More than ever before, musicians have to think outside the box as reinvention is inevitable in a new era for the performing arts. By asking "What Would Mozart Do?" each episode features musicians who discuss how they have transferred the skills that music had taught them into other fields of work.
Today I am talking to flautist Angela McCuiston. In our chat Angela passionately shares her story of how a series of playing-related injuries have caused her to become a Fitness Trainer for Musicians.Angela McCuiston is a NASM-CPT, CES, SFS and CETI-CES (Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist, Senior Fitness Specialist and Cancer Exercise Specialist) and owner of Music Strong, a business that specializes in personal fitness training for musicians. Winner of the 2007 NFA Piccolo Master class, Angela received her Master of Music in Flute Performance from Florida State University and her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from Tennessee Technological University. An avid performer, Angela is Assistant Principal/Piccolo of Sinfonia Gulf Coast of Destin, Nashville Philharmonic, Columbus Symphony and Nashville Flute Choir. Joining the military soon after 9/11 she recently became a member of the 313th Army Band in Huntsville, AL, after completing a 16-year tenure in the 129th Army Band in Nashville, TN. In addition to her solo performances, she has performed with such celebrities as Kristen Chenowith, Pink Martini, Jamie Bernstein, Morgan James, Chris Mann, Nancy Griffith and Mary Wilson of the Supremes. As a trainer, Angela maintains several training locations in Nashville and also travels to give her workshops and presentations, most notably presenting at the National Flute Association Conventions in Salt Lake City, UT; Las Vegas, NV, Washington, D.C. and Orlando, FL. Among her recent workshops, she has travelled to present at Arizona State University, Florida State University, Stephen F. Austin University, Ft. Lewis University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga among others.Recently she was sought out by the Old Guard, Army Fife and Drum Corps as a special consultant to prevent playing related injuries. She has since taken up residence on the faculty of the Stetson University flute camp and has been sought out for numerous other positions including her recent appointment Fall of 2018 as Chair of the National Flute Association Performance Health Committee and adjunct flute professor at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN in August 2020.In February 2019 she published her first book: The Musician's Essential Exercises, with plans to branch out into instrument-specific volumes in the near future. During the pandemic of 2020 she recorded over 20 instrument specific workouts available for download.When she is not performing or training, Angela can be found riding her Trek road bike as many hours as there are sunshine. She recently completed her 4th century ride (100+ miles) and has a goal to ride between 5-12 centuries and log 5,000 miles.Angela is constantly on the search for new research and her studies include Aexander Technique, Barbara Conable's “What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body” Body Mapping Class and Eva Amsler's classes in Dynamic Integration in addition to live workshops with NASM, most recently traveling to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to complete coursework in Neurokinetic Therapy.Angela's bookIn print: https://musicstrong.com/meeprint/ eBook: https://musicstrong.com/ebook/On Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vyZhsvOther ActivitiesInstrument Specific workouts: https://musicstrong.com/services-instrument-specific-workouts/ (free short ones are on YouTube, these are longer and better done)Covid Comeback Challenge: https://musicstrong.com/covid-comeback-challenge2/
Today I am talking to baritone and entrepreneur Brian Witkowski. In our chat we talk about the path that brought Brian to starting his own business called the Lucrative Artist, a platform where artists are helped to identify their purpose, to recognise their worth, and realise their value.Brian Witkowski is a singer, actor and voice teacher turned business coach for entrepreneurial artists and educators. As the Founder and CEO of the Lucrative Artist, where he provides boutique business coaching services and trainings for fellow entrepreneurial artists and educators to help them become more prosperous, purposeful and authentic in their work. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts with emphasis in Vocal Performance and minor in Theatre at the University of Arizona; his studies and career have spanned the globe with an eclectic range of repertoire including opera, musical theatre, oratorio, art song and music ministry. He has taught in K-12 and collegiate settings, facilitates professional development seminars to teachers and artists through Arts Integration Solutions, Self-Employment in the Arts and other organizations, is regularly sought out as a speaker, and offers masterclasses and lectures in authenticity, financial empowerment, and leadership. He believes everyone has the ability to create more of the life and career they want to have as an entrepreneur. Website: www.thelucrativeartist.comFacebook: www.thelucrativeartist.com/facebookInstagram: @thelucrativeartistTwitter: @LucrativeArt Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brianwitkowski
Today I am talking to soprano Henriikka Gröndahl. In our chat we discuss how career trajectories can change over time and the possible influence of relationships and parenthood on negotiating a singing career. Henriikka Gröndahl is a versatile lyric soprano with one foot firmly in the chorus of the Royal Opera House in Stockholm, and the other foot happily freelancing. Her career began with a boom at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow in 2004, when she stepped in as the cover of Mimì in La Bohème. She sang a total of 11 performances of it for Scottish Opera – both at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow and at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre. During her first years out of college, she also sang Pamina for British Youth Opera and Papagena (covering Pamina) for Garsington Opera, followed by a Pamina , Nannetta, Musetta and Julia at Gothenburg Opera in Sweden, Musetta and Princesse at the Royal Opera in Sweden and Fünfte Magd at Liceu in Barcelona, Fiordiligi for Samling Opera and Donna Elvira at Scottish Opera. She has since then stepped in at short notice to sing Liù at Gothenburg opera, Jorun at Vadstena Summer Academy and Olympia/Giulietta/Antonia/ at Folkoperan, where she later also performed Liù. Her latest role was Euredice (Gluck) at Norrlandsoperan, as well as small obscure solo bits and pieces at the Royal Opera in Stockholm. Her career has led her to sing in many countries around Europe, and she frequently performs at chamber music festivals and oratorios, but is nowadays also old enough to engage in other non music related activities like hiking, paddling, hanging out with friends and family, painting, throwing dinner parties and passionately enjoying life!www.henriikkagrondahl.com
Today I am talking to mezzo-soprano Carolyn Dobbin. In our chat we discuss Carolyn's career trajectory from art teacher to opera singer, and how her creativity carried her through loss and grief during the Covid-19 pandemic.Northern Irish mezzo-soprano and Samling Scholar, Carolyn began her career as a teacher of Art and Design before graduating from the Opera course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Carolyn was Associate Artist at Welsh National Opera in 2010 and spent two years at Luzern opera house, Switzerland in 2012-2014.She has performed extensively in opera, oratorio and in solo recitals, including appearances at the Royal Opera House Linbury Studio, English National Opera, Grange Park Opera, Opera Holland Park, Luzerner Theatre, Stadttheater Bern, and the Royal Albert Hall. She has performed the roles of Carmen, Annio, Penelope, Bradamante, Polina, Meg Page, Dritte Dame, Lucretia, Amastre, Octavia, Nicklausse, Magdalena, Dorabella, Charlotte, Teodata, Concepcion, Scipio, Idamante and Angelina. She recorded the role of Madeleine in R. Loders rare opera ‘Raymond and Agnes' with Richard Bonynge and Retrospect Opera, and Ethel Smythe's 'Fete Gallant' with Odaline de la Martinez. She released a solo CD ‘Caleno' with Delphian Records and Iain Burnside of songs by composers from Northern Ireland in 2018 and has appeared on BBC Radio 3 and BBC TV. She set up the Northern Irish song project which aims to collect and record many forgotten songs by Northern Irish composers and new song cycles by current composers. Recent and future roles include Madam Popova in The Bear, Mary in Wagners Der Fliegende Höllander, Smeton in Anna Bolena for Longborough Festival Opera, Fenena in Nabucco and Alise In Lucia Di Lammermoor for Dorset Opera Festival , Mrs Peachum in Mrs Peachums School for Lovers and ‘ The Witch' in Hansel and Gretel for Irish National Opera. Future roles include Siegrune in Wagner's Walküre 2020/23, Mary in Der Fliegende Höllander with Sir Bryn Terfel in 2022, Northern Ireland Opera's Wallace Film Project, the premier of a new Harvey Weinstein based opera for the Belfast Festival, Handels Alexander's Feast for the new Le Foyer des Artistes and Recitals of her Northern Ireland song project.Website: www.carolyndobbin.comInstagram: @carolyn_dobbin_mezzoTwitter: @carolyndobbin
