongoing modes of decolonisation in opera. It spotlights the colonising force of opera that is counterbalanced by its decolonising potential, which is more abstract. The chapter weighs into this conundrum by focusing on the writing and conception of new works that are First Nations-led, ones that lean on opera’s neutrality as a medium. Additionally, the community of diverse singers that do not necessarily create new works but bring new understandings to pre-existing opera is considered.