In 2021, Roy Hage arrived at the GSB with an uncommon professional background: opera singer. Growing up in Beirut, he drowned out the sounds of warfare by singing along to Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and recordings by the operatic trio the Three Tenors. Singing “was an act that soothed me,” Hage says. Thus began his path to performances with the likes of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Santa Fe Opera.
When the pandemic shuttered shows, Hage, MBA ’23, used the interlude to co-found the Soloist Collective for Emerging Artists, which advocates for improved conditions and inclusivity in opera. At Stanford, Hage returned to the stage with an autobiographical Stanford Live show, Finding My Voice, a one-man, multimedia performance that showcased Middle Eastern and American influences. These days, the tenor works in marketing—that is, when he’s not commanding the stage. In November, the LA Opera staged the world premiere of Hildegard with Hage in the principal role of Volmar, a monk and friend of the title character, a medieval German Benedictine abbess. It marked Hage’s 47th operatic role.
Tracie White is a senior writer at Stanford. Email her at traciew@stanford.edu.