Today I am talking to baritone Duncan Rock. In our chat we are discussing how Duncan's dedication to fitness, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle influences his international career as an opera singer and how by developing his own nutrition brand Duncan combined health and art through his involvement with the Voice Care Centre in London.Duncan Rock MMus, PGCert (nutritional science) - has an active international career as an operatic baritone. He has performed roles at the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera, Teatro Real, Glyndebourne, English National Opera and many others. He is a nutritionist and member of the Royal Society for Public Health. He works specifically on nutrition for singers and voice actors at the Voice Care Centre, London.www.duncanrocknutrition.comInstagram: @duncanrock_nutritionInstagram: @duncan.rockhttps://voicecarecentre.co.uk/
Today I am talking to Hendrik Vermeulen, a South African Couturier, fashion designer, singer-songwriter and producer. In our chat we talk about the importance of time management and structuring in order to enhance creativity and we discuss how careers develop through honest and good personal relations.At the atelier of multifaceted artist, Hendrik Vermeulen, it is not merely about fashion… It's about expression, it's about art.The garments are made with the utmost care by expert hands, with luxury fabrics that they create or select for their high quality and made with the least impact on the environment.The exclusive processes used to transform the raw material such as hand dyeing, airbrushing or painting, are mostly performed in-house, following strict guidelines so as to minimise their ecological footprint. Other treatments such as laser cutting or digital printing are performed outside their atelier, under their strict supervision, by companies that have been selected for their similar ethos and work ethics.Hendrik comments: “In our Atelier we still adhere to the original Haute Couture methods, amongst some of the modern additions, using mostly handwork techniques. Handmade is a term coming often in the description of our fabrication methods; the handwork taking a large part of the time consuming process that a bespoke creation requires. Our unique pieces are sewn, adorned, beaded, embroidered, appliquéd and hemmed by hand. These tasks require skills and dexterity as well as experience and are performed by our ‘Little Hands', who have been working with us for more than a decade. Our finishers and seamstresses are taught in our atelier, to our requirements and those skills are then past over to the next generation.Our art is mostly inspired by nature; therefore, we make sure that we look after Mother nature in return. We use natural, sustainable fibres such as cotton, silk, linen or wool as much as possible and non-toxic dyes. Many of our collections feature strong messages about conserving nature and appreciating our breathtakingly beautiful fauna and flora. We believe that symbiosis between nature and production using technology is possible, it requires though a firm engagement from all actors to invest in substantially more time and means. We believe in collaborating with like minded people who are sharing similar creative audacity and novelty. We strongly believe that everything in this world is interconnected and that universal love should be the common thread that binds us all.”https://www.hendrikvermeulen.com/
Today I am talking to pianist Peter Jablonski. We discuss piano repertoire in and outside the canon, how careers take time to develop, and wonder about the influence of social media on the longevity of a career in music.Peter Jablonski is an award-winning internationally acclaimed Swedish pianist. Discovered by Claudio Abbado and Vladimir Ashkenazy, and signed by Decca in his seventeenth year, Jablonski went on to perform, collaborate, and record with many of the world's leading orchestras and conductors, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Kirov (now Mariinsky), La Scala Philharmonic, Tonhalle Zürich, Orchestre National de France, NHK Tokyo, DSO Berlin, Warsaw Philharmonic, Philadelphia, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Cleveland Orchestra; Vladimir Ashkenazy, Valery Gergiev, Andris Nelsons, Daniel Harding, Kurt Sanderling, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Riccardo Chailly, Daniele Gatti, and Myung-Whun Chung. Jablonski has performed and recorded the complete piano concertos of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Bartók, and all ten piano sonatas by Prokofiev. Hailed an ‘unconventional virtuoso' (Present Arts), during his three-decade-long career, Jablonski developed a diverse repertoire that includes works by Barber, Gershwin, Szymanowski, Lutosławski, Copland, Stenhammar, with most recent additions of such Scandinavian and European composers as Valborg Aulin, Elfrida Andrée, Laura Netzel, Johanna Müller-Hermann, Grażyna Bacewicz, and Alexey Stanchinsky. Composers with whom Jablonski worked include Witold Lutosławski and Arvo Pärt, and he has had a number of works composed for, and dedicated to him, including Wojciech Kilar's Piano Concerto, for which he won the Orpheus award for the world premiere performance at the Warsaw Autumn Festival. Jablonski remains a supporter of today's composers and regularly gives world premieres of new works, together with those that have been neglected by music history. Jablonski's extensive discography includes recordings he has made for labels such as Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Philips, Altara, Octavia, and Ondine. He received numerous accolades for his recordings, which include the Edison and the Grammophone Classical Music Award.Peter Jablonski is the recipient of the Litteris et Artibus medal for his services to culture, granted to him by the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf. He is also the winner of the prestigious prize Årets Svensk i Världen (International Swedish Personality of the Year), receiving it before ABBA and Astrid Lindgren. www.peterjablonski.comTwitter: @Jablonski_Phttps://www.ondine.net/?lid=en&cid=2.2&oid=6707
Today I am talking to countertenor Daniel Keating-Roberts. We discuss the importance of creative minds channeling over linear matter, we consider potential ways in which the pandemic has left a positive mark on the performance industry, and Daniel shares his enthusiasm and interest in performance psychology.Daniel studied in Sheffield, before completing his Masters at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, with awards from the Foyle Foundation and the Countess of Munster Trust. He also won the 2009 Guildhall aria competition. In 2010, he became the first counter-tenor to be accepted onto the English National Opera's Operaworks programme and in 2014, Daniel was awarded a ‘Golden Mask' award, a ‘special jury prize' with a team for his work in the title role of Franziskus (Sergei Nevsky) at the Bolshoi Theatre. Daniel has performed with opera companies all over the world and currently lives in Hamburg, Germany. Outside of performing, Daniel is a singing teacher and educator with a specialism in performance coaching. Alongside his individual studio, Daniel has worked with several different opera companies and music colleges to deliver workshops and coaching. His workshops are now in demand for corporate team building and creativity exploration, offering businesses the same fun and self-awareness we enjoy as performers. Recently, Daniel began his first project as producer for a site-specific work in East London, working with private firms to encourage dialogue with the communities they exist alongside. A founder member of Voces8, Daniel has previously been Corporate Events and Training manager for the New London Orchestra, and held roles within the charity MAMA, an organisation working in Mozambique, Africa. Daniel still works as an agent in London, organising performers for private events and studio recordings for film and computer games. www.danielkrsinging.com www.counter-tenor.co.ukwww.facebook.com/danielkrsinging
Today I am talking to Frederick Robin a composer and perfumery artist. In our chat Frederick talks about the synergy between his music and processes that brought about creating a series of nine fragrances as well as his passion to collaborating with other artists across the boundaries of various disciplines. A strong sense of minimalism guides the artistic philosophy of Frederick Robin as he creates contemporary-classical musical and olfactory works in synergistic collaboration with other artists in various media.Website:www.frederickrobin.com
