Professional operatic soprano Martha Eason joins me for a crossover conversation on music, endurance sport, and the mindset that powers both. We go from Appalachia bluegrass roots to Germany’s “fest” system, where the same resident cast performs night after night—often on tired vocal cords and tighter schedules. Martha breaks down why opera is an athletic event, how recovery, breath work, and nervous-system regulation protect those “two tiny muscles,” and what her Garmin reveals during rehearsals.

We talk technique vs. emotion (and why clear text and intention beat perfect high notes), naming the inner critic (“Hi, Brenda”), and practical ways singers taper, avoid burnout, and come back from overuse injuries. Martha shares role milestones—from Violetta in La Traviata to Missy Mazzoli’s gritty Breaking the Waves—and how faith, doubt, and real life feed performance without derailing it. Plus: the Via Francigena run, why second performances often outshine premieres, Germany’s public funding for opera, and how her “Rehearsal Notes” newsletter blends vocal pedagogy with athlete habits.

Martha’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/marthaeasonsoprano/

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