The Daily: “She Risked Her Voice to Become a Mother”

Date: April 5, 2026
Host: Natalie Kitroeff
Guest: Zachary Woolf (opera critic, writer)
Feature Subject: Lisa Davidson (Norwegian soprano)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the personal and professional crossroads faced by world-renowned opera singer Lisa Davidson after she became a mother to twins. Through her journey, the conversation addresses the unique challenges and high stakes of balancing parenthood with an elite artistic career—particularly when physical changes from pregnancy could threaten her singular, world-famous voice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Who is Lisa Davidson?

• Lisa's Breakthrough: Described as “one of the greatest singers of our time with a one in a million voice,” Davidson electrified the opera world roughly a decade ago.
• Signature Roles: She excels in the most demanding parts, especially those by Wagner. Her breakout came with Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, which “put her on the map with plushness and opulence that had not been heard in years” (03:49).
• Vocal Uniqueness: Davidson’s voice combines immense power with an unusual softness:

  “For Lisa Davidson, it’s like these spears are made of this kind of soft light... strength and power... luminous... there’s a beauty, a roundedness.”
  — Zachary Woolf (04:27)

2. High Stakes in Opera & Pregnancy Concerns

• Opera’s Fragile State: With declining ticket sales, Davidson has become a vital figure at institutions like the Metropolitan Opera (07:23).
• Risks of Pregnancy for Singers: Davidson agonized over becoming a mother due to the risk that pregnancy’s physical and hormonal changes could permanently damage her voice:

  “Once you start messing with that, it could be disastrous and has been for some singers.”
  — Zachary Woolf (10:01)

• Psychological Hurdles: The mental aspect of singing at her level requires utmost confidence, which amplifies the threat of any physical setback (05:58).

3. Personal Journey to Motherhood

• Initial Reluctance: Davidson viewed her voice as her “gift” and prioritized her career for many years.

  “For many years, I was persuaded by that and very, very happy about that... it was my dream.”
  — Lisa Davidson (09:15)

• Turning Point: Meeting her partner Ben stirred her thinking:

  “If you want kids, you should just find someone else... if that’s what you want.”
  — Lisa Davidson to Ben (11:09)

• Struggles with Fertility: Davidson suffered two miscarriages (13:03, 13:55), performing through personal heartbreak and keeping her losses private to maintain her professional composure (14:35).

4. Pregnancy, Twins, and Immediate Aftermath

• Unexpected News: Successful natural conception resulted in twins, a joyous and surprising event even for Davidson’s doctor (15:51).
• Health Scare at Birth: Following a non-C-section birth, Davidson experienced internal bleeding and an emergency procedure (19:13).

  “I was scared I was never going to see them again.”
  — Lisa Davidson (19:28)

• Time Off & Emotional Strain: Davidson refrained from singing for about a month—unprecedented for her—and experienced significant anxiety about whether her voice would return:

  “All I thought about was my voice. I was like, how is my voice gonna change?”
  — Lisa Davidson (20:20)

5. Return to Singing & Postpartum Challenges

• Voice Recovers, Mind Struggles:

  “The minute she started back, she was fine... what she was not expecting was where her head was at. The emotional aspect was really hard.”
  — Zachary Woolf (20:25)

• Guilt & Dual Pressures:

  “I just wanted to be near them all the time... Singing felt like such a silly thing to do.”
  — Lisa Davidson (21:16, 21:20)

• Demanding Schedule: Opera’s lack of lengthy maternity leave meant a rapid return to the stage—preparing for an unprecedented new role in Tristan und Isolde mere months after giving birth (21:51).

