Hi everyone :) we are so thrilled and pumped to share our gorgeous convo w James aka hausofshmizzay on instagram. We connected close to a year ago and met irl this past fall. We’ve wanted to have them on the pod for a long long time, and we’re so excited that we finally made it happen. For those few who may not know James, they have blown up over the past year because of their posts detailing in depth discussions around vocal technique across the ages and ongoing issues in the opera industry, especially around young artists collective power. They are a voice teacher and a cultural critic. ( The Joan Rivers of opera discourse?). They have an interesting way of blending technical discussion, social critiques of the industry, and humor in their posts. We had a blast chit chatting about the role of the critic, the radical act of ENJOYING your own singing, swinging big, taking risks, honing your aesthetic ear and moral compass, working against the assumption that the singer is a perpetual student, and of course the sopranos. We hope u enjoy love u lots!!