Before getting started, I need to confess; my only exposure to the opera was back in the early 90s when I watched Bugs Bunny play maestro Leopold Stokowski.
Regardless of my lack of experience with and attendance at the opera, with cannabis’ popularity apparent in the theatre, I couldn’t imagine a world in which cannabis wouldn’t make opera better.
The opera house lights dim, the curtains open, and the music starts. A fluttering flute followed by a single, boisterous voice echoing Italian or German, neither of which I speak, but I can understand the emotion behind the words more intimately.
This is my romanticized vision of attending the opera, and I might not be that far off.
But does cannabis play a role in the lives of opera singers? And if so, what are the risks and benefits of consuming as it relates to their career?
Anonymous Opera Singers on Cannabis Consumption
Some opera singers prefer to go off the record when speaking about cannabis consumption. That being said, several anonymous opera singers on Reddit weighed in on the conversation.
One elusively elevated opera enthusiast on Reddit claimed that singers perform while high in top opera houses throughout the world.
A second nameless Redditor said, “Weed made long tech rehearsals bearable.”
According to another unknown Redditor, “From my experience, older generation of singers drink vodka and cognac, younger guys smoke, but not tenors.”
Another unnamed Redditor said, “Soprano here, just sang the Brahms Requiem stoned out of my f*cking mind on Sunday.”
And, my personal favorite anonymous statement on the increasingly apparent: “Only tenors and sopranos get high.”
Michael Mayes / Photo by Michael YeshionThe Self-Proclaimed “Willie Nelson of Opera Singers”
Michael Mayes, a professional opera singer and the self-proclaimed “Willie Nelson of opera singers,” discussed his experience …
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Author: Louis Levey / High Times
