The Icelandic Canadian - 01.03.1994, Qupperneq 27

SPRING, 1994
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
137
“True Love” by Stravinsky - that
would be my type. And I like them.
You know, it’s funny, after awhile you
realize that the roles that are suitable
to you suit your personality. I don’t
think I’m the tragic heroine type.
Ijelga: That’s interesting. So, if you
had thought, when you were younger,
that “Aida” was the role you wanted
most, you willingly gave up that
dream, as it were.
Valdine: Yes. At first there’s no hold-
ing you back from an aria except your
range, so you tiy to sing it. It’s not
until you look at the work more
closely and listen to the orchestration
that you wonder how you would ever
be heard over that unless you were a
much bigger “voice." And the same
goes for a smaller voice - they
wouldn’t cast me in the “subrettes” -
the veiy light roles for soprano.
I?elga: How does a singer such as
yourself obtain work? Do you send
out curriculum vitae, do opera
associations call you?
Valdine: I have an agent, and my
agent has contacts all over Canada
and a good part of the United States.
In the early days, he would send out
publicity material on me, hoping to
get an audition for me. These days,
my agent receives a phone call that
someone needs a soprano - they’ve
heard about me or heard me sing
and, on that basis, they hear me. The
details are worked out with my agent
and then they call me to see if I’d like
the part.
I?elga: So, you would only be called
for works in your range.
Valdine: In Europe the voice ranges
are strictly categorized. A lyric sop-
rano will sing only seven or eight roles
in repertoire. As soon as you say you
are a “lyric soprano,” they know what
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