David Patrick Stearns has no problem reconciling the physical size of a singer with the role he or she’s supposed to assume. “The opera world is splintering in ways that make big-blast singers – most often those with weight problems – not always necessary. Directors are the new stars of the opera houses, which for some operagoers is a sign of defeat. If there are so few great singers out there, voice connoisseurs think, at least opera can tell interesting stories. There’s an even wilder card with opera’s changing venues: What used to be a medium of standardized grandeur now comes in all shapes and forms, some demanding physical appropriateness, some not.”