Opera Dialogues

Growing up in Piedras Negras on the Mexican border with the United States, Eleazar first experienced opera from a recording his father borrowed of The Three Tenors, and he went on to buy a videotape of them, which he analysed for their differing vocal techniques, deciding which he thought sounded better, and taking meticulous notes of his observations. With no immediate opportunities to develop his growing obsession, Eleazar's dad looked into a singing programme in a nearby city, where he was shipped off to at the age of fifteen, and began his lifelong journey as a singer. From his early Placido Domingo voice scholarship given by Mexico's most renowned young artist programme to being a top prize winner in the Carlo Morelli National Competition in Mexico City, Eli went on to San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Merola Opera Programme, before he landed at a crossroads and had to take a decision that would affect the rest of his career.

Read more about Eleazar on his website here and follow him on instagram @themexicantenor

Jane was captivated by her first opera at the age of eight, and realising she loved story-telling in all different forms, went on to study English and Drama at university. Working as a dresser while she was a student, Jane was drawn to the myriad of stories told on stage, and became a drama teacher, where she shared that love and passion with her students. Seeing the job as Director of Outreach and Education advertised at Scottish Opera, she went for it (despite having no experience), and they realised that Jane's commitment to telling stories in fresh and imaginative ways made her the perfect candidate. Jane was Awarded an MBE in 2017 in recognition of the achievement of Scottish Opera's unique outreach programme in Scotland and internationally. This year, she is celebrating Scottish Opera's 50 years of pioneering outreach and education work, with a unique series of projects bringing music and performance into the lives of people and communities across the country.

Growing up in Liverpool, Harry drove his artist mother mad playing The Beatles and took to the piano, but thought of it as more of a hobby than anything else. However, the world had other plans, and with an academic scholarship to Radley College, Harry began playing the chapel organ, and met a teacher who, through his work and his introductions, would change the course of his career. Harry went from the Royal College of Music to organ scholar at St George's Chapel, Windsor and to Christ Church College, Oxford where he was also an organ scholar, and to on to Westminster Abbey. However, the lonely nature of the job forced him to re-think his options, and on the brink of quitting music for business, his neighbour introduced him to Mark Elder, Music Director of English National Opera at the time. Having barely seen an opera, or indeed heard of a repetiteur, after some impressive sight-reading Harry was on the music staff, where he arrived on his first day only to be shouted at by Charles Mackerras for fumbling the offstage banda in The Makropulos Case. Harry shares his journey from his early years through to his successful international career, including his work as the Artistic Director of the English Concert and as Music Director of Santa Fe Opera.

Read more about Harry on his agent's website here

Read more about The English Concert and their recent Rodelinda recording here

Read about Santa Fe Opera here

Ruth was brought up in Ireland by her dancer mother and singer and actor father, to a backdrop of golden era Hollywood musicals with some Beatles thrown in for good measure. After watching her mother teach choreography, she went on to take ballet classes herself soon after she could walk. Studying music at University College in Dublin, she soon discovered she didn't want to perform, and focused on the academic side of her degree. She went for her first interview after graduating for the job of Assistant Chorus Manager at the Royal Opera House, thinking it would be good interview practice. She not only got the job, but stayed for many years in different capacities, before taking on the Company Management role at Scottish Opera and Opera Holland Park, and working closely with Opera Rara. As the Company Manager of the Royal Opera House, Ruth had to not only bring the artists at the house to a screeching halt in the face of the pandemic, but organise and reorganise the company in the wake of the crisis that has been devastating our industry. Ruth chats through the highs and lows of the high-pressure environments she has worked in, and what happens when you get that emergency call from prompt corner…

Matthew Rose started studying music at school in West Sussex before going on to study at University in Canterbury, where he worked with Benjamin Luxon and Sheila Amit. After a precarious car journey to Urbania in Italy, he took part in a programme - surrounded by many, more experienced singers - that changed the course of his career. Soon after he was one of very few students studying at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Pennsylvania, where he immersed himself not only in the programme but in the surrounding musical environment - from local concerts to weekly visits to Carnegie Hall and the Met. Going on to join the Vilar Young Artist's Programme at the Royal Opera House, and making his Glyndebourne debut with Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Matthew's career has gone from strength to strength, seeing him on stages from the Met to the Royal Opera House, from La Monnaie to the Deustche Oper among many, many others. With the John Christie Award and a Grammy alongside his many incredible achievements, Matthew gives a frank insight into his road to success.