Today I am talking to tenor Karl Marx Reyes. During his studies as a pre-med student he was scouted for the chorus of Seattle Opera. Karl now holds a hybrid position performing compramario & featured roles. In our talk we discuss the career from the perspective of the opera chorus and how Karl's experience in medicine not only enabled him to maintain a long career in opera but also how it created a safety net for him particularly during the pandemic.Karl Marx Reyes is a Filipino/American tenor trained in the Pacific Northwest. Reyes made his Seattle Opera debut as a Contadino in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, followed by his roles as the Messenger in Verdi's Aida, the NVA Lieutenant Commander in the world premiere of Daron Hagen's Amelia and, most recently, the Wig Maker in Richard Strauss's Ariadne Auf Naxos. Other roles include Remendado in Bizet's Carmen, John Styx & Orpheus in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, Pedrillo in Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio, Goro in Madama Butterfly, Rodolfo in Puccini's La Bohème and Ferrando in Mozart's Così fan Tutte. Reyes has been a proud member of the Seattle Opera Chorus for the past two decades.http://www.seattleoperablog.com/2013/10/meet-our-singers-karl-marx-reyes.htmlhttp://www.seattleopera.org/bios/index.aspx?name=karl_reyesMSVideo Clip: Seahawks National Anthem
Today I am talking to mezzo-soprano Lydia Jane Haynes. In our chat she shares her story of how suffering from cancer influenced her work and led her to becoming a teacher before embarking on her postgraduate studies to become a professional singer.Lydia Jane Haynes is a 25 year old Mezzo-Soprano currently studying voice on The Guildhall School of Music and Drama Vocal Masters programme. Lydia's journey into Music has been a remarkably complex one that saw her overcoming the diagnosis of Thyroid cancer aged 16 and then undergoing two subsequent throat surgeries. Whilst rebuilding her vocal strength, Lydia became passionate about pedagogy and trained to be a secondary school teacher after completing her academic music undergraduate degree. With a passion for both performing and music education, Lydia is already carving out a career that involves her two passions, by both training at The Guildhall and working in music outreach education in her local borough, Tower Hamlets. Instagram @mslydiajane
Today I am talking to the Irish composer Fiona Linnane. In our talk we discuss her experiences of collaborating with various singers as she is often drawn to composing operas and song cycles, or any works that specifically involve the human voice. In 2020 she was recipient of the Art Council of Ireland Music Bursary Award.Current projects include No.2 Pery Square, a site responsive opera, in collaboration with Limerick based production company Opera Workshop (funded by the Arts Council of Ireland Opera Commissions Award 2020). She was awarded the Limerick City and County Council Individual Arts Bursary 2018 and 2019, for work in opera and art song. Works include short operas Off Tuskar and Bay of Fundy; comic arias Songs of the Meteorologist and Art Songs Songs from Kate O'Brien (in collaboration with poet Mary Coll).No 2 Pery Square https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zph3_Tc7O94Songs of the Meteorologist - Stormy Weatherhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otSxnYxXFVcSongs of the Meteorologist - Don't make unnecessary journeyshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FM-4_rKuV8Despatches from North Clarehttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBuvb0QHDPnfP5nJvizkuETJfKsdXsjrXBay of Fundyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NQYB5Iov6UFacebook page: Fiona Linnane ComposerInstagram: @fionacomposes
Today I am talking to baritone Jonny Venvell who is the Head of Artist Relations at Encore, a UK-based musicians booking platform that brings together clients with Musicians to make their events as special as possible. In our chat we talk about Jonny's experience working for, and developing, Encore as well as the impact that the pandemic has had on the music industry.Jonny Venvell graduated with a music degree from Cambridge in 2015, specialising in choral singing and oboe. He joined Encore as the first employee and was responsible for growing the network from a university project to a UK-wide booking platform. He continues to sing regularly in London church choirs, and with the Facade Ensemble, a group specialising in 20th-century vocal repertoire. He also has a strong interest in Brazilian percussion and is a member of bossa nova and samba projects. Lockdown has found him more interested in folk, and he is currently recording his first folk EP on low D whistle, bodhrán and piano. Important links: Impact of COVID survey: https://encoremusicians.com/blog/musicians-leaving-music-industryImpact of Brexit survey: https://encoremusicians.com/blog/musician-brexit-survey Jonny's own podcast series, The Sound Exchange (editing it a bit delayed as a result of recording my album!): https://www.mixcloud.com/jonny-venvell/uploads/Instagram: @jvenvInstagram: @encoremusiciansTwitter: @JVenvellTwitter: @joinencore
Today I am talking to Micah Coston, an associate consultant at Perrett Lever, the leading international executive search firm that brings together diverse and visionary leaders to mission-driven sectors worldwide. Micah has had a varied career path that started in music, moved on to the dramatic performance arts, then travelled through research and now is developing through his consultancy work. We discuss how the seemingly disparate aspects of Micah's experience come together in propelling forward his constantly evolving and exciting career.Micah is a Consultant at the executive search firm, Perrett Laver in London. He lives in a thatched cottage in the Oxfordshire countryside and can be found wandering the footpaths near his village. Micah holds a BMus in Church Music (Voice); an MA in Performance Studies; an MA in Shakespeare Studies with Distinction, The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham; and a DPhil in English Literature, University of Oxford. Instagram: @micahcoston Twitter: @micahcoston
Today I am talking to Alexander Simpson and Helen Daniels who are both classical singers and presenters on the podcast “Where's My Freaking Dressing Room?!” In our chat we talk about a variety of topics regarding the impact that the pandemic has had on young singers and how a shift in time management has revolutionised the way in which Alexander and Helen approach their work.British countertenor Alexander Simpson is a versatile young singer who enjoys performing a wide range of repertoire and styles.Recent operatic roles include Nireno Giulio Cesare (English Touring Opera), Cowslip Fairy Queen (Waterperry Opera Festival), Athamas Semele (Royal Academy of Music), Arsace Partenope (Iford Arts Festival), Arcane Teseo (London Handel Festival) and Refugee Flight (Royal Academy Opera).Alexander studied at the Royal Academy of Music where he was awarded a full scholarship and graduated with a DipRAM for an outstanding final recital. He later graduated from Royal Academy Opera where he studied with Michael Chance, Caitlin Hulcup and Anna Tilbrook.In addition to his singing commitments, Alexander has trained to become a Life Coach. He firmly believes that the industry should be made more accessible for all musicians and has set up a new ‘holistic approach' towards singing as a career. His aim is to encourage singers to understand themselves properly as individuals and then apply these discoveries to their career so that they are able to navigate a career that is successful and fulfilling rather than being tossed randomly from one job to another.Together with his friend and colleague Helen Daniels, Alexander has co-created a podcast entitled ‘Where's My Freaking Dressing Room?!' which encourages classical musicians to chat honestly about previous experiences in order to create a community which is more supportive and connected.Helen Daniels is a mezzo-soprano from Coventry, currently studying at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance with Sarah Pring where she is an Eva Malpass scholar. Under Trinity Laban's tuition she has performed in the nationally renowned Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and taken part in online masterclasses with Barbara Hannigan, Gidon Saks, Christopher Underwood and Robert Alderson. She is looking forward to playing Rosina, Il barbiere di Siviglia; Nancy, Albert Herring and Ursule, Béatrice et Bénédict in the college's opera scenes showcase later this year.Alongside her studies Helen is a professional ensemble singer and has performed with many celebrated groups including Classical Opera, Philharmonia Voices, The Hanover Band, City Bach Collective and Sansara. In January 2020 Helen founded a chamber female vocal ensemble with harp, Levedy, who won the inaugural Trinity Laban Carne Trust Chamber Music Competition in October 2020.Helen read academic music at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where she sang with Trinity College Choir under the direction of Stephen Layton. Solo performances include Haydn's Nelson Mass, Bach's St John Passion, Handel's Messiah and Vivaldi's Gloria.In summer 2020 Helen partnered with a close friend and colleague, Alexander Simpson, to record and produce a classical music podcast entitled ‘Where's My Freaking Dressing Room?!' The podcast encourages classical musicians to talk openly about their experiences of the industry in order to create a more supportive and interconnected musical community.Instagram: @helendanielsmezzohttps://www.wheresmyfreakingdressingroom.com/https://www.alexandersimpsonlifecoach.com/
