How Brittany Smith became the unlikely opera singer who stole the show

It takes courage to go down a path like this. But the moment Brittany Smith saw a performance of Georges Bizet’s Carmen on a school choir outing at the age of 16, she knew her future lay in opera. “I felt something awaken deep inside of me,” she says. Then a student at Rhenish Girls' High School, Smith was encouraged to pursue her dream by her choir mistress who recognised her talent. 

But as she continued her journey, graduating with a BMus in Opera from UCT and taking the lead on multiple productions, others were still not so sure. “I was told multiple times that I would never be successful, that I'm not white enough to be an opera singer, I’m not black enough,” Smith says. “I turned around and I turned that into the fuel for my fire and look where I am now.”

Today, Smith is a Fleur du Cap award-winning soloist with Cape Town Opera House hitting all the high notes and taking on roles that show her singing and acting skills across opera and theatre. “By taking a leap of faith, I unleashed my inner voice,” she says.

But Smith’s journey hasn’t always been harmonious. At the age of 21, she contracted tuberculosis below her vocal chords which threatened to cause damage to her voice quality and cut short her career. After making a full recovery, Smith began advocating to end TB stigma and encourage people who have the illness to complete their full course of treatment.

Having had these experiences that tested her ability to succeed, Smith is no longer caring whether critics think she’s the right colour or fit for opera – instead using her voice to prove her talent and shine the spotlight on under recognised communities. “I said, ‘Stuff it, I'm going to show you what I'm made of’. I became a representative for coloured culture on stage,” she says.

Smith’s response to critics who didn’t believe she could make it as an opera singer, and the voice she’s trained over the years, prove the power of knowing what you want and going for it.

Some images and footage used in the creation of this video has been supplied by Brittany Smith with credit to Cape Town Opera.