Interviews

Talking with singers: Helen Charlston

Talking with singers: Helen Charlston

"'Good singing' is getting the very best out of your voice; a partnership between a solid technique and a need to let your voice be heard. We all only have our own sound, and there is nothing more thrilling than listening to singers who let their voice flood out direct to our hearts."

Jenna Simeonov
Spotlight on: Eszter Balogh

Spotlight on: Eszter Balogh

When I tell them I am a classical singer they generally know what it is. Sometimes they stare at me and say, "Wow, that’s crazy, you mean like Paul Potts?" And I'll say, “Yeah, something like that."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with singers: Blythe Gaissert

Talking with singers: Blythe Gaissert

"I feel like my voice has grown a lot in the last five years or so. Wagner is becoming more comfortable and I’m looking at some Verdi roles. I try to always learn and grow to just see what happens. Even if it's not something that becomes my wheelhouse, it's something that informs my other repertoire."

Eva Cahen
Talking with singers: Marnie Breckenridge

Talking with singers: Marnie Breckenridge

"Not only do I hope more people will know a bit more about Jacqueline and honor her memory, I hope they will take away a sense of immediacy. A reminder that we each have a finite amount of time on this planet, so why not burn our creative flames of talent, love, and kindness as brightly as possible while we inhabit the bodies we've been given!"

Jenna Simeonov
"Disturbingly relevant": BERLIN: The Last Cabaret

"Disturbingly relevant": BERLIN: The Last Cabaret

"We chose July 13, 1934 for our piece, the day Hitler made a speech claiming responsibility for the "Night of the Long Knives," where two weeks prior, he ordered the S.A. division of the Nazi Party, including Röhm who uneasily protected Queer artists, massacred due to a purported threat of mutiny."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with singers: Rachel Willis-Sørensen

Talking with singers: Rachel Willis-Sørensen

"I used to think that you can be exactly yourself, but what I have learned is that not everyone deserves to see you that way. Your family and close friends and some trusted colleagues can see you how you are, but it is ok to present more a guarded version of yourself until you find who is trustworthy."

Jenna Simeonov
Check out: New Opera West

Check out: New Opera West

"The strength of any given piece is usually revealed fairly early in the process. Even a first run-through can indicate whether something is going to work or not."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with singers: Erin Wall

Talking with singers: Erin Wall

"It's fairly extreme in its demands, and Massenet saved some of the hardest writing for the very end - the duet which closes the opera builds to two high Ds! It requires the singer to finesse a pianissimo one minute, and then have a huge fortissimo outburst over full orchestra the next!"

Jenna Simeonov
"A grandiose spectacle" in Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera

"A grandiose spectacle" in Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera

"The show itself is a grandiose spectacle indicative of traditional opera productions, but more importantly the score written by Julien Bilodeau is incredibly rich, beautiful, impressive and clever."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with composers: Victoria Bond

Talking with composers: Victoria Bond

"I am quite certain that most people have no idea of what goes into composing. It is generally not accurately portrayed in film, and so much of it is not at all exciting to watch. However, discovering a new idea, a turn of phrase, an unexpected harmony – these are the precious moments a composer lives for!"

Jenna Simeonov

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