Quills Quotes & Notes: An article about Natalie Choquette - La Diva
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An article about Natalie Choquette - Opera Comedienne

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Interview Articles - Natalie Choquette


Natalie Choquette – La Diva

An interview article by Rosemary Phillips, February 2003


World-renowned opera comedienne Natalie Choquette was preparing for a journey to the Bahamas when she took time out for this interview which led into her concert with the Vancouver Island Symphony in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. Natalie is a woman of great insight and many talents - for Natalie is not only an opera singer, performer, and comedienne, she is a wife and a mother. It was a joy to talk with her and while we chatted her children could be heard playing in the background.


Who said opera was boring?

Natalie Choquette - La Diva
Natalie Choquette

So what is fabulous, famous, opera comedienne Natalie Choquette doing coming to Nanaimo – La Diva who has performed before crowds of up to 18,000 in Europe in arena-size venues? "I’m really honoured to have been invited by the symphony there," said Choquette from her home in Montreal. "It’s such a beautiful part of the world. When I visited the Island a few years ago its beauty just blew me away!”

Choquette who, with her many comic diva characters, has brought laughter to audiences of all ages and cultures on four continents will be performing "Who Ever Said Opera Was Boring?" with the Vancouver Island Symphony and Maestro Marlin Wolfe at the Port Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 15.

"It’s so important to laugh," said Choquette, who was born in Tokyo during a Typhoon and can converse, sing and joke in at least six different languages. "In olden days people laughed for a good 17 minutes a day. Now we are reduced to two."

Opera is definitely not boring for the fans of La Diva. Audiences everywhere have been known to break into applause and laugh uproariously at Choquette whether she’s singing a “Turandot” aria while decked out in hair curlers and slurping spaghetti, breaking out into a Neaopolitan while hanging laundry on stage, filing her fingernails while giving a superb rendition of “Summertime”, or when she sings Puccini’s "Nessun Dorma" refrain while gargling a mouthful of red wine… without missing a note! And the costumes by Rossignol are outrageous.

"No matter where in the world we come from we have a vibration that’s common. We are all human beings, and people laugh at the same silly jokes. Africans are very jolly, and Indians have spontaneous laughter. In Egypt they have less material things but they sure know how to have fun. In Japan people are so discreet about their emotions. Latinos are very expressive. The French in France analyze. You have to be very sensitive and open to the personality of the audience."

When asked what it was like singing in front of 60,000 people for the Danube Music Festival in 2000 she replied, “The first few seconds – after feeling the personality of the audience you settle down and deliver your stuff and make sure that everybody feels included in what you do. It’s harder to sing for one person than 60,000. You can feel shy. But it’s fun too. You just have to take that minute to feel the audience and then you’re OK. That’s normal. When you master the stage fright it’s adrenaline, and it’s so important to have that when you walk on stage. It’s like when you vacuum, you need a special kind of energy.”

In 1999 Choquette swept across Europe for the “Night of the Proms” tour, a rock and classical music extravaganza. For the 37 concerts she was accompanied by the Il Novencento Symphony Orchestra, a choir of 40 young singers, Italian singing star Zucchero, Britain’s famous Status Quo, and Tina Turner’s musical director, John Miles. That was the same year she won the Grand Prize for the International Humour Festival in Haguenau, France.

“I realize that I get the same comments all over the world from people who don’t normally go to the opera and think it’s for people with fur coats and diamonds,” she continued. “The comments that come out are - ‘Thank you for making opera accessible to the people.’

“Everybody loves the music, through movies and films. What scares people away from the music is not so much the music itself, but they feel awkward when thy go into a concert hall - maybe someone has said, ‘Shhh,’ if they applauded in the wrong place. Bringing an entertaining side to the art brings an ease, it brings laughter. I’ve even had comments from punks and bikers and teenagers who were dragged to a concert – that they were glad they went. One seven-year-old girl said to me, ‘When I grow up I want to be an operator just like you.’”

As Choquette talked away enthusiastically her two daughters, age five and three could be heard in the background. “Whenever I’m on the phone that’s when they ask for things.”

Yes, La Diva is also a mother and wife. And how do her children feel about what she does? “The children love coming to the shows – they love the dresses I wear - like fairy tale clothes. They have even come on stage with me. It’s important that they feel a part of what I’m doing.”

Her husband, Eric Lagacé is also part of the family business. “He composed all the Diva’s themes that announce the colour of who is coming on stage next. While I go off and change the orchestra plays the theme preparing the audience for the next character.”

That’s one thing Choquette definitely aims for – a balanced family life. “This is how we do it – our way of living our life, together.” That also includes oldest daughter Florence, now 20, who has toured with and without Choquette as a pianist and singer.

January was a time to spend at home with family. But once February comes into full swing she’s off to sing in Bermuda, then after her performance in Nanaimo she takes the family to San Domingo.

Laughter is one of the best medicines and Choquette delivers it. “Even people who are grieving, they have come to me and said that for the first time they were able to laugh, that they hadn’t laughed in so long. And there’s the beauty of the music. The whole thing put together unblocks things that we can’t express in words that gives you the strength to go on – like flowers, and a smile.”

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s with family and friends in Nanaimo than with a musical bouquet of flowers, a smile and a laugh for the heart? Your heart will thank you.

Further information and bookings can be obtained on Natalie's website.

Note: There are many more articles on this site. Follow the link to view the Index of Articles.

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Copyright Rosemary Phillips, Quills Quotes & Notes Enterprises, 2007
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