Don't miss: "Feet" at the Horniman Museum

Interview

"It was this juxtaposition, and the indignity of an animal losing its feet for a reason we would now consider to be quite minor, which formed the basis of the idea. Our main character, the pigeon (sorry, rock dove) just wants to tell her story and get a bit of attention for once."

In review: Jamie Barton leaves you wanting more

Review

I know I often talk about the immense amount of amazingly talented singers, but I want to go on record and say it applies to all musicians - and last night was proof positive of that. That being said, this was Mahler, so the night belonged to the brass.

Rehearsing trauma: How working on an opera helped me heal

It is not enough to re-experience our own pain on stage; we must externalize it so the audience can join us through empathy.

Nick Fletcher: reps at the ROH

Interview

"It's taken me a long time to realise that as a rep you're not just a piano player meekly sitting in the corner, but instead a wide-ranging and versatile musician whose ideas, even if ultimately rejected, should still be part of the creative process that happens in the rehearsal room."

3 ways your English is showing

How-to

There are idioms in every language, and that's what we hear when someone speaks with a foreign accent. It's handy for singers to identify some of these habits and idioms that keep them from sounding comfortable in a non-native language. So, we've identified three big linguistic tells for North American English speakers, and how to keep them from foreign language mastery.

In review: Alek Shrader at Wigmore Hall

Review

There seemed to be two versions of Alek Shrader, one who was invested in singing well and communicating deeply, and another who was humble, perhaps a bit shy, and who relished the chance to move the spotlight onto Vignoles for the fun piano part in Rossini's tarantella.

Talking with singers: Craig Irvin

Interview

Perhaps not surprisingly, Irvin learned some big truths about his singing life from being an amateur comic. "If it was about the applause, I wouldn't have gotten up and done it again," he explains. "It was about the performance. That's what I'm drawn to most of all."

One mezzo's Met debut: "I just can't wait."

Interview

We carry a flag, the Metropolitan Opera flag, but also the opera flag in a general sense. We are ambassadors of this art form and everyone really knows this, and they are so helpful and supporting of our jobs and of the fact that we are here to learn from them. They always get so happy and excited when I tell them I'm one of the Lindemann singers!

Talking with singers: Sidney Outlaw

Interview

"I try my best to lead by example," he says. Outlaw sees his singing as an opportunity for putting something positive in the world, "to perform and sing and be a blessing in people's lives, so if they have that kind of hate in their heart, when I'm done with them, they don't any more."

Women in the arts: is it our turn, yet?

Editorial

And what if they remain ignored? What if women never make up 50% of our conductor, choreographers, and General Directors? Does that mean that our artistic experiences have been, and will always be, limited? Are we missing out on masterpieces without more women calling the artistic shots? Are there certain avenues of the arts that women are simply less interested in pursuing, like technical direction or stage direction?