Jessica Cale Interview

February 6, 2025

Jessica Cale Interview

This week, we interviewed Jessica Cale who is appearing in The Capulets and the Montagues which opens at London’s Hackney Empire on 22nd February before touring across the country until 26th April 2025:
https://englishtouringopera.org.uk/productions/the-capulets-the-montagues

Q. Tell us a bit about The Capulets and the Montagues, and your role as Giulietta.

A. The Capulets and the Montagues is essentially the story of Romeo and Juliet but very much focussed on the tense political world of the two rival families and how this impacts the relationship of the lovers. Giulietta is a young woman who has grown up as the daughter of a powerful Mafia boss and falls in love with Romeo, her father’s rival and murderer of her brother.

Q. What would you like to bring to the role?

A. Giulietta doesn’t have much agency in this male-dominated world of the mafia, but through meeting and falling in love with Romeo, she finds a powerful inner strength that grows through the opera. I really want to show this journey for Giulietta, moving from a place of relative innocence and vulnerability to a place of strength and decisiveness.

Q. What can the audience expect from this production?

A. Audiences can expect tense political drama, drawn weapons, discovered lovers, blood, deaths – a lot of drama! The design for this production is also very stylised and really transports us to the diner in Little Italy which is at the heart of this political family. There may also be a twist in the tale at the end to watch out for…

Q. What are you looking forward to most?

A. I’m really looking forward to seeing the full set and bringing what we have developed in the rehearsal studio to the full stage. We have been working in real detail on nuance and character arcs so I can’t wait for audiences to meet the fully formed characters that we have been creating.

Q. What do you enjoy about touring?

A. I love the challenge that touring opera gives us of slotting in a fully formed production into different theatres. Each space, stage, and acoustic is unique; as performers that is really exciting. I enjoy that you can nuance your character slightly differently in each space depending on how close the audience are and how intimate the venue.

Q. Is there any one venue that you particularly love performing at, and why?

A. I love performing at Buxton Opera House as it just such a perfectly formed, intimate opera house. Another favourite is Snape Maltings as the acoustic is incredible and you can really risk taking the dynamics right down and drawing the audience in. Hopefully, we can create some magic at every venue!

Q. How did you first become interested in opera? Did anyone inspire you and were you brought up in a musical family?

A. Music was always in my home when I was growing up and I benefitted from excellent state school music tuition back home in Pembrokeshire. The first opera I ever saw was during my time at Cardiff University when I went to watch WNO’s La traviata. I was absolutely transfixed but never dreamed that I would become an opera singer – back then I was only interested in singing choral music. Fast forward 10 years and I found myself finishing my training at the RCM International Opera Studio and I have been letting my voice guide me along this operatic journey ever since.

Q. What were you up to in 2023/4 and what did you particularly enjoy?

A. I have been very lucky to work for some wonderful British opera companies over the last couple of years. In 2023 I was in the chorus for Glyndebourne Festival Opera where I also covered the role of Helena in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Then in 2024 I worked at Garsington Opera covering the role of Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro for which I won the Leonard Ingrams Award. This is my second production with ETO after playing the title role in Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea in 2023, and I am very happy to be back! I enjoy balancing my opera work with oratorio and recital work in the UK and Europe.

Q. What piece of advice would you give to any young opera singers wanting to turn professional?

A. Singing for a living is the best job in the world, it can be so incredibly rewarding but it can also be hard work. You have to be resilient, dedicated, resourceful and most importantly, have a real passion for making music. A piece of advice I would give is to be open to every opportunity and follow your instincts to find the right pathway for you. Everyone has a different route into this career and there is no right or wrong way. If you are passionate about what you do, hard working, and a good colleague, you won’t go far wrong. Good luck!