There is nothing ordinary about Humble. In the tiny back-stage dressing room where we settle for a chat, she talks about the two months she spent in Bologna studying with vocal and language coaches before coming to Australia to make her Amneris debut. She familiarised herself with French repertoire while living in Paris, then spent seven years performing Wagner and perfecting her German in Hamburg; before turning her attention to Italian repertoire. “Bologna offered total immersion in the music and the language,” she says. “I can’t remember when last I’ve learned so much in such a short time.”
And is her Italian fluent now? She bursts out laughing. “Let’s just say it’s a lot better than it was.”
Amneris represents a new career direction for the super-focused Humble. “Until now I’ve been too young for Verdi’s dramatic mezzo roles, but as a freelance dramatic mezzo you have to sing Verdi; it’s what people want.”
Nevertheless, she describes her time as principal with the Hamburg Opera, where her Wagner career took off, as the most important period of her career. “It shaped the singer that I am today. I look back now and I’m quite glad I didn’t understand the enormity of some of the things I undertook there – if I’d realised I’m sure I’d have been a lot more stressed.” She recalls how, when making her debut as Erda in Das Rheingold and Siegfried, she found herself on stage with some of the world’s greatest Wagner voices, with many international music journalists in the audience. She received excellent reviews and as a result was invited to participate in the International Wagner Competition in Seattle, where she reached the finals and attracted further job offers.
“After that first Wagner, doors opened; people treated me differently. But I worked very, very hard, spending hours and hours and hours on the nuances of the German language. German audiences are very passionate; they boo and cheer with equal enthusiasm. I like that passion, but it can be quite frightening.”
In Hamburg, Humble enjoyed the support of former Opera Australia Music Director Simone Young, who’d offered her her first contract with Opera Australia after hearing her sing in London. “Simone put me in touch with colleagues whom I would not otherwise have met. But she always stressed that although she could offer me opportunities, it was up to me to make the most of them. When I worked with her I always made sure that I was 200% prepared.” When job offers from outside Hamburg began to come in, Young encouraged Humble to spread her wings. “She knew that those offers came my way because of what I’d learned in Hamburg, but she was happy for me to move on.”
As a freelancer, Humble continues to live in Hamburg. “I’ve made some good friends outside the opera – some of whom share my love of sport – and I enjoy some kind of normal life there. I’m pretty settled in Europe now.”
Having had the support of senior colleagues at crucial stages of her own career, Humble is happy to advise the many young singers who contact her with questions about opportunities in Europe. “Internationally, opera is a somewhat diminished world, but there still are opportunities; after all, Germany has more than 400 opera houses. But you have to be prepared to give it a lot of time – opera is not an instant career. And there are sacrifices: many singers decide that to be alone on the other side of the world, in cold winters, with little money, on the road all the time, without an EU passport and disadvantaged in terms of languages, is just too hard.”
Returning to Australia as an international artist has challenges of its own. Opera Australia has relatively long rehearsal periods – six weeks for Aida and a six-month commitment for the Ring– and for international singers the geographical isolation makes other work impossible. “It’s a big dilemma. I’ve had to say no to a lot of work to be able to do the Melbourne Ring.”
But Humble is thrilled to be part of this operatic milestone. “The Melbourne Ringhas attracted an international audience and it will get attention from the international media – it’s great for Australia.” For her personally, doing four roles in three cycles back-to-back will be a challenge. “I’ve only done two cycles at a time and found even that tiring – three will demand stamina!” Despite her many successes, Humble still has big ideals. “I’d love to sing at the great opera houses – La Scala, Covent Garden, Berlin, the Met. And of course, singing Wagner at Bayreuth would be the pinnacle of Wagner singing.”
She describes herself as “not competitive”, saying that her ambition is to be the best singer that she can be. “Opera is my life. I’m alone most of the time, travelling. I don’t have children, my family is far away – there have been a lot of sacrifices. I’m very grateful that I am able to have this career, but I have to get it right.”