Welcome to Caroline Miller and Elizabeth van Os of the Pleiades Project that is based in New York. Their project focuses on telling the various different facets of women's stories which are often neglected in the general operatic canon. Caroline Miller is a “warm soprano [with] emotional bite,” praised as a compelling singer-actor with vocal flexibility and dramatic intensity, who is “especially adept at comedy.” In the 2019-2020 season, Caroline was a Resident Artist with Toledo Opera, appearing as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel vs the Witch, the Plaintiff in Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury (canceled due to COVID-19) and Lady-In-Waiting and First Witch in Monk Tarrots' new production of Verdi's Macbeth. In the 2022-2023 season, Caroline returns to Toledo Opera as Valencienne in Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow.Caroline is Co-Founder & Artistic Director of The Pleiades Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to championing women's stories through opera, film and original music-theater projects. With The Pleiades Project, Caroline has expanded her artistic talents outside of performance, embracing her interdisciplinary skills as a director, writer, programmer and producer.Caroline has a BA in English Literature and Music from Washington University in St. Louis and an MM in Vocal Performance & Literature from Eastman School of Music. Caroline's website: www.carolinemillersoprano.comInsta: @millercarliFacebook: @carli.millerMost recent solo project/premiere: https://invision.inseries.org/full-feature/aberSoprano Elizabeth Van Os is one of New York City's most dynamic performers, making waves not only as soloist and ensemble member but also as a co-founder of the non-profit Pleiades Project. For her efforts, the opera-zine parterre took notice of her “striking impression,” with additional praise from Voce di Meche for her “lovely, affecting” voice and “justifiable passion.”A lover of concert work, Elizabeth has appeared as soloist with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Berkshire Bach Society, The Astoria Choir, the Collegiate Choir, Ars Musica, and more. In opera, notable roles have included that of Marguerite in Faust and Mimi in La Bohéme, both as Sing Through Central productions. She is a regular invited guest at the Bard SummerScape festival, where she has performed in productions like Anton Rubenstein's Démon, Dvorâk's Dimitrij, Pietro Mascagni's Iris, and Dame Ethel Smyth's Wreckers.With an eye towards growing the repertoire, Van Os's career has a particular focus on collaboration with select contemporary music composers, including recent premieres of work by Matthew Brown with The Astoria Choir, and Katherine Hoover, where she was a featured soloist with the New York Virtuoso Singers. Offstage, Van Os creates new performance opportunities for female artists as the co-founder of The Pleiades Project, a non-profit production company.Elizabeth Van Os was born as Elizabeth Smith in Wendell, Idaho. She holds a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Brigham Young University in Idaho. Elizabeth's website: elizabethvanos.comPhotography Website: https://eavphotography.cominsta: @misselizabetkatwitter: @misselizabetkahttps://www.facebook.com/elizabethvanossopranoThe Pleiades ProjectWebsite: www.thepleiadesproject.comMost recent premiere/short film: https://invision.inseries.org/series/the-pleiades-project-german-romantics
Today I am talking to soprano Emily Thorner who specialises in contemporary classical music but is also the CEO of moon rising, her company where she helps people as an intuitive healer. In our chat we talk about various issues, highlighting similarities between growing as an artist through the process of learning and performing music to the process of healing and being fulfilled in life.International "ultra-soprano" (Second Inversion, WA, USA) and "new music rising star" (The Stranger, WA, USA) Emily Thorner is rapidly making her mark as a soloist in contemporary chamber ensembles, orchestras, and modern operas. Known for her command of stratospheric high notes, Ms. Thorner is highly sought-after for world premieres due to her unusual range and fearless virtuosity. Recent performances have included: Acht Brücken festival in Cologne (on WDR radio), Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme at Snape Maltings in the UK with Jessica Cottis and Claire Booth, the Donaueschinger Musiktage with Deutsche Kammerchor, Seattle, USA, singing a world premiere with Kin of the Moon, Gladbeck, Germany performing with the Duisberg Philharmonic and Chorwerk Ruhr for the Ruhrtiennale festival, and in Italy, singing as the Soprano Soloist for "Hotel Paradiso" by Benedict Mason with TransArt under the baton of Clement Power.Additionally, she has also performed in Boston and New York for a double performance of Rumpelstiltskin with Guerilla Opera as The Miller, which has been recorded for Navona Records, the classical label of PARMA records, and Sisa in Noli Me Tangere, which featured her in a mad scene in the Tagalog language. In 2018-2020, she will have made appearances in the United States (Boston, New York, Ohio, North Carolina, Seattle), England, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and Austria. Ms. Thorner recently was one of only two vocalists during the Bang on a Can New Music Festival and sang at Impuls Festival in Graz, Austria. She is the second-prize winner of The 2019 North International Music Competition and has been invited to sing in the Aldeburgh Festival (UK) in 2020 as well as SPLICE festival 3 (USA). She was also the first soprano in twenty years to take part in the new music course of the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme and her entrepreneurial spirit has led her to put together STATE OF BEING, a world tour written for her voice and electronics beginning late 2020. Upcoming world premieres written for her voice include collaborations with composers Julianna Hall (USA), Max Hundelshausen (DE), Alex Mills (UK), James Joslin (UK), Rob Laidlow (UK), Martyna Kosecka (Norway/Poland), Kaley Lane Eaton (USA), Anthony R. Green (USA/NL), and Rita Ueda (Canada).Ms. Thorner released her first album on Itunes with ensemble Kin of the Moon for "FUNERAL SENTENCES FOR DAMAGED CELLS" in 2020. On the radio and in the media, she and has been heard on Wartburg Radio with choir Canto Armonico, MDR in Dresden performing an excerpt of Die Entführung aus dem Serail by Mozart, icareifyoulisten.com (USA) and had an article written about her during Bang on a Can in newsounds.org (USA). A featured soloist with Sound Icon in Boston, she recorded the US premiere of Wolfgang Rihm's Frage, known for its impossibly high tessitura of over twenty-two high F's and beyond. Past collaborations with contemporary chamber ensembles include: Hub New Music, Boston Musica Viva, and Sound Energy at the New Music Gathering as well as performances with recording choir Vox Futura, the Grammy award-winning Hans Zimmer International Tour, and New Hampshire Music Festival.www.emily-thorner.comwww.moon-rising.comInstagram: @emilythornersopranoTwitter: @ThornerEmily
Today I am talking to contralto Cindy Sadler. In our chat Cindy talks extensively about the various issues that affect creating and maintaining a portfolio career in the arts and she highlights the importance of accepting the responsibility of being the CEO of one's own career.Cindy Sadler's eclectic operatic career represents the benchmark of entrepreneurial artistry. A standout performer in any cast with her rich, abundant contralto and charismatic characterizations, she has made herself indispensable in the classical music arena not only through her performances, but also her consulting and educational work, writing, and fresh vision for the stage.When COVID-19 hit, Ms. Sadler quickly established an online opera training program with an international faculty for young and aspiring singers who had lost roles or programs. She pivoted Spotlight on Opera, the training program she founded and runs, to an online format and produced two operas and a number of scenes and concerts. Throughout 2020 and into 2021, she has continuing presenting virtual career workshops privately and to institutions such as Cal State University Stanislaus, San Jose State University, Texas Tech, Georgia Southern University, Ithaca College, and the Aaron Copland School of Music.Ms. Sadler's most recent article, “It's Not Over Until the Fat Lady Sings and Dances”, on the damage that weight bias does to the performing arts industry, was published on the Middleclass Artist blog. She was the featured guest on the Teacher Talk and Opera Box Score broadcasts, and will next appear on baritone Weston Hurt's Under the Hood YouTube series.Ms. Sadler has continued performing via socially distanced outdoor concerts and a turn as La Zia Principessa in Valley Opera and Arts' upcoming virtual production of Suor Angelica.For more information, please see www.CindySadler.com and www.SpotlightOnOpera.com.Facebook: CindySadlerInstagram: @cindy.sadlerTwitter: @CindySadlerTX
