The CVH Podcast

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This week on The CVH Podcast, I talk about something we don't discuss nearly enough: the moment a singer realizes the professional career they worked so hard for may never become the career they hoped for.

Opera is a brutal business in one particular way. It takes years, sometimes decades, just to find out whether you're a viable commodity. And even then, being good enough and being able to make a living are two very different things.

There's pain in that realization. There's grief. There's also dignity in knowing when the pursuit has reached its limit.

I have enormous sympathy, respect, and pride for the people who have given so much of themselves to this profession, regardless of where they ended up.

I speak only from my own experience and what I've witnessed along the way. I'm not here to pick fights or tell anyone what their future holds. I'm here to listen, to offer encouragement where I can, and to be equally willing to acknowledge some difficult realities.

Inspiration matters. So does the truth.

This week on The CVH Podcast. Available wherever you listen.

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Episode 318: Don G Reality 🎙️

Chatting about the upcoming opening, life on the road, and the realities of building a career in this business. The anticipation, the uncertainty, and everything that happens between the big moments.

Listen now.

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EPISODE 317 🎙️

San Francisco. Chicago. Back again.

This week: the San Francisco Opera orchestra strike, getting into Don Giovanni in Chicago, and the reality of traveling between two cities while trying to give both shows everything.

Plus an update on the album—and a personal ask. If you’ve been following this whole journey with me, I’d love for you to own a piece of it. Signed copies of my debut solo album are available to preorder at christianvanhorn.com

New CVH Podcast out now. I love you for listening.

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Episode 316 🎙️

The next few weeks are shaping up to be completely insane as I commute back and forth between Chicago and San Francisco. I’m talking through the chaos, the possibility that opening night of Simon Boccanegra hangs in the balance amid contract negotiations with the orchestra, and all things CVH—including the self-titled debut album.

A lot is up in the air. Let’s get into it.

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TIME FOR THE BI-ANNUAL FATHER/SON PODCAST WHERE COULTER CATCHES US UP ON ALL THINGS PRE-TEEN! THESE EPISODES ARE LISTENER FAVORITES.

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Most of us spend years learning how to sing... and almost no time learning how to build a career.

For Podcast #314, tenor Ben Bliss came all the way to my home in Virginia to sit down and talk about both.

Ben's new book, Making It Work: The Practical Guide to Financial and Entrepreneurial Literacy for Freelancers in the Performing Arts, tackles the side of this profession that rarely gets taught—money, contracts, business, long-term thinking, and how to make a life in the arts that's actually sustainable.

We also talk about his own career, the realities of freelancing, and the lessons we both wish we'd known much earlier.

If you're a singer, musician, actor, or anyone making a living as a freelancer, I think you'll get a lot from this conversation.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

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Why do singers cancel?

Episode 313 of the CVH Podcast is a conversation about something audiences rarely see: the importance of stepping away. Life on the road is a privilege, but staying healthy, recharging, and remembering why we do it all matters just as much as the performances themselves.

I also share an update on the upcoming album and everything happening in CVH World.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and join the mailing list at christianvanhorn.com for exclusive album updates, behind-the-scenes content, and music you won't find anywhere else.

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Episode 312 of THE CVH PODCAST

The classical recording industry is broken.

Streaming has transformed the way we listen to music—but for many classical artists, it has also made traditional recording projects financially unsustainable.

In this episode, I explain where the money actually goes, why major label recordings often generate surprisingly little income for the artists themselves, and why so many singers simply stop recording altogether.

I'm also making the case for a different future.

Instead of waiting for permission from a record company, I chose to produce and release my own album independently. It's a massive risk, but it also gives artists something they've largely lost: ownership.

Maybe the future of classical recording isn't fewer albums.

Maybe it's more artists betting on themselves.

I'd love to hear your thoughts after listening.

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Episode 311 of the CVH Podcast is out now.

When the curtain comes down and the applause fades, road life gets very quiet.

The days are filled with rehearsals, performances, airports, hotels, and constant movement. Then suddenly there’s nothing but silence and another unfamiliar room. That's often when the mind starts wandering.

Lately I've been having the same recurring dreams, the kind that seem to follow you from city to city. Maybe it's just the miles adding up. Maybe it's my subconscious counting down the days until this tour finally comes to an end.

Life on the road can be extraordinary, but the quiet moments are where the real conversations happen.

Episode 311: When It Gets Quiet is available now.

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The great Christopher Maltman joins me for Episode #310 of the CVH Podcast.

We discuss what happens when the entire world has seen your ass, the challenge of moving into Wagner repertoire later in a career, and a fascinating conversation about Don Giovanni that opera lovers won't want to miss.

One of the smartest, funniest, and most thoughtful conversations I've had in a long time.

Available now wherever you get your podcasts.

#Opera #Wagner #DonGiovanni #ChristopherMaltman #CVHPodcast