Opera Offstage

Happy New Year!

The New Year is a time for reflection and goal setting, and it's no different for us at Opera Offstage.

We're talking all about New Year's resolutions and why we're often so bad at making ones that actually work. We'll show you how to write better, more realistic resolutions, understand the the real goals behind them, and keep them even when life gets in the way.

Join us as we set out on an exciting new year!

Meet our Partner Practizma Journal!

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App from the Episode:

Rhythm Sight Reading Trainer

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Hosts:

Jessie

Michelle

It's finally time to say goodbye to 2020.

We can't say that we'll miss this absolute rollercoaster of a year, but that doesn't mean that there isn't plenty to talk about from it!

Today we remember some of our favorite moments from the podcast, give our first annual Encore Awards, and shout out your incredible 2020 triumphs that you sent us. 

We love you all, and we'll see you in 2021!

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Jessie

Michelle

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

This week we're playing games and talking about the weird and wild history of Christmas carols and Christmas opera! 

Today we talk about:

Which Christmas carols used to be sexy?

Is there a popular Christmas opera?

Can self-proclaimed Christmas lover Michelle name the 12 days of Christmas?

Join us as we get into the holiday spirit!

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Jessie

Michelle

Music from the Episode:

Oh, Christmas Tree by Kevin MacLeod

As 2020 draws to a close, many singers have one thought on there minds, "What comes next?"

Today we're taking a peek into the future of opera. So much has changed this year in our industry for better or for worse and that means it's time to dive in to exactly where we see the future of opera headed and compare that to where we actually want to see it go. From education to digital innovation to representation, we can imagine and create an even better future than the one we're headed towards, and together we will.

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Voices of Tomorrow's Songs

New Voices Opera

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Jessie

Michelle

Auditions are wrapping up, PFOs have been sent out, and for many singers the question is what to do now while we still can't perform live?

It's time to talk Covid performances!

Lots and lots of classical musicians have been exploring different outlets for performing during quarantine, so we're here to talk all about the different options and tools available. We cover solo vs. group performing, different platforms for streaming, and how to monetize your performance, as well as some of our favorite Covid performances we've seen so far. 

Hire Mike:

Mike McAndrew

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Jessie

Michelle

Every classical singer has heard at least once, "You're an opera singer? I love Andrea Bocelli!"

Love it or hate it, Popera is many people's first introduction to classical music.

But do Popera singers really deserve all the hate from classical musicians?

Today we talk all about Popera and why so many classical musicians aren't into it. Then we dive into pop singers with classical albums and opera singers with pop albums to figure out if classical training really gives you an edge in other genres. So join us as we dive deep into the fun and divisive world of Popera!

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Jessie

Michelle

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we talk about all the things that we're grateful for in this crazy year musically and also personally, and we read some of your submissions from our instagram. We also finally talk about Jonas Kaufmann's rendition of "All I Want for Christmas is You", which is the true gift of this season. 

So join as we give thanks and celebrate all the little good things that made this year possible!

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Jessie

Michelle

Today we’re honored to interview the incredible Tracy Cox!

Hailed by LA Weekly as a “force of nature,” soprano and Fat Politics activist Tracy Cox is a performer and artist whose talent has been recognized by those in the highest echelons of the industry, garnering her a Sullivan Foundation Award, the Birgit Nilsson Prize at Operalia and the Kirsten Flagstad Award from the George London Foundation.

She has been interviewed by the New York Times on fat politics and restaurant accessibility, and currently has over 14,000 followers on Instagram (@sparklejams) where she regularly unpacks fat performance, fashion, and politics.

In today’s episode we continue our exploration of combating fatphobia in classical music, promoting fat liberation to the world at large, and ways to push back against the typical fatphobia of the holidays & quarantine.

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Jessie

Michelle

Classical musicians are expected to maintain a fairly well stocked personal music library in order to be prepared to perform much of the standar repertoire. 

For young musicians and music students, the expense of sheet music, scores, anthologies, and librettos quickly adds up and becomes a force of exclusion in classical music. Which has lead to the creation and sharing of online drives filled with scanned sheet music, some of which is Public Domain and others which are still under copyright.

This has lead to a serious debate within music circles on the ethics of these drives. Classical music has a serious classism issue, so isn't it our job to make music more accessible? Do these drives hurt musicians in the publishing industry like composers, musicologists, and arrangers? How do we fight bad publishing practices without hurting the preservation of music?

While there is no easy answer, today we take you through the Great Libretto Debate, so join us as we discuss the arguments and options and come up with a few solutions of our own.

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Jessie

Michelle

It's a pretty stressful week in the world, so we wanted to keep things short and silly on the podcast today. So we're sharing on of our Minisodes which is normally only available through our Patreon!

Today we're talking all about overrated characters in opera. We explore which characters are bland, unlikeable, or just outright simps. We have some pretty strong opinions about which characters don't necessary live up to the hype and even an opera or two that get way more stage time than we'll ever understand. So join us as we roast some of our favorite and least favorite characters!

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Hosts:

Jessie

Michelle