A number of top professionals have come to Thomas Heyer for help with technical problems which leads us to a further discussion of technique in singing. As a teacher he was first opposed to teaching on Zoom, but now is comfortable with using this method of teaching. Other ideas discussed are how seeing a particular graffiti in Minnesota spoke directly to him, how he works on passaggio passages with his students, and finally, he gives his take on the theme of talent vs. hard work.

Thomas Heyer is a Professor of Voice at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main. Recognized as one of the top voice teachers in Europe, his students sing in major opera houses throughout Europe. As a tenor he has sung throughout Europe, in addition to North America and Africa.

In the first part of our conversation, I ask Thomas about the arc of his career, first as a singer and then as a teacher, the beginning of which was different from that of most singers and teachers. We then discuss in depth his approach to teaching and the main areas where he focuses his concentration... vocal cords, resonance, and support, and how to bring these into balance.

Although both Camila and Bruno come from South America, they met in the United States, where they were both studying (Camila was studying clarinet at the Manhattan School of Music and Bruno studied trumpet at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University). We talk about their individual careers as working professional musicians and the arc of their careers.

In order to get an idea of exactly how Música para Respirar works, Bruno describes how he would give a typical concert online for a person who has requested one. Camila also describes an actual concert she gave very early in the morning and the positive effect it had. And finally, I ask about the future of Música para Respirar, and their goal of making "classical music performances available to anyone at any time anywhere."

Bruno Lourensetto and Camila Barrientos are the founders of Música para Respirar, an organization that is bringing classical music to people in need around the world. Begun as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 3,902 live online concerts have been presented at the time of this interview.

In Part 1 of our discussion, we talk about how and why Música para Respirar was started, the deep emotional impact it has on the listener (and the participating musicians), and how they built the organization.

I ask Jake about the advice he would give his younger self, his heroes and influences, his piano playing, and how he tries to balance his schedule.

In Part 2 of our conversation, I ask Jake about how he composes, his thoughts on composing, being in "the zone" while composing, orchestration, and being authentic as a composer and human being.

Jake Heggie is the composer of 9 operas, including Dead Man Walking and Moby Dick and has written nearly 300 art songs. In addition, he is a fine pianist who has worked with singers such as Joyce DiDonato, Renee Fleming, Frederica von Stade, and Jamie Barton, among others. In our conversation we talk about his life in opera, composing, the three ingredients of success, and even ... coffee and sleep!

Jake Heggie’s story is truly exceptional ... luck followed by exceptionally hard work and talent. So we begin by my asking him to recount how he came to write his first opera, Dead Man Walking, which has been called “the most celebrated opera of the 21st century,” with over 75 international productions, a truly exceptional story! We then use Dead Man Walking to talk about the process of getting an opera produced, beginning with the composition and collaboration with the librettist, followed by the numerous steps of workshopping and rehearsals.

In the Bonus Room, Ingrid talks about how she balances her life, both in terms of playing vs. composing, and also being a mother while being a performer. She talks about the influence Clark Terry has had on her, both in terms of inspiration and also her career. We end by talking about how Ingrid would teach jazz to a beginner.

In Part 2, we cover a wide range of subjects, and I ask Ingrid for her ideas about teaching, including the importance of listening (including what she gets from listening to composers such as Bach and Bartok), curiosity and investigation, feeling vs. counting rhythm, and how playing Monette trumpets has helped her career. Finally, she talks about how to use listening to correct course if things are not going well.