Salome speaks: An interview with Jennifer Holloway

We’re so excited for you to make your Lyric debut. How does it feel to be taking on the role of Salome again — this time in Chicago?

This is such a treat for me! Over the past 20 years, I’ve sung so much in Europe, and to be able to sing a role that I love so much in a top American house is awesome. To be here among my countrymen, to speak English all the time, and just see how American houses work is so exciting. I also can't wait to try a Chicago dog, and I've been told that I need to go get some pizza. I've only been here a couple days, but I'm going to be diving into some Chicago food for sure. Aren't there like 20 Michelin-star restaurants here or something like that? That's insane! When traveling for work, I tend to spend a lot of time at home, but I do like to eat, so a stop at Mr. Beef or Portillo’s is high on the list.

Salome is a thrill-ride, from the first note to its bloody finish. What is your favorite thing about this iconic Strauss opera?

 To me, it is the most complete 100 minutes of music you will ever experience. The work is packed full of all the stuff. Strauss's setting of Hedwig Lachmann's translation, and ultimately Wilde’s original text, is so descriptive. These characters are incredible. There's so much to them. There are different ways to do this — to make you understand these characters in different ways. We walk away from an intense hundred minutes having felt stuff about people. They are not caricatures. Of course, Herod can be very funny, but they're all very real. And we walk away feeling empathy for people that we didn't necessarily feel before we walked in.

Salome can be a polarizing character. On one hand, she does horrific things without remorse, but on the other hand, she is a product of her environment. How do you find the humanity in this character and portray that onstage?

With every character that I play, I look for what I love about them, not what I hate. I feel very protective of Salome. I think she has gotten a bad rap for a very long time. A large part of that is that we — as adults who are taking in opera — forget that we’re looking at a young girl. We're watching the very end of her short life. She hasn’t done terrible things before this. Terrible things have been done to her by everyone in this opera. How she can get a bad rap is beyond me. 

I have a teenage daughter, and it is so frustrating to me that we expect children to have the wisdom of an adult. Salome cannot know. She is learning. We are watching her learn. And the things that she's learning are terrible, terrible lessons. She's simply reacting to the situations that the adults around her are putting her in. It's really unfortunate that we look at her as some sort of temptress. If that's what she's doing, it's because she's learned that behavior and is trying to figure out how to exist in a world where she has no power.

She looks to Jochanaan, not for religious salvation, although that's part of it, but to be saved from her situation. The one guy in the whole opera who is supposed to be all good. He wears his religion on his sleeve. He is a fanatic. And when it comes to the moment where Christians are taught to forgive, to love, to rise above, he abandons this child. How can we look at her as a bad person? She is absolutely a victim.

You're onstage the entire show. How do you find the stamina and stay in character the whole time? 

Most of the roles that I do, I end up being on stage for a very long time (and a lot of the operas are much longer than an hour and 40 minutes!). At the end of the night, I am exhausted. However, because I've done this role so many times, I’ve learned where I need to save energy and how to prepare my body. I still get tired. The first time that I did this role was 2016 in Dresden, and I threw myself at every moment. I was exhausted by the end of the night. You learn new ways to conserve energy, and I think I'm beginning to finally understand — 10 years later — where I can do those things.

This production has an incredible dance number that demands intense focus and a lot of physical movement. To me, acting is so much about moving your body and telling the story of the character with what you're doing with your body. There are always moments that are physically, vocally, and mentally demanding, but that’s why we rehearse!

Are there aspects of your performance that you now see as your signature or do you prefer to start fresh with each new director, conductor, and cast? 

I think my signature is that Salome is always human. She's a human who makes a very big mistake at a young age and cannot recover. My goal is to go against the idea that this is a bad person. She's super complex, as are we all.

I am always looking for new ideas. I love when a director challenges me to think about something that I have not thought about. I want desperately to turn a text on its ear. Because I know this piece so well, and I know the text and music so well, it can be difficult for the role to make sense to me in a different way. That said, each production is slightly different. And even within a production, every night will be slightly different; I cannot know when Narraboth will come over and hold on to me, or if there will be a knowing glance between me and mom. All of that informs this character.

This is a role you’ve become known for — are there any other iconic Salomes that you’ve taken inspiration from?

I don't like to watch what other people do because I don't want to steal somebody else's ideas. I want to do my own thing. However, the first time I was in a production of Salome, I was the Page and Nina Stemme was the lead. I was enamored of her. I knew in that moment that this would be a role for me. I learned so much as a young singer about how to carry oneself, and as the Page, I was onstage the entire evening so I really got to watch and learn. She is absolutely one of my biggest influences.

In this piece are there any specific moments musically or dramatically that you really enjoy performing? 

I love the first scene when Salome comes down from the banquet. I love to listen to my colleagues singing before I come in. The way Strauss set these words is a true conversation. The orchestra imbues so much meaning into the words, it's almost cinematic. It's easy work when you have such great colleagues to play with.