At 32, American singer Elijah McCormack has forged a distinctive path, from Handel to contemporary music. During his gender transition, he chose to preserve his soprano voice, in a field where role models remain scarce and the US sociopolitical climate is increasingly hostile. On December 4 and 5, he will sing Handel’s “Messiah” in Seattle on period instruments, conducted by Zach Hemenway. 
By Zachary Lewis
9 minutes
Elijah McCormack has already earned several distinctions: a semifinalist in the Concours Corneille in 2019, he went on to win both first prize and the audience prize at the Handel Aria Competition in 2024. After studying at Skidmore College and then at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he trained in historical performance practice, he made his European debut in 2023 at Leipzig’s Gewandhaus with Camerata Lipsiensis. In North America, he regularly collaborates with Haymarket Opera Company, Opera Lafayette, the contemporary choir The Crossing, the Washington Bach Consort, and the Portland Baroque Orchestra. This profile traces the roles, encounters, and choices that have shaped his career, while also exploring perceptions of his voice and identity, and the still uncertain place of transgender artists in the opera world.
Charting Uncharted Territory
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