Today I am talking to Tessa Marchington, a businesswoman, entrepreneur and pianist. In our talk we discuss Tessa's extensive work of transforming the corporate business sector through music participation and highlight how she transferred the skills typical to her work as a collaborative pianist to the world of business and management.Tessa Marchington is a businesswoman, entrepreneur and pianist. After finishing her studies at the Royal Academy of Music, Tessa set up Music in Offices (MIO) in 2007, in order to transform business culture through music participation. The company provides instrumental tuition, sets up office choirs and organises internal and external music events for employers, working to improve access to the arts in busy, high stress work environments. Several well-known employers have benefited from MIO, including Channel 4, Standard Chartered, Linklaters, Lloyds Bank and Hearst Magazines UK amongst others.Alongside MIO, Tessa co-founded the Investec International Music Festival and is a consultant on numerous cultural projects including currently being the Artistic Director of the Setubal Music Festival, Portugal.Tessa was a finalist in the Lloyds National Business Awards and is a Finalist in the National Business Women's Awards 2020.Instagram: @tessamarchingtonTwitter: @marchingtessa
Today I am talking to Noah Reitman who is the assistant principal bass of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. In our chat Noah and I are talking about the influence that Covid-19 has had on our work as performers and teachers, and how the music industry is changing. Noah also talks about how his interaction on social media, his new found skills in accountancy and sound technology continue to prepare him for the future.Noah Reitman has been assistant principal bass of the Vancouver Symphony since 2015. He is also currently the president of the Vancouver Musicians' Association.Having grown up in Los Angeles, Noah discovered music through his father's eclectic music collection. When he was seven, his mother bought him Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles, and from there he was hooked on music for good.Noah picked up the bass when he was twelve and went on to study at the Colburn School with David H. Young. From there he attended the University of Michigan where he studied with Diana Gannett, followed by Indiana University where he studied with Lawrence Hurst. After that he freelanced in New York while working towards a Professional Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music.Noah has played with some of the world's finest ensembles. He was a bass fellow at the New World Symphony from 2012-2015. During that time he also played in the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland in the summers. He has also played in the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra in San Diego. In addition to his position in the VSO, Noah has also played with the Pittsburgh, Detroit, Atlanta and Nashville Symphonies.Noah is passionate about teaching and coaches bass and chamber music at Idyllwild Arts in California in the summers. He is also on the faculty at the VSO School of Music where he teaches bass lessons and coaches chamber music, as well as the Saint James Academy of Music, an el Sistema inspired program.Noah lives in Vancouver along with his wife Maggie, and young daughter Madeline. During the pandemic of 2020, Noah and Maggie have collaborated in founding Purple Mollusk Music, a label for their varied projects. Follow Noah on YouTube to watch their latest productions!Twitter: @noahreitmanYoutube: https://youtu.be/CrLLjDXnKVYWebsites: noahreitman.com and purplemollusk.comNoah mentions the "Music Lovers Care Fund" connected to the VSO. Listeners who are interested in donating can contact Noah directly. A donation can be sent via paypal to the following link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=SBSG3NBZRQ424
Today I am talking to translator and baritone George Roberts who is currently doing a postgraduate degree in voice at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In our chat George talks about the rhythm and melody inherent in the written word, the fascinating journey of translating a text from German or Italian to English, and how his work in the publishing industry and his love of singing influence each other daily.George Robarts is a baritone and prizewinning translator based in London, where he is a postgraduate at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, studying singing with Robert Dean. He is a regular song recitalist, with recent highlights including Butterworth's Six Songs from A Shropshire Lad, Beethoven's An die ferne Geliebte, Schumann's Dichterliebe and Vaughan Williams's Songs of Travel. George graduated with first-class honours in German and Italian from New College, Oxford, in 2017, where his lead roles in student operas included Mozart's Figaro, Purcell's Aeneas and Monteverdi's Orfeo. After graduating, George worked for three years as an editor at a commercial publishing house, while also working as a freelance translator. His first book translation, The Wisdom of Old Dogs by Elli H. Radinger, was published by Mirror Books in 2019 and has sold over 10,000 copies. In 2020, he won third prize in the International Humanities Non-Fiction Translation Competition, awarded by the German Publishers' and Booksellers' Association in association with Frankfurt Book Fair New York. https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-wisdom-of-old-dogs-lessons-in-life-love-and-friendship/9781912624904 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wisdom-Old-Dogs-Lessons-friendship/dp/1912624907/ Twitter: @GeorgeRobarts
Today I am talking to Donna Kim who has had a varied career ranging from a music teacher to an orchestra manager, from a high end wedding planner to a grief recovery specialist. In our chat Donna talks about the different kinds of grief one can experience and she highlights the skill of being a good listener to have been at the core of all her career ventures.Donna Kim, Owner of The Perfect Details, has made a career of bringing her creative and artistic influences to bear across pursuits as varied as musical performance and education, wedding and event planning, graphic design and bespoke food and drink offerings. A double major in Business and Music at Hofstra University, she began her career in orchestral management and private piano instruction and has been a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Tanglewood Festival Chorus for over 25 years. She built an award-winning reputation as a wedding and event planner for many years having designed and executed signature weddings at grand venues such as Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, the Chanler at Cliff Walk, Belle Mer - A Longwood Venue and numerous private residences which have been featured in national and regional publications like the Knot, Brides, and Flutter. in addition to business achievements she has worked with some of the top vendors in the wedding industry including photographers, videographers, floral designers, DJ's, musicians, makeup and hair artists and cake designers. Donna balances her many talents with a keen sense of organization. She prides herself on her intuition, her honesty and on listening to what is not being said. Donna's website: https://www.theperfectdetails.com/Donna's baking Instagram: @ThePerfectDetails_
Today I am talking to musicologist and podcaster Annablle Lee. Annabelle's research focuses on the way social media has influenced the classical music scene and our talk today explores how recent developments in technology has influence the various facets of the classical music industry.Dr. Annabelle Lee graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London with a PhD in Musicology, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Her thesis investigated the effects of social media marketing on the music business, with a focus on the classical music sector. Prior to her doctoral studies, she graduated from Durham University with a first class honours degree in Music, and completed the MSt Music (Musicology) from Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford. For over two years, she worked as a marketing coordinator and manager in London and Gloucester, specialising in social media strategy. She also worked as a freelance flautist and Visiting Tutor in Music at Royal Holloway University. Annabelle has published a number of articles based on her PhD research in publications such as Early Music Performer, Musicology Research, Classical Music Magazine and Burstimo, one of the country's most exciting pop music marketing agencies. Currently, she creates and hosts Talking Classical, a new classical music podcast focused on interviews with leading industry professionals, performers and musicologists (soundcloud.com/talkingclassicalpodcast). With over 10,000 hits across streaming platforms, the podcast reaches listeners in 50 countries and has featured collaborations with the Royal Opera House, Wigmore Hall and WildKat PR. SoundCloud: @talkingclassicalpodcastFacebook: @talkingclassicalpodcastTwitter: @tc_podcasts To read more about Annabelle's research, follow this link: http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/representingclassicalmusic/2019/08/12/are-social-networks-developing-new-audiences-for-classical-music-or-reinforcing-elitism