6. First Performances as a Mother

• Emotional Toll in Barcelona: Davidson endured intense guilt and exhaustion, feeling like she failed both at work and home:

  “I cried almost every day when I left the home... I felt I failed at work, I failed at home... this sense of lack of being enough... In the beginning, I said, there’s no point, why should I sing when I used to love it?”
  — Lisa Davidson (22:42)

• Critical Success, Personal Emptiness: Despite rave reviews and professional triumph, she felt “completely empty” and dissociated:

  “It meant little to me to get a huge ovation... All I felt in Barcelona was relieved I didn’t fail.”
  — Lisa Davidson (24:50)

7. A Transformative New York Production

• Production Embraces Motherhood Theme: Director Yuval Sharon reimagined Tristan und Isolde with Isolde visibly pregnant, culminating in a staged birth—a creative choice resonant with Davidson’s recent experience (28:13).

  “When she enters and is visibly pregnant and sees her dying Tristan, she puts his hands on her belly... their farewell is a recognition that there’s going to be something that continues on after his death.”
  — Zachary Woolf (31:53)

• Catharsis and Integration: The production’s focus on birth, death, and renewal mirrored Davidson’s own life, offering an avenue for emotional healing:

  “The Liebestod is to the new baby... it was very beautiful... healing and tiring.”
  — Lisa Davidson (32:39, 36:35) “Being able to do that night after night was meaningful and I think cathartic for her.”
  — Zachary Woolf (35:58)

8. Continuing Evolution: Integrating Art and Parenthood

• Improving Balance: Davidson’s partner and twins traveled with her; she practiced “being away and then come home”—skills new to her as a mother (34:56).
• Opera as Anchor: Gradually, Davidson found renewed meaning in her work as “a way of anchoring yourself... a new kind of commitment” (34:12).
• Ongoing Questions:

  “She said she’s not sure... wants to rethink her schedule, wants the travel to fit her new family. The opera world will be watching... will she continue at this level for 10, 20 years, or ramp down?”
  — Zachary Woolf (37:59, 39:30)

• Changed Identity:

  “I’ve changed. This is not the person that I was before. The voice has not changed, but I am a different person.”
  — Lisa Davidson (40:09, 40:38)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Fragile Magic of Opera Singing:

  "There are people who can scream through Isolde... She manages to make it like a laser, but a soft laser."
  — Zachary Woolf (05:11)

• On the Reluctance to Have Children:

  “For many years, I was persuaded by that... your thing. That was my thing.”
  — Lisa Davidson (09:15)

• On the Emotional Cost of Professional Commitment & Motherhood:

  "I felt I failed at work. I failed at home... this complete sense of lack of being enough."
  — Lisa Davidson (22:42)

• On Performance After Motherhood:

  "All I felt in Barcelona was relieved I didn’t fail. From the outside, a great success. Interviewing her, when we were all so happy for her, she was going through this agony."
  — Zachary Woolf (25:15)

• On Art Mirroring Life:

  “The Liebestod is to the new baby... it was very beautiful... healing and tiring.”
  — Lisa Davidson (32:39, 36:35)

• On Her Changed Identity:

  “The voice has not changed, but I am a different person.”
  — Lisa Davidson (40:38)

Important Timestamps

• 02:40 – Introduction to Lisa Davidson’s impact on the opera world
• 07:23 – The Met’s and opera’s struggles; betting on Davidson’s voice
• 10:01 – Pregnancy risks for opera singers
• 13:03 – Discussion of fertility struggles and miscarriages
• 19:13 – Birth, health scare, and first postpartum weeks
• 20:20 – Davidson’s fears about her voice after pregnancy
• 22:42 – Guilt and emotional collapse upon returning to work
• 24:50 – Success onstage, emptiness offstage
• 28:13 – New York production incorporates themes of birth and motherhood
• 31:53 – Staging choices: Isolde’s goodbye as a pregnant mother
• 37:59 – Davidson reflects on the future and changes in her identity

Summary

In this intimate episode, The Daily takes listeners through the intertwined journeys of artistic triumph and personal transformation, as Lisa Davidson navigates new motherhood alongside a demanding, high-stakes career in opera. Her story—marked by emotional highs and lows, vulnerable admissions, and creative catharsis onstage—offers a powerful reflection on the shifting balance between vocation and family, as well as the enduring challenges faced by working mothers at the peak of their professions.