We are so excited to kick off Season 3 with an interview with the incredible Jordan Weatherston Pitts! Jordan is a tenor and the creator of the Young Artist Community Tracker or YAC Tracker. He started the community in 2018, and it’s current iteration on Facebook now has over 3,000 members.  Jordan is a passionate...

In the Season 2 Finale, Elise and Marcelle reflect on the twists and turns of creating a podcast during a global pandemic. They share how working on this season has changed their thoughts on the industry, helped them to more clearly find their voices, and reaffirmed their commitment to advocating for all singers. Finally, they...

Branding. We’re all supposed to do it, especially with our work being pushed mostly into the digital realm. 💻 Many of us don’t know how to create a brand. Many of us hate the idea of it because it feels fake or pushy or too “sales-y.” Others, however, seem to find that perfect balance of...

“Opera singers need a better (or a new) union.” It’s a phrase that we know we’ve heard — or let’s be real, said ourselves– many times over the course of countless conversations about what’s f-ed up in our industry. Insufficient (or no) wages.Unsafe or unhealthy work environments.Exploitative and abusive practices.No health care. Those are just...

Elise and Marcelle are back on their own this week, and the TEA IS HOT.  ☕️ As an industry, we’re facing a delayed audition season, and one that looks like it may be mostly virtual as per the Houston Grand Opera audition announcement (NOTE: in the episode, we incorrectly refer to this as a post...

Today we begin a new mini-series on the podcast, Opera Diaries, in which we will share first-person accounts from individual artists about their journeys, both professional and personal, in the operatic industry. Our first story comes from soprano Chantal Freeman, who shares with us her path as it relates to validation. Validation is a tricky...

🏳️‍🌈 Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈 On today’s show we sit down with the fabulous baritone Matthew Maisano to talk about his parallel career as the enchanting drag queen known as Balena Canto. During quarantine, Matthew and Balena have been incredibly active, exploring different ways to produce online concerts, contests, and drag shows.  He shares with us...

“Do you have a manager yet?” In opera, we’re often led to believe that management is the Holy Grail, the sign that you’ve “made it” as a singer.  Yet, we’re all mystified by the process: How do you get a manager? What does a manager do? How do you know when you’re ready for management?...

As quarantine drags on, we’re faced with a lot of questions as artists and as people: What do I do now that my work is on hold? Who am I when my daily patterns are interrupted? How do I navigate relationships when anxious and stressed out? We are joined by Dr. Glenn Doyle, a licensed...

On today’s show we talk to conductor Anthony Barrese, who is the artistic director at Opera Southwest and the music director at OperaDelaware.  From the other side of the orchestra pit, he shares his thoughts with us on application fees, audition strategies for singers, and why he sometimes only accepts baked goods as payment for...