Talking with singers: Maria Mudryak

Interview

"Since I was ten I have been regularly checked by a phoniatrist; I was aware of the characteristics and features of my voice, and so, after graduating from the Conservatory at 18, I convinced my teacher Carlo Gaifa to let me try Violetta's aria; he did not agree at first but after hearing me he decided to teach me the aria and at twenty-two I was able to sing the whole role of Violetta Valéry."

Spotlight on: Lyndsay Promane

Interview

"Much like Oprah Winfrey, I'm not a fan of surprises. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong career and the wrong planet since my favourite performances came my way when I was not expecting them at all. Saying "yes" is powerful, and it's something I'm learning to do more often."

Spotlight on: Rihab Chaieb

Interview

"I have so much love for music, opera, and singing, but I am also open to many other things. I will sing until I think it's either time to stop, or because I feel I have been fulfilled by it and had enough of it, and that my brain naturally craves something else. But right now, I am insatiable!"

Spotlight on: Hannah De Priest

Interview

"I think what does all of us — especially those of us just breaking onto the scene — a disservice is making jealousy into this mystical, insurmountable monster. Hey, it's not because you're a soprano, it's because you're human. Everyone experiences that self-defeating twinge and everyone has to sort out how to deal with it so it doesn't morph into something all-consuming."

Spotlight on: Sarah Vautour

Interview

"It's important to find the perfect balance between being professional, and not taking yourself too seriously. We are all human. What this means in the professional world is that its okay to make a mistake, but important to learn from it. On the same token, I have learned to take more seriously the role of servant to my art."

Don't miss: In the Alps with the Aurora Orchestra

Interview

"The girl in the Ayres piece In the Alps is a rather odd character; sometimes comic, sometimes sad but also whimsical and passionate. She has been brought up by goats in the wilds of the mountains and at the start, can only sing as the animals do. But then as she grows up, so her longing for human contact also grows and she is drawn to the sounds of the bugle coming from the town below."

Talking with composers: Ivan Barbotin

Interview

"I don't really believe in inspiration. If what you are referring to by that word is a state of mind allowing for a free and easy flow of ideas, then I think it can be activated by simply sitting down and doing the work at hand. If at first nothing interesting comes to mind, I think the process itself eventually activates the neural circuitry required for being 'in the zone'."

Spotlight on: Abigail Levis

Interview

"Once you are out of school, and as you move through your training programs, you find that there is no definite way to be an artist and there is no right way to be an opera singer. It's about making choices and standing by them. It's about trying new things and finding what works for you in this moment and what does not."

Spotlight on: Dion Mazerolle

Interview

"Good singing for me means communicating. In and after school, we learn how to sing, breathe, how to create legato, vocal colour, control of sound, pronunciation but we do all this toward the ultimate goal of communicating something to our audience. Whether it is from opera, recital or oratorio, we are here to tell a story. When you achieve it, you feel like you have a purpose."

Spotlight on: Emma Char

Interview

"Until recently, I thought that if I wasn't doing everything I could to become a successful opera singer all the time (following all opportunities and constantly working my butt off to the point of exhaustion) that I should feel badly because I wasn't as completely committed as I thought I should be. Over time, I've come to feel that through relaxing a bit everything is actually a lot easier."