Interviews

Talking with singers: Tamara Gura

Talking with singers: Tamara Gura

"Trust your uniqueness and what you have to say. Make it your goal to find out what that is and how you can share it with the world. Take your time so that you enjoy each step of the process."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with singers: Lucas Meachem

Talking with singers: Lucas Meachem

"I didn't wait around for an interview that wasn't going to happen - I took it into my own hands through my blog. It's a lot of work and I'm proud to say I've posted consistently for over a year now. Phew! What motivates and inspires me most are real conversations I have with others in the opera world. That's what makes it so authentic."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with singers: John Holiday

Talking with singers: John Holiday

"I can remember dragging myself out of my third floor dorm room, in Mary Hay Hall (sidenote: Above my room, there was a plaque that read 'Future Leaders of Tomorrow'), and being late to those required acting classes for music majors. Ladies and gentlemen, if you're reading, take advantage of those classes. You'll be thankful you did."

Jenna Simeonov
Cycles of My Being: "This is their story."

Cycles of My Being: "This is their story."

"I hope that people will show a great appreciation for the work of this young composer, the work of the lyricist, and the work of the other musicians on stage, but also our commitment to telling this story. I hope it gives a new perspective, and really allows people to see into the psyche and mindset of a young educated black man in America."

Jenna Simeonov
Grime sees debut at Wigmore Hall

Grime sees debut at Wigmore Hall

"It is wonderful to me that Helen Grime, such a phenomenal, fearless composer and also a mother, should take these poems from the book and give them a new embodiment in her song cycle," says Benson.

Jenna Simeonov
Don't miss Tap:Ex Forbidden: "We are tough and resilient."

Don't miss Tap:Ex Forbidden: "We are tough and resilient."

"As a female composer with a Persian background, I have the privilege to be able to see the performance of my opera. It brings tears to my eyes, knowing many Iranian music masters who have written great operas that are forbidden to be performed on stage. Having this privilege, it is my responsibility to create."

Jenna Simeonov
Heggie's Holocaust operas see Canadian premiere

Heggie's Holocaust operas see Canadian premiere

"What we wanted to explore in these pieces is, what it is to survive when you're not necessarily doing heroic things, you're just surviving," Heggie says of his Holocaust-themed one-acts. "What Krystyna had to do in order to survive was not heroic, it was horrifying."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with singers: Andrea Carè

Talking with singers: Andrea Carè

"I sincerely believe there’s not only one reason. I myself never decided or planned to sing professionally; I never thought I would manage my developing in a way that I could make this form of art my job."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with conductors: George Jackson

Talking with conductors: George Jackson

"Walking into the rehearsal room with a new orchestra is pure psychology: I find that my antennae are up, reading the room's complex dynamics in the first few minutes. It's part of the job that I love most, because it's essentially a multiplied version of one-to-one interaction."

Jenna Simeonov
The voice teacher series: Elizabeth McDonald

The voice teacher series: Elizabeth McDonald

"For me, breath is the genesis of everything in life, and therefore singing, and I am a very demanding teacher when it comes to breath, especially for singers at the beginning stages of training."

Jenna Simeonov

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