Don't miss Acis & Galatea: A Gender Liberation Opera

Interview

"In the world of opera and classical music, we tell a version of history that neglects LGBTQ+ people (as well as women and people of colour) and this is not because these communities and identities did not exist. It's because they were not treated equally and therefore were not as prominent in society or they assumed or feigned other identities to fit into society. Today, we embrace and celebrate diverse identities, but this is not reflected enough in our storytelling and programming in the operatic world."

Getting vexed over Wagner & other narcissisms

Op-ed

The appalled opera goers make claims about wasted money and travel time, and they take a strange stance of half-defending, half-blaming the performers onstage. But the main objections seem to be the apparent "desecration" of Wagner's work. "Yes, I naively assumed that Wagner’s family had obeyed his very exacting wishes, and that Bayreuth was the place to see his operas as he intended them," writes Peacock.

Elizabeth Cree: "The story begins with her hanging."

Interview

"Just before the noose tightens she sings, cryptically, "Here we are again!" We are then immediately thrust back to her trial, in which she is on the stand for the murder of her husband. She is sarcastic and grandiose, playing to the crowd. Then she herself takes us back to the squalid reality of her childhood and we feel for her as she dreams of the music hall and its wonders. She is very complex and interesting."

Aria guides: Sempre libera

How-To

It's a cornerstone of the operatic repertoire: Violetta's Act I aria from La traviata. It's got everything, from delicious long lines to flashy coloratura, and it has the special honour of closing the opera's first act. Violetta is a role that most sopranos covet, and many of them start their Traviata trip with "Sempre libera". Along with the work you do with your voice teachers and coaches, our latest Aria Guide a little naviagtion kit to help you along your way:

Aria guides: Embroidery Aria

How-To

Have you ever been faced with an ugly truth that's hard to deny? That's the gist of the stunning "Embroidery Aria", sung by Ellen Orford in Britten's Peter Grimes. The Embroidery Aria is no easy sing, and as you work on it in the practice room and with your teachers and coaches, we can help you get off on the right track with our latest Aria Guide:

Aria guides: the Composer's Aria

How-To

It's brisk, colourful, more than a little meta in subject matter, and it's a trouser role to boot. It's a densely packed aria that shows off your goods, and there's a fine line to tread between singing beautifully in the way that Strauss so often asks for, and pushing your voice into the realm of screaming.

4 foreign language challenges for singers

Without enough nasal quality in those very particular French vowels, you'll sound like an awkward American, speaking Italian with a bad head cold; go too far with your nasality, and you can be accused of making a gross mockery of what French sounds like to non-French people.

David Hertzberg's The Wake World: "A strange and sexy synergy."

Interview

"I hope people enjoy the show (!), maybe even get carried away, and that afterwards they experience the collection, and maybe even opera, or dare I say, art in general, with fresh ears and eyes."

Singers: it's time to expand your dating pool

Editorial

Having a partner who isn't a musician will also be a great way of making sure you don't lose your friends in the process of gaining a romantic relationship; you'll always need to have those cathartic, industry-specific conversations with people who get your shorthand, and it's a beautiful thing to have a few things that remain specially reserved for you and your singer friends.

"We all wear clothes. They sit right on our skin."

Interview

"This is the perfect opera for Bicycle Opera! It has given us an amazing opportunity to tour this work to locations outside of the regular concert venue, since we don't need a piano or any space for our instrumentalists. This year, we were able to bring the show to some spaces that had a direct connection to the material."