Opera Singer Hides Pregnancy to Avoid Stigma

Rebecca Krynski Cox as Stella in A StreetCar Named Desire. — Rebecca Krynski Cox as Stella in A StreetCar Named Desire (Daniel Ozoulay for Florida Opera)

The soprano Rebecca Krynski Cox maintains a busy calendar and an active social media presence. But it wasn’t until the 9th month of her pregnancy that she announced in a joint post with the Florida Grand Opera that she was pregnant.

Driving the news: Rebecca Krynski Cox recently performed Mimì with the Florida Grand Opera (FGO). Krynski Cox prolifically posts on social media but refrained from posting anything to reveal her pregnancy. Krynski Cox claims she didn’t want to hinder companies from casting her in future seasons. The FGO supported Krynski Cox through her performances; rebuilding her costumes, having an EMT backstage, and keeping a doctor on call.

Why it matters: Pregnancy is a hot topic in the performing arts. In 2018, Julie Fuchs was unexpectedly fired from her appearances as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with the Hamburg State Opera when she was 4 months pregnant and still in top vocal and physical form. In 2016, the Broadway musical Shuffle Along closed with producer Scott Rudin citing the star Audra McDonald’s pregnancy as the reason.

A New York Times article recently explained how‑-more than five years after the #MeToo movement‑-many companies now think creatively to accommodate pregnant singers. The Metropolitan Opera states that if a pregnant singer wants to perform, they will.

Yet it can still be nerve-wracking for a singer to be public about their family life due to the industry’s male-dominated, highly competitive nature. Brava to Rebecca Krynski Cox for speaking out, and congrats to her and her family.

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Sara Schabas

Sara Schabas is a Dora-nominated soprano, writer and yoga teacher. She has performed and created leading roles with companies including Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Dayton Opera, and Aspen Opera, and is a former member of Barbara Hannigan’s Equilibrium Young Artists. Currently based in Montreal, she is a doctoral student at McGill University — where she recently received the Wirth Vocal Prize — and editor of Art Song Canada magazine.