Welcome to My So-Called Opera Life, a podcast for opera singers by opera singers, where we work to connect, inform, inspire and empower musicians at all levels and stages of their career.
Each episode, Elise and Marcelle will explore a piece of the never-ending puzzle of the so-called “opera life," through interviews with inspiring singers who are making the career work for them, as well as segments with practical information about how the business works, all to help you on your journey to success, which we believe should really mean HAPPINESS!
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Welcome to My So-Called Opera Life, a podcast for opera singers by opera singers, where we work to connect, inform, inspire and empower musicians at all levels and stages of their career.
Each episode, Elise and Marcelle will explore a piece of the never-ending puzzle of the so-called “opera life," through interviews with inspiring singers who are making the career work for them, as well as segments with practical information about how the business works, all to help you on your journey to success, which we believe should really mean HAPPINESS!
Our conversation on this episode kicks off talking about an essay from David Taylor’s ‘The Future of Classical Music’. In the essay, David asks why the CEOs/heads of classical music organizations aren’t visible the way CEOs are in the business world? It’s a provocative question that kicks off a conversation between Elise and Marcelle about...
Young opera singers are often advised to “make your own opportunities,” especially while getting their careers established. But what does that actually mean and how do you do that? Elise and Marcelle talk about the importance that collaborations have had in their paths so far, get into the nitty gritty of how they made their...
We’re so happy to welcome soprano Katrina Thurman (she/her/hers) to the podcast! Katrina is a fellow Philly-based opera singer and the founder and artistic director of one of Philadelphia’s newest arts organizations East Passyunk Opera Project (ePOP)! Katrina gives us a peek into her multi-passionate and multi-faceted life as a producer, opera singer, and arts...
Susan Eichhorn Young (she/her) joins us on the podcast today for an incredible conversation about developing the voice! A versatile singer, speaker, and teacher, Susan talks with us about the importance of collaboration between a voice student and their teacher(s), and how she strives to build a space of discovery and empowerment for her students. ...
Elise and Marcelle share the mic today to discuss a recent BBC Article, ‘Gen Z and young millennials’ surprising new obsession’. Spoiler alert: it’s classical music! 🥳 The real surprise is the vehicle supporting this “new obsession”: social media platforms. We take a deep dive on today’s episode into the article’s revelations and share our...
We are so excited to welcome fellow singer and voice-over artist, Nadia Marshall (she/her/hers), to the podcast! Nadia recounts for us how voice acting went from being a simple suggestion from a colleague into being a correlating career. Her story is full of practical advice on how to get started, and her commitment to creating...
Episode 33: Elly Kace’s Intentional Flexibility While Building A Label Defying Career Today’s episode features a thought-provoking and heart-opening conversation with Elly Kace. Elly is an opera singer, meditation practitioner, sound healer, and co-founder of Frisson Films. During the pandemic, she began to re-explore her earlier interest in composition and songwriting, which led to her...
We are psyched to share this conversation with Kerriann Otaño (she/her/hers), who self-describes as a ‘Former opera singer. Eternal opera hype girl.’ In addition to always sporting immaculate nails, Kerriann is working hard to change the vibe in opera. She envisions an industry where our humanness is welcome in the rehearsal room, where community engagement...
You asked for more of us chatting on the podcast and we listened! Marcelle and Elise share some updates about what they’ve been up to since we wrapped on Season 3 and also give their takes on the current news in the opera world. They talk about: Learn more about Marcelle’s work here and here,...
Season Four! Let’s Gooooooo! We’re back and so excited to kick off the new season with Jennie Moser, the creative mind behind Stagetime! As a singer herself, Jennie was often frustrated with how networking tools like LinkedIn don’t quite serve a freelancer’s needs, and saw how her colleagues struggled with their DIY websites. Having a...
Today we welcome a very special guest to the podcast: Erin Nicole Donahue, BM, MA, CCC-SLP, Voice Pathologist & Singing Voice Specialist. Erin is a voice pathologist and singing voice specialist at the Blaine Block Institute for Voice Analysis and Rehabilitation (BBIVAR – in Dayton, OH) and the Professional Voice Center of Greater Cincinnati (ProVoice...
We are so thrilled to welcome two amazing creators to the podcast today! They are incredible artists in their own right, but also make a dream composer/librettist team! Bea Goodwin is a librettist and director, and Felix Jarrar is a pianist and a very prolific composer. They both wear many hats as producers, coaches… you...
We are so glad to continue our third season with this incredible conversation with Daniel Welch of Ideodyssey, New Classical Artist Management (NCAM) and the Opera Biz Podcast. Daniel is a multi-passionate mover and shaker in the opera industry, who is looking to marry modern marketing techniques to the opera biz! He shares his story...
Hello podcast listeners! Here’s a quick update from us about the short hiatus that we are on at the moment. Marcelle needs to go in for some vocal surgery which will prevent us from recording for a short while. In the update, she fills us in on how she’s feeling and what’s going on, and...
We are honored to welcome Veronica Chapman-Smith to the podcast today! Veronica is a Philly-based singer, who is a member of the Opera Philadelphia chorus and is also their Vice President of Community Initiatives. Veronica shares with us her thoughts on what building an equitable future in opera might look like. (Please note: Veronica joins...
We are SO delighted to share our interview with directors Brandon McShaffrey (he/they) and Rose Freeman (zie/zir)! Brandon and Rose share their thoughts with us about all things acting and stagecraft: They also offer their practical advice on the importance of creating pre- and post-performance rituals, of being able to show up authentically as yourself,...
We are so excited for today’s conversation with Patricia Westley and Joseph Lattanzi of OSSIA! Patricia and Joseph are two of the founding members of OSSIA: Op[era] Culture, a new media production company, consulting firm, and think tank committed to providing an alternate way to enjoy opera. They talk with us about how OSSIA is...
CW: there is mention of abuse/sexual assault in this episode. On today’s episode, we are thrilled to welcome bass Zachary James to the podcast! Zach is living the epitome of a multi-faceted career, with credits that include singing at the Metropolitan Opera and on Broadway, acting for film and television, as well as self-producing a...
We are so delighted to have one of our favorite podcasters on today’s episode – Tracy Friedlander of Crushing Classical! Tracy shares her amazing story with us: how she started her podcast to learn more about the musicians she saw forging their own way in the classical music world, how interviewing them helped her to...
Today we are so excited to welcome onto the show two incredible women making change happen in the opera industry- Adrienne Boris and Théodora Cottarel from Helios Opera! Théodora and Adrienne are co-founders of Helios Opera along with Julien Rohel and Rebecca Miller. They founded Helios Opera on the foundation of three core values- artist...
Welcome to My So-Called Opera Life, a podcast for opera singers by opera singers, where we work to connect, inform, inspire and empower musicians at all levels and stages of their career.
Each episode, Elise and Marcelle will explore a piece of the never-ending puzzle of the so-called “opera life," through interviews with inspiring singers who are making the career work for them, as well as segments with practical information about how the business works, all to help you on your journey to success, which we believe should really mean HAPPINESS!
