Talking with singers: Michael Fabiano

Interview

"We're in an era where things need to be tried. We can't just do the same. That's the argument against the model in America sometimes, where we just do traditional opera productions for the sake of doing them traditionally because no one wants to see anything different. That to me is not an acceptable answer."

Talking with singers: Samantha Pickett

Interview

There's no manual for anyone's five-year plan, and Pickett is on no quest for any sort of Right Answer™. "That would make for a really uninteresting artistic journey, if we were all following the same path."

Don't miss: No Place Like Home

Interview

"And to have a home, it's also important to have a place that is not-home - which is easy enough to define if you only feel at home in one place, but much more difficult when, say, you fly across the world and feel like you understand the heartbeat of a totally foreign city. That feeling isn't home-as-a-place, that feeling is home-as-a-mental-state."

Dressing opera singers: chatting with costume designer Meriem Bahri

Interview

For years, she pushed her love of fashion and drawing to the side until, while studying in Lille, she happened to meet the couturiere designing and building costumes for her local amateur dance troupe. The couturiere showed Bahri how to use a sewing machine and she was hooked.

Talking with singers: Hailey Clark

Interview

"The sooner you can define who you are and what you do best, the easier it is for people to identify and understand your "brand." This is an artistic field, of course, but it's also a business, and in order for companies to sell tickets and keep the art form alive, it's important for them to know the three-dimensional artist that they’re hiring and trusting to tell their story."

Talking with conductors: Lidiya Yankovskaya

Interview

"Being an operatic singer is one of the most challenging jobs in the world - not only do you have to be a great musician, but you also have to be a great actor, to be able to move convincingly on stage, to sing in half a dozen languages without an accent, and to know your part to such an extent that if something goes wrong - you don't miss a beat."

The voice teacher series: Betsy Bishop

Interview

"My singers, being older, have a different need for honesty. I don't think it is ethical for me to pronounce judgement on their potential, but I do think I should point out difficulties that might put a career out of reach for them."

"Requiem for a Lost Girl is based on a true story."

Interview

"The tragedy of her death and stigma that surrounded it is still with me. This experience is how I found my way into the themes of this piece."

Talking with singers: Sara Duchovnay

Interview

"In addition to emotional support, I want to be able to provide members of my community with opportunities for financial stability so they can get out of unhealthy situations, whether they be unhealthy relationships, less-than-ideal living situations, or jobs that don’t enhance their careers."

The voice teacher series: Arianna Zukerman

Interview

"I won't give anyone false hope - there are those singers who don't have what it takes but it's not for me to tell those people. That's a very hard-won lesson that sometimes only comes from putting yourself "out there" and seeing where you stack up."