Today I am talking to cellist Alana Chown. She has supplemented her career as professional cellist and music teacher by training as a speech pathologist. In our chat we talk about the similarities between the need for paying attention to detail both in music and speech pathology. Alana speaks enthusiastically about the joy of connecting with the world through music and speech, also highlights the importance to create a livelihood that would sustain you in the emergencies that life can bring across your path.Alana Chown (cello): B.M (Ithaca College) and M.M (University of Michigan). Alana was previously a faculty member of the String Academy of Wisconsin at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. At the String Academy, she provided high-quality individual and group cello instruction, acted as a guest lecturer in cello pedagogy, directed the summer chamber music festival, and coordinated the Urban Students in the Arts Outreach Cello Program. As a freelance performer and teacher, Alana was the principal cellist of the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, an Artist-in-Residence at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Milwaukee, taught for multiple summers at Ithaca College's Summer Music Academy and maintained a thriving private teaching studio. Currently, Alana is performing as a substitute with Symphony New Hampshire and is a faculty member at the Concord Community Music School. In collaboration with pianist Elena Abend, Alana recorded and released her solo debut album Paper Moon in 2015 which can be found on Spotify and iTunes.In conjunction with cello playing, Alana graduated from Marquette University in 2016 with a M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology. She currently works with preschool aged children in the Windham School District serving a diverse group of students in both individual and group settings.Hear Alana play the cello here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmXWTjYz2r8
Today I am talking to mezzo-soprano Kathryn Hannah who first studied fine arts and then went on to having a multi-faceted career as a singer, a fragrance expert and is now a leading merchant in oriental rugs. In our chat Kathryn draws on her professional experiences as she highlights various transferable skills that her work has taught her. For Kathryn, perhaps the most important skill she has learned is the ability to connect with people through storytelling.Kathryn originally has an art background with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art before working in music. She is here to talk about her career journey and how she entered into the fascinating world of oriental rugs after becoming an accredited Fragrance Expert for a global company over two years ago. In her work heritage and storytelling abound while her technical knowledge keeps aflame, and link, her artistic interests across the board in many fields. Equally passionate about excellent customer experiences, Kathryn has a strong affinity with retail and worked part time for several years in a sheet music department and piano shop whilst studying singing privately. In her career as a freelance mezzo-soprano she worked with many regional and national companies as chorister, soloist as well as covering roles. Kathryn relishes the varied groups of people in the music world she met and the varied situations and places she has performed and rehearsed! She exercises appreciation in expanding skills and abilities into other fields (as well as learning new ones) either concurrently or linearly in order to allow her to develop by transitioning to exciting new career pathways. Whatever career journey happens in life, she believes in humility and that respect and empathy towards others in every workplace is vital.
Today I am talking to soprano Roisín Walsh who is both a professional singer as well as an agent nurse. Roisín discusses how she unwittingly transfers shared skills between her work as a nurse and as a singer, she highlights the flexibility of freelance contracts which have a similar traits in both fields, and reminisces about the importance of her family's support of her career.Roisín is an Irish soprano who began her training with Olive Cowpar in Limerick, Ireland before studying at Guildhall School of Music & Drama and subsequently at the National Opera Studio, London. She has worked with companies such as Glyndebourne, Scottish Opera and the Grange Festival to name but a few. Roisín has covered the roles of Micaela Carmen, Tina Flight, Tatyana Eugene Onegin and most recently Helena Midsummer Night's Dream with Scottish Opera. Most recently, Roisín played First Bridesmaid and covered the role of Barbarina Le Nozze di Figaro with the Grange Festival including a masterclass series with Ann Murray DBE. She then performed the role of First Lady The Magic Flute with Waterperry Opera Festival. Following on from that, Roisín joined Glydebourne Tour where she played the role of the page/la Duchessa Rigoletto and covered the role of the Siren Rinaldo. Roisin is very keen to explore contemporary music and recently performed a new commission by Irish composer Fiona Linnane “Songs of the Meterologist” as part of a site specific production “Abandoned” at the Old Sailors Home, Limerick. Subsequently, Opera Workshop has commisioned these songs to be recorded and filmed in a very unique virtual project to be released at the end of 2020. Roisín has also collaborated with Opera Workshop on a very special project entitled No. 2 Pery Square. This should have been performed to a live audience in early 2020 but was reimagined creatively for the new world of performance we are in today and was released as part of Culture Night 2020.Instagram: @ladyrowalshTwitter: @ladyrowalshhttp://operaworkshop.ie/news/
Today I am talking to Marrianne Town Smith, a dramatic soprano who found her voice much later than what is the usual trajectory for classical singers. Having had a highly successful career, Marrianne's life in marketing was halted due to changes in her personal circumstances. And then she found singing. In our conversation Marrianne tells about her experiences of stepping into the daunting realm of a music conservatoire in her early forties, she explains of what makes communication a primary skill both in business and in music, and highlights the importance of living life to the full.Marrianne Town Smith started to sing in 2007 as a hobby and distraction from a fast-paced Marketing Management role. Since then she has been on an adventure into opera and classical music, doing as much to learn and grow with a full time job as was possible. In 2015, she successfully auditioned for a Postgraduate Vocal Studies programme at Trinity Laban and graduated with distinction in 2017. She has performed many roles in operas and staged scenes at Blackheath Halls Community Opera, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music, AIMS international Singing School and City Lit Opera, as well as regularly performing recitals in venues around London and the south east. She has sung in masterclasses with Susan Bullock, David Gowland and Christa Ludwig. In 2018 she sang her first opera role with Opera in the Meantime, singing the Witch in Hänsel und Gretel. In 2019 she covered the roles of Maddalena in Andrea Chenier, and Madeleine Lidoine in Les Dialogues des Carmélites with Midsummer Opera. She performed her first role with orchestra singing Donna Anna in Don Giovanni in Sicily at the Mediterannean Opera Studio and Festival in July 2019. In December last year she sang both the Witch and debuted the role of Getrude with Opera in the Meantime's revival production of Hänsel und Gretel. 2020 started with two Requiems and the opportunity to add oratorio roles to her resume, with Verdi's Requiem and the Brahms's Requiem, both conducted by Peter Fender. And then sadly Covid-19 took over and all other plans for this year have been postponed. However, she remains optimistic—she has been working away in her garden “She Shack” learning new roles and repertoire. She is also having online coaching with amazing International singers and stage directors as well as continuing to work with her wonderful teacher Raymond Connell. Website: www.marrianne.co.ukFacebook: www.facebook.com/marriannetownsmithsoprano
