What happens when it goes wrong?

Available for over a year

For singers, the voice is both a source of freedom and a source of vulnerability. Unlike any other instrument, it cannot simply be replaced when it breaks. In this essay, tenor Nicky Spence confronts the fragility of the voice, exploring what happens when our most personal instrument encounters difficulty. Alongside voice specialist Mr Declan Costello, he investigates the causes of vocal injury and illness. With an archive interview from Dame Shirley Bassey and thoughts from soprano Lucy Crowe, Nicky explores the emotional and physical challenges singers face when their voice is under threat and the resilience required to recover and return to performance. It is a story of risk, repair and recovery, and of the deep connection between voice, identity and artistic survival. Produced by Calantha Bonnissent