Kathleen Battle

It's Mr. something, where they do like, um, like all these different classical artists or all these different theater people and they, like, kind show you different ways of how people have done music, and I watched that a lot when I was growing up until now.

But like, you know, there's a lot of great Black opera women, like singers, like, you know, Audra McDonald or like Kathleen Battle.

Yes.

Like, you know, so being able to watch them and study them too and see how they navigate it in a more professional route versus, like, just studying in school is great because that gives me a little bit more leeway when I do my s- classical or opera gigs specifically where I can feel, like, empowered to, you know, still represent myself, you know, while I'm doing other people's work.

this.

Which is interesting because we have people like Jesse Norman and, Kathleen Battle and Leontyne Price who, quote, made it singing classical music.

And they're our people.

So I don't know why there was so much discouragement around pursuing a classical career.

I was part of the talent in that performance, which was an amazing concert.

I conducted a couple of arias for Kathleen Battle and also conducted for stars from the American Ballet Theater.

But there were great stars on that program for that gala opening, including Savian Glover and Chita Rivera.

Wow.

And, uh, and so I, I, you know, to see her friend lifelong, your friend, Rudy performing and we're backstage and he introduces us and, uh, It was wonderful to have her say, oh, you took great care of the dancers.

That was a great moment.

You mentioned working with Kathleen Battle.

So let's name drop here.

To me, it's one of those songs that feels almost hidden in plain sight because it was dramatic and emotional and bold and completely unforgettable.

I'm talking about This Time by Janet Jackson featuring the legendary classical soprano Kathleen Battle off of the 1993 Janet period album.

A lot of people remember this as the, quote unquote, the Janet song with the opera singer.

And I get that.

I mean, because Kathleen Battle's voice is impossible to miss.

But there's so much more going on here.

This time isn't a normal collaboration.

physically, emotionally, vocally.

That was terrible to me because that was something that had been told to me in the past about people who demand something of people and then those who command.

And it was told to me about Topranos, because Kathy Battle would demand.

Yeah, Kathy Battle was an amazing artist.

David Nilsen, she would command.

And there's something to be able to say about that, that you have built that for yourself.

It would have been in it, you know? Um, yeah, I've had Domingo sing in my face.

I've had, uh, I've had Cheryl Milne sing in my face.

I've had Kathy Battle sing in my face.