Today I am talking to Dana Lynne Varga. Dana is on the faculty of the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition Dana is a career coach, founder and artistic director of the Boston-based opera company, MassOpera, as well as the founder and CEO of the Empowered Musician, a company which does just that—empowering musicians through guidance both artistically as well as in business and career development. In our chat Dana speaks frankly about the problems in academia and the music industry as well as the possibilities of negotiating a correlating career with a career in music.Dr. Dana Lynne Varga is the Founder and CEO of The Empowered Musician, Founder and Co-Artistic Director of MassOpera, and an accomplished classical singer, voice teacher and career coach.In addition to maintaining a full private voice studio for over 15 years, highlights of Dana's teaching career have included seven years on the voice and opera faculty at the BU Tanglewood Institute, two years on the full-time voice faculty at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and two years on the voice faculty at the New England Conservatory Prep school. She is currently on the voice faculty at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.Dana regularly performs a wide variety of repertoire on opera and concert stages. Recently she made her Carnegie Hall debut as the soprano soloist in Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass with Mid-America Productions. Dana's 2019 appearance as Pallas Athene in Gluck's rarely heard Paride ed Elena with Odyssey Opera garnered critical acclaim. Other recent notable engagements include Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with The Cantata Singers, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Wellesley Symphony and Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor with Coro Allegro. Favorite operatic roles performed include Musetta in La bohème, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Anna Maurrant in Street Scene, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, Micaëla in Carmen, Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow, and the title role in Alcina.Dana won the Second Place American Prize for Art Song and Oratorio in 2019 and was the Winner of the professional division of the national Classical Singer Competition in 2016. She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in Vocal Performance from Boston University, the Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory, and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from University of Massachusetts, Amherst.Websites and Social Media:www.theempoweredmusician.comwww.danavarga.comwww.massopera.orgInstagram: @danalynnevarga and @theempoweredmusician
Today I am talking to Maite Aguirre, a Spanish pianist, conductor and music teacher who has made a shift into the world of law. Maite is now halfway through her studies, and she shares what music has meant to her, how her work as a musician has influenced her decision to make a career change and what her future looks like as a lawyer.After a career in the music industry spanning over a decade, Maite is now a Future Trainee Solicitor at the international law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP). She currently combines her Graduate Diploma in Law studies, with her work as piano teacher at St Paul's Cathedral School as well as completing her PhD under the supervision of Prof. Sir Barry Ife at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Initially trained as a pianist in Barcelona under Vladislav Bronevetzky and Alan Branch, Maite moved to London to complete her Master's in piano accompaniment at the Guildhall, where she also undertook a postgraduate course in opera studies. Subsequently, Maite became a Lucille Graham Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music working as repetiteur and conductor in the School's opera department. Other operatic experience includes a collaboration with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Grange Park Opera. As a pianist, Maite toured all over Spain, in France, Germany, Italy and Norway, and played in some of the most prestigious London venues including King's Place, Wigmore Hall, St John's Smith Square, St Martin's in the Fields and the Barbican Hall; also recording both for TV and radio: BBC3, RNE (Spanish National Radio) and Spanish TV channels TV3 and BTV; performing in UK festivals such as City of London, Ludlow Festival, Bramley Music Festival, Landsdowne-Blüthner. Maite was awarded many prizes during her career, including the Tracey Chadwell Memorial Prize to the best piano accompanist adjudicated by Roger Vignoles, and a second prize at the Concerto Competition in Budapest in 2016. She was also a Georg Solti Academia scholar, and features conducting in the BBC documentary Solti, Maestro or Mephisto. She was the Director of the Music Academy Cañada Blanch in the Spanish School in London for six years and remains the conductor of the BCLP Choir. Praised by The Guardian for her quasi orchestral colour in her playing, her first solo Album with music from Enrique Granados received unanimous praise from the media, highlighting her carefully thought textures and well balanced cantabile; impeccable pedalization, use of staccato, characteristic of the Spanish pianistic School as well as her faithfulness to the composer's characteristic sound and her colour and rubato, in the fingertips themselves. Shortly after the release of her second album in 2019, Une sorirée dans Grenade, Maite decided to pursue a career in law, and is the recipient of two scholarships on academic merit at BPP Law School (Career Commitment Scholarship and Dean of the Law). Keen on outreach projects and engagement, Maite has been invited as a panellist in several university events and law fairs and is a mentor at BCLP's Career Kick Start Alumni programme. Instagram: @maite_piano
Today I am talking to Gráinne Gillis. She is a versatile performer with a portfolio career which includes working as an actress, singer, voice over artist. In addition to her varied work across various artistic and creative fields, Gráinne has taken her skills outside the artistic arena into fields such as hospitality, marketing, education and consultancy. With her philosophies such as “be the best at what you do, whatever it is you do” and “instead of asking what the art world can give to you, ask whatever it is that you can give to the art world” Gráinne exudes a powerful presence in a world in need of individuals who listen and lead.Hailed by the Observer as a voice with 'rich, dramatic potential', Gráinne Gillis is an Irish-American opera singer, actress and voiceover artist She read Music at University College Cork and graduated from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In 2018/19 she sang Flora in the Olivier award-winning King's Head Theatre's production of La Traviata, and opened the London Song Festival. Other highlights include her one-woman show Mezzo Sings The Bard, Hélène in Faust et Hélène, the Old Woman in Candide and La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod 2018. In 2019/20 she sang Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica, Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana and Aksinya in Lady Macbeth of Mtsenk. She also made her Irish debut as Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance at Cork Opera House, and Vampyrmeister/Suse in Der Vampyr for Gothic Opera (nominated for an Offie) . Covid cancellations in 2020 included a national tour of Ireland with Sea Trilogy as well as 1st Magd in Elektra. She has long had an interest in new ways of bringing opera to audiences and collaborated with director Julia Mintzer and The Pleiades Project in NYC on their series ‘24' (now on InVision). During the pandemic, Gráinne has been involved in online projects No Room No Room No Room for Opera Harmony which was aired on Operavision. Gráinne appeared in Edward Lambert's short opera Last Party on Earth on film and at Tête-à-Tête 2020, as well as Bread and Circuses, a new opera by American composer Liam Wade, at Tête-à-Tête 2020 and the Playground Theatre. Future projects include developing more shows, plus a revival of Mezzo Sings The Bard. She is thankful to be supported this season by Help Musicians UK. As well as her opera and voiceover work, Gráinne's passions are yoga, Shakespeare and politics, and she has written for the Huff Post UK, the Irish Times, and for RTÉ Lyric FM. For more information, visit www.grainnegillis.com. Instagram: @grainnegillisTwitter: @GrainneGillis
Today I am talking to Elena Armijo, an executive and leadership coach. Elena trained as a mezzo-soprano and she transferred her passion of generosity through performance to empowering people through life coaching. In our chat we discuss our love for music, the parallels between stage performance and goal setting, and how to communicate with your audience, however big or small.Website: www.ElenaArmijo.comPowerful Women And Change: www.powerfulwomenandchange.com/elenaarmijoInstagram: @elena.armijoTwitter: mselenaarmijoELENA ARMIJO, PCC, CDTLFElena Armijo, Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator has a strong track record of supporting clients and organizations in creating impact, culture shifts and leadership development. Her unique ability to identify common patterns while generating new awareness and re-invention leaves clients with the ability to make stronger choices, clearer decisions and powerful steps toward their desired outcomes. Elena offers in-depth and customized executive programs for high performers who are at the top of their respective fields – from CEOs of leading businesses, to professional athletes, policy-focused individuals, entertainers and artists, and more. Partnering with Elena, these clients have created and achieved the professional and personal impact in the world they once perceived unattainable. As a leader and trainer with Accomplishment Coaching© and CHIEF Core Guide Facilitator, Elena continues to expand her work with teams across the world.Elena Armijo was inspired to become an Executive and Leadership Coach through her work as a professional opera singer. Drawn to work with ambitious top performers like herself, she realized she could bring unique insight to the coaching business after spending many years “on the other side of the table.” Elena's ten-year career in opera spanned across the globe and included work with many prestigious opera companies as well as performances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Elena holds a B.M. of Music Education from New Mexico State University and an M.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of Washington.
