A passion to connect: What Nicole Paiement learned from meeting RBG

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's love for classical opera is notorious. What is not so well-known is the breadth of her interest for vocal music, and what this means. It’s a topic that world-famous music conductor and founder of San Francisco-based Opera Parallèle, Nicole Paiement, discussed recently with a circle of friends. Here are responses to some of our questions.

When did you meet Ruth Bader Ginsburg?

I met her fairly recently. The first time was at the summer festival Glimmerglass in 2016. I was conducting my first production there, The Crucible. It’s an opera that Robert Ward composed in 1961 based on Arthur Miller’s play. I met her again when I conducted Handel’s Xerxes and also in 2018 for Kevin Puts’ 2011 opera Silent Night. 

So, how was it?

You know, when you see a person of this stature walk deliberately toward you after a performance, your body freezes for a split second, but strikingly enough, your fear melts away just as quickly when you see her glowing eyes and generous smile, in other words, her genuinely outgoing demeanor. From the get-go, you feel valued. She wanted to know about you. She was attentive, curious and interested.

Do you remember her first question?

In fact, she had an initial comment that went straight to my heart. She told me that she was always thrilled to see a woman on the podium [BTW, Nicole is as petite as RBG was]. Then, she was curious as to how I had come to this male-dominated profession. When I shared with her my passion for contemporary opera and my goals and vision for Opera Parallèle, she told me with her smooth yet decisive intonation that I should never hold back from doing what I believe in. The timbre of her voice is imprinted in my memory forever. You know, when celebrities encourage you, they sometimes adopt a pep-talk style laced with slight confrontational undertones. There was nothing of that sort here. Her poised charisma was inspiring me to continue to ease into my passion, a little bit like you have to ease into a piece of music even if it starts with fireworks. She was extraordinarily empowering, without overexerting persuasion power.

Were you aware that she was open to the non-classical repertoire?

I didn’t know one way or the other. I knew she loved the traditional repertoire, of course, but after meeting her, I could see how deeply she was interested in the human voice, both figuratively and literally. She was well-known for liking the expressiveness of classical operas, but her interest in human beings enabled her to understand less formulaic narratives and communication styles, and to empathize with different dramatization methods and singing styles. She did truly love all the dimensions of opera. Period. I believe she saw in opera the embodiment of an essential human instinct: telling stories through the singing voice. She felt its ability to help us reflect on who we are collectively and individually - as an exploration of the human condition, fundamentally.

The visceral power of the singing voice is unique. As a music listener she had the same broad-mindedness that dislodges prejudice and biases often embedded in our tastes. I read somewhere that when she learned about the late rapper Biggie Smalls, after she was dubbed "Notorious R.B.G.," she said, "We were both born and bred in Brooklyn, N.Y." Unsurprisingly, her first instinct was to find common ground.

What’s your last image of her?

After The Crucible,  she gave a talk on art and justice in the hall. As she entered the stage, and before she had spoken a single word, the whole hall rose to their fee and applauded for a very long time. Her petite figure, beaming large and bright on the stage, communicated – without any spoken words – her love for life, art and justice. I felt like she was on a podium, and that the warm audience was her orchestra. Like a skilled conductor she was communicating through her essence and energy. She had the same charisma that makes us so drawn to great artists. And her ability came from a similar place, I believe: an unshakeable confidence in and desire to make a connection.