Q&A

When did you start singing?
There's not a time I don't remember singing in some capacity.

Why did you start singing?
I have a need to perform and to share my love of music with others.

Which singer inspired you most when you were young?
Luciano Pavarotti.

Which singer do you most admire?
Bryn Terfel.

What's your favourite role?
The Barber of Seville.

What role have you never played but would have liked to?
Violetta from La traviata – she runs the gamut of all emotions in one show and she gets a death scene.

What's your favourite opera to watch?
La Bohème. Every time I'm swept away.

Who is your favourite composer?
Mozart.

Who is your favourite writer?
David Sedaris.

Who is your favourite theatre or film director?
Quentin Tarantino.

Who is your favourite actor?
Meryl Streep.

Who is your favourite dancer?
Pina Bausch.

What is your favourite book?
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.

What is your favourite film?
Shawshank Redemption.

Which is your favourite city?
San Francisco in US, Budapest in Europe.

Backstage at the Toulouse Opera as The Count from Le nozze di Figaro 2016

After a performance of La Boheme at the Royal Opera House with soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Joseph Calleja 2015

Backstage at San Francisco Opera as Malatesta in Don Pasquale 2016

What do you like most about yourself?
My actions reflect my morals.

What do you dislike about yourself?
My sweet tooth.

What was your proudest moment?
Every time I stand up for what I believe in.

When and where were you happiest?
My wedding which was in my favourite childhood spot, Wrightsville Beach, NC.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My wife, Irina.

What is your greatest fear?
The tax man coming for me.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I'd be jet-lag proof.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having a career in singing.

Lucas Meachem as Dr Malatesta in Don Pasquale © San Francisco Opera

Lucas Meachem as Silvio and Patricia Racette as Nedda © Cory Weaver, Metropolitan Opera

What is your most treasured possession?
My wedding ring, which is both my late grandfathers' wedding rings fused into one.

What is your greatest extravagance?
My Rimowa luggage.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
None! After Googling “virtues” I'm pretty ok with all of them.

On what occasion do you lie?
After I receive a compliment on my singing, it's sometimes difficult to accept it. I hold back from pointing out my mistakes. I say “thank you” because I do appreciate it, but like any performer I can't help from thinking what I could have done better.

If you hadn't been a singer what would you have liked to be?
I've always wanted to own a rescue dog sanctuary.

What is your most marked characteristic?
My Southern charm.

What quality do you most value in a friend?
Loyalty.

What quality do you most value in a colleague?
Acceptance.

Which historical figure do you most admire?
Nikola Tesla.

Which living person do you most admire?
Neil deGrasse Tyson.

What do you most dislike?
Raw red onions.

What talent would you most like to have?
A 50-inch vertical leap (for dunking).

Wandering in Prague before a concert with the Prague Philharmonia 2017

A quick coffee in Lincoln Center before the Met HD of La Boheme 2018

Walking to rehearsal at the Met for La Boheme 2017

What's your idea of perfect happiness?
A perfect equilibrium of respect, art, and family.

How would you like to die?
After surviving the zombie apocalypse and repopulating the world with my wife, peacefully in my sleep.

What is your motto?
Show up on time, know your music, and don't be a dick.

Lucas Meachem © Simon Pauly

Lucas Meachem © Simon Pauly

You can keep up with Luca Meachem through his website, and social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube.

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.