Talking with singers: Rena Harms

Interview

"The first time I saw Madama Butterfly I actually found Cio-Cio San to be a hard pill to swallow. She can come across very weak and silly if one is not careful in her portrayal. Without her own drive and motivation she seems doomed from the start and her plight becomes uninteresting. I think it is important to relate to the audience that it is her inner strength that drives her to make life-changing decisions."

2017 Various Stages Festival presents: In a Grove

Interview

"We hope listeners will take away a sense of the tone of the piece, and a glimpse of what we intend to with it as a whole. Even though we will be somewhat limited in how much we can do spatially at Various Stages to give a sense of the immersive nature of the opera, we hope the audience will have a taste of what’s to come: a powerfully unsettling, haunting experience designed to be both confounding and crystalline, disjunctive yet deeply emotional."

The 2017 Various Stages Festival presents: Mu'a

Interview

"I have always been fascinated by the magic of water puppetry, its deep roots in Vietnamese culture but at the same time from a different era. I am keen to see what will come out of this encounter between an ancient artform and a group of artists anchored in our XXIst century. This process will be the chance to connect those dots and hopefully shake our conception of what is considered as 'traditional' versus 'contemporary'."

Stephen Bell: singer by night, Coffeeshop Creative by day

Interview

"Today more than ever, it is crucial to have as many skills as possible. How can you finance that call-back tour of auditions in NYC if you aren't working? Want to go and take a 2-week intensive program abroad? Yep, you need cash. That "day job" or second career can allow you have the opportunity of pursuing a career in the arts. In web design, I have found another passion to present my skills as an artist, and I love it!"

Bel canto indeed: "Dare Voce"

Interview

"We wanted to make a Songbook, a series of songs within the tradition of the Italian 'bel canto', but using a range of contemporary sounds at our disposal, for example, the electric and electronic. If you think about it, opera was once a part of popular culture... in Italy you can still go to the markets and find someone calling out with a Puccini tune!"

Safe words & Masquerades: Nashville Opera presents Three Way

Interview

"I'd love audiences to have the realization that new opera can be as witty and memorable as a good Broadway musical. I also hope they see the light and dark sides of what we're after — beyond the humor there's sadness, strangeness. And the idea that sexuality and gender may be evolving through changing social attitudes and technology — that's real, it's here, and I think it should be celebrated."

Works & Process: Rusalka at the Guggenheim

Interview

"I hope that when audience members come to Works & Process, they are stimulated by the conversation on the artist panel, gain a greater understanding and appreciation, feel a closer or more personal connection to the work because they meet and hear the artists’ creative visions, and that seeing our performance inspires them to attend the full work."

Layla Claire, soprano & yogi

Interview

A portable practice focused largely on breath, it's no wonder why opera singers are such fans of yoga. Canadian soprano Layla Claire is one of those singers who swears by yoga as part of her daily warm-up; if you've ever heard her sing, it's clear that her warm-up routine is serving her very well.

Talking with singers: J'Nai Bridges

Interview

"With track, she explains, 'you're competing against people, but really what you're trying to do is get your best time.' Playing basketball as part of a team, 'you really have to be an integral part of the team that you're on,' Bridges says. 'You have to be a player.'"

Barihunks' Jack Michaels: "We are in a golden age of baritones"

Interview

"We have met some of the most remarkable, talented and delightful people over the 10 years that Barihunks has been in existence. We've learned that opera is a tough business and hard on singers, which is why we post a "No Bitchiness" statement on our main page. Singers have all of the insecurities and anxieties of the non-performer, but amplified a hundred times."