Elle Luna is a designer, painter and writer, and the author of “The Crossroads of Should and Must.”She facilitates a global art movement, #The100DayProject, where participants create and post something every day for 100 days.She has played a key role in shaping some of the defining products and applications of our time, working as a designer at IDEO, Mailbox, Medium, and Uber.After years as a designer, Elle faced her own crossroads. In a powerful Medium post that went viral, Elle described the realisation that despite her professional success, all she really loved to do was paint. Step by step, while continuing to work full time as a designer, she walked her path toward becoming an artist until she could leave the corporate world behind in pursuit of her MUST.In her first book, “The Crossroads of Should and Must” (Workman Publishing, 2015), Elle explains “There are two paths in life: should and must. We arrive at this crossroads over and over again. And every day, we get to choose.”Recently, in early 2018, Elle released her second book, co-authored with Susie Herrick, “Your Story Is Your Power: Free Your Feminine Voice“. A potently instructive toolkit on self-examination, it lays out how properly defining and understanding our own lives can help form better futures.Elle currently resides in Sausalito, California and online at instagram.com/elleluna#thecrossroadsbetweenshouldandmust#yourstoryisyourpower
My guest today is conductor and coder Holly Mathieson. In our chat Holly shares about her experience as an international conductor and the influence orchestras can have on communities at large and how her projects often reinvent the role of leadership traditionally associated with the conductor. Although only six months in, Holly's new venture as a coder has already helped her to identify how the world of music can be enhanced further by the programming community.https://www.hollymathieson.com/@hollyjmathieson
My guest today is mezzo-soprano Kezia Bienek. Having worked as an opera singer Kezia recently branched out her career to becoming a doula. In our chat Kezia shares her experiences as a young opera singer, how motherhood has influenced her work and how, as a doula, she now supports women through the time of their pregnancy as well as supporting them in the first weeks after they have given birth.Find out more about Kezia at www.keziabienek.co.ukFollow Kezia on Instagram: @yourbirthingfriend and @mez_kezFollow Kezia on Twitter: @DivaKeziaAlso follow @fivexmore and #butnotmaternity
My guest today is Duane Harvey from Detroit, Michigan. Daune is a drummer and jazz musician, whose professional career has been that of a technical engineering professional with Specific experience in the battery development, automotive, audio, and RF technology fields. He ascribes the skill of acute listening, something he developed through his music, as the catalyst for moving into the field of audio technology.Website: https://duaneharvey.net/https://www.linkedin.com/in/duane-harvey-86051121/ https://www.audioasylum.com/audio/music/jazz/bbs.html
Today's guest is cellist, teacher and mentor Oliver Mansfield. Taking inspiration from three role models in his life, Ollie negotiated a busy career performing and teaching. At the height of this career burnout struck and Ollie was forced to make drastic changes to his lifestyle and work ethic. In our conversation Ollie shares details about his own experiences, he talks about how he dealt with the dilapidating effects of burnout and how his inner need for helping people has spurred him on to become a mentor for other musicians as well as create paid online performing opportunities during the pandemic's lockdown.Website: www.olivermansfieldcello.comFront room concerts group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/222503358940969Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OllieMansfieldMusicLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-mansfield-20140177/
The British tenor Ed Lyon recently completed his training in therapy and coaching which focuses on helping performers with issues such as performance anxiety, phobias, habit breaking as well as general confidence building. In our chat Ed shares the specific incident which was the catalyst for his turning to therapy, first as a client and later becoming a therapist himself. He clarifies the benefits of cognitive behavioural and hypnotherapy for performing artists, and the importance of introducing cognitive techniques to young performers during their studies rather than only turning to therapy for crisis management.http://edlyon.infowww.edlyon-therapy.co.uk
Bobby Huebner is the managing director of “The Accomplished Traveler,” a lifestyle travel concierge company. Our paths first crossed when we were studying at the University of Michigan and today we caught up after many years. In our chat we talk about what Bobby did to create a life he loves and how his background in music influences his work in the leisure travel industry.https://accomplishedtraveler.com/
Matthew Johnson is a cellist and photographer. In our chat he shares how his experience in music is influencing his work as photographer and how networking has helped his portfolio to grow, connecting him to various of the UK's most prestigious classical music festivals. www.matthewjohnsonphotographer.com/
Today's conversation is hitting closer to home as I invited my brother Pieter de Villiers, co-founder and Chief Product Officer for Macanta Software Ltd, to have a chat. Pieter grew up playing various instruments and ended up being a professional drummer. He is now running a successful company. But he had to travel a long way to get to this point in his life. In this episode Pieter talks inspiringly about the importance of failure, the creative power of criticism and the need for both musicians and business people to be open to the opportunities which are imbedded in change.https://www.macanta.org/
Sarah Kerr is a councillor for the Liberal Democrats in Wokingham, England. In our conversation we touch on how the skills of performance, negotiation and research learnt from her career in music impacted Sarah's work in influencing social issues and legislation in her Borough.
Sam Robinson who studied to become a tenor is now about to commence his studies in Law. Having trained as a tenor and having worked in artist management, Sam's story tells of the vast web of transferable skills which he has been able to carry over from music into various career streams.
When cellist Kathleen Wallfisch identified a niche in the market of casting extras in film, she started her own business, Music in Vision, to develop effective casting of musicians in the visual media production world. Subsequently, she developed The Musician Method, a series of online courses designed to help professional musicians position themselves as business owners and generate more income.https://kathleenwallfisch.com/https://www.musicinvision.com/https://musician-method.thinkific.com/
Chris Elliott, a tenor and headhunter, talks straight about the need for music students to look outside the secure bubble of education. He shares ideas about students' need to set up their networks in such a way so they can fund their studies as well as maintain a quality of life in which their musical careers can become fulfilling rather than a burden to make ends meet.
The UK's National Health Service or NHS celebrates 72 years this week and Alex Aldren, a doctor and tenor whose singing in hospitals during the corona-virus epidemic inspired people as far afield as Argentina, joins me for a chat. We talk about his journey through medicine, his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, the impact of music on well-being and health, as well as the value of the arts and the need to maintain a constant two-way conversation between those who create the arts and those who fund it.https://www.alexanderaldren.com
Meet Paula Muldoon. A fantastic violinist and award-winning coder. In our chat we go beyond finding the similarities of code script and a musical score. We talk about the subtle art of communication among musicians, point out the skills that music teaches as a discipline, talking openly about defining identity when having made a career change. Look up Paula's links:https://paulamuldoon.com/ especially for- "Learn to code" - "Violin with Paula" (her YouTube channel)Kreutzer Challenge (breathing and stretching) playlisthttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuRSZ6W1ynqzeSbzzER6a207uHBLm-OeMFacebook https://www.facebook.com/FiddlersCode/Twitter https://twitter.com/FiddlersCode
Soprano Rachael Marsh chats about how she ended up in music via her studies in linguistics and obtaining a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education. She is now currently undertaking her Masters in opera. We draw parallels between life experiences and performance, highlighting the similarities between talking to a class of seven year-olds and performing to an intimidating opera casting panel, keeping a balance between focusing on a goal while having a broad perspective on life.
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