Read more about Matthew on his agent's website here

Follow him on Twitter @roseandfriends and Instagram @matthewrosephotos

Fiona Maddocks played music as a young girl at the Royal College of Music on Saturdays, but after a frightening experience at a Masterclass with Nadia Boulanger, she knew for certain she didn't want to be on stage, or indeed be the centre of attention at all. While studying English at Cambridge, she spent her spare time playing the violin with chamber groups and orchestras, before setting out in London as a young hopeful writer and finding the doors well and truly shut. From her early role running a radio switchboard for incoming calls, via politics and current affairs, Fiona was later part of the team that set up Channel 4, was the first music editor of The Independent and founding editor of BBC Music Magazine. She was also chief Arts feature writer of the Evening Standard, and is the author of four books from Hildegard von Bingen to Harrison Birtwistle, all of which she negotiated alongside the demands of bringing up a young family, almost single-handedly. Now, as Chief Music Critic of The Observer, Fiona is the only woman in that role on a UK broadsheet newspaper.

Fiona's books can be found here and her literary agency can be found here

Psychotherapist and artist wellbeing practitioner Lou Platt was brought up by her Avon Lady mother and her nuclear engineer father, who also created sets both for their local theatre, and for Lou to perform at home. Basking in her role of the second lead as the Merry Wizard in the school play, Lou went on to become a professional performer, co-founding The Other Way Works, creating playful theatre immersing audiences in their stories. Using autobiography as performance, Lou absorbed herself in a role very similar to her mother, but despite her love of performing, she also suffered deeply from performance anxiety. This, in combination with her own experience in family therapy as a child, helped inform her decision to become a therapist. Lou has now founded her own company Artist Wellbeing, and strives to enable all types of artists and performers to not only take radical care of their mental health and wellbeing, but to also reach and maintain their fullest creative potential. Lou shares her journey with disarming honesty and authenticity, offering perspective in times of crisis and ideas for us to reflect on our past and look to the future.

Please note, this episode contains some swearing.

Lou's website is www.artistwellbeing.co.uk

The theatre company that Lou founded is: www.theotherwayworks.co.uk

Podcasts on Polyvagal Theory can be found here & here

The Internal Family Systems Therapy that Lou mentioned can be found here: https://ifs-institute.com/

Nicola began music at school with the standard issue recorder, but soon took it upon herself to put down a deposit on a saxophone, much to the horror of her parents who were left with the bill. She went on to study music at Durham University, from her Bachelor of Arts through to her PhD, before starting out as a Stage Manager working in many of the UK opera companies – from English Touring Opera to Buxton International Festival and Opera Holland Park. She also tackled the joy of British pantomime seasons, and travelled the world on tour with Shakespeare's Globe. Moving on to the Royal Academy of Music as Producer and Opera Company Manager, she negotiated the challenges of producing opera over two years in external venues while the academy was refurbished, and managed a visit from the Royals. Taking on her current role as CEO of British Youth Opera, Nicola was able to use the skills she had learnt along the way to inform her work heading up a company that provides professional opportunities for singers, musicians and technical trainees all of whom are all at the beginning of their operatic careers.

Find out more about BYO here and more about taking part in their upcoming season here

Read more about OperaUK where Nicola is a founding director here and join and support them here

Frances Marshall began learning the piano at five years old, but was also captivated by copies of Vanity Fair around her house, which founded her love of music and the visual arts from a young age. At nineteen years old, she had a job as an usher at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, and persuaded her boss to let her backstage with her camera, giving her unique access to all the visiting artists. Soon, Frances was getting hired as a photographer, and went on to found Final Note, an online magazine tracing the journeys of artists and their paths to the top of the industry. Frances is now a photographer with OperaWire, and has co-founded the branding agency Marshall Light Studio with Sophie Light, creating bespoke branding, website design, portrait and stage photography for the world of classical music and opera. See Frances's work at http://francesmarshall.ie/