Opera Offstage

In the wake of the closing of many parts of our industry and the ongoing revelations about the people and institutions involved in it, many musicians are questioning the viability and rationality of continuing a career in music. Music is a career where work and identity are deeply intertwined, which can make these questions really difficult to deal with and very isolating. So today, we're talking...

To celebrate International Women's Day and Women's History Month, we've put together an episoded filled with all the joys, nightmares, and bizarre parts of being a woman in classical music. We love being women in classical music, but that doesn't mean it's always easy. In this episode we celebrate the amazing women we've gotten to talk to this year, discuss the misconceptions we've faced, reveal t...

A lot of people's first experience performing new music is... less than ideal. And it can be even harder to figure out how to make those experiences better without bruising either the performer or the composer's ego, which is why we've brought a special guest on to help us make new music a better experience for everyone. In today's episode we break down why schools aren't always the best place to...

Today we’re joined by fellow musicians and podcasters Katie and Dalanie from Classically Black Podcast! Classically Black Podcast centers Black voices and challenges ideas of what the field of classical music looks like while including humor and references to popular culture that is sure to entertain. In the episode we chat with Dalanie and Katie about the inspiration behind starting their podcast...

Getting married and starting a family can be really tricky topics to navigate when you're a young musician, which is why we brought on two experts to help us better understand the joys and compromises of being a musical family. With 30 years of experience as professional musicians, spouses, and parents to five kids, We couldn't think of any better couple to bring on than Nathan and Julie Gunn. The...

Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at Opera Offstage! Today's episode is all about dating as a musician, and boy did you guys give us your opinions about it on Instagram.  We learned which musicians are easiest to date, whether or not musicians make good partners, and what musician pairing is doomed to fail, and the results really surprised us! Then Michelle gives us the Do's and Dont's of makin...

Today's episode was inspired by listener and today's guest Sophie Horrocks! Opera Outreach programs are an incredible resource for communities and young artists, but very few young musicians know what they are or how to find them. Today we break down what these programs are, how beneficial they can be for musicians and their communities, and how to find an apply for positions in them. Then Sophie...

Creating an artistic resume is one of those things that seems super simple until you actually have to sit down and do it. How long should it be? What should I include? What if I have years with no performances? Today, we break down all the little details of making a beautiful,  interesting resume that you can bring to auditions with confidence. We cover the differences between a school resume and...

Ableism is everywhere and even the opera world cannot escape its history with it. In a year filled with so many difficult discussions about inclusion, ableism was largely overlooked, despite it’s huge impact on musicians, especially young musicians. Today we’re talking about exclusionary practices that hurt people with visible and invisible disabilities, the problematic disability tropes in opera...

Dry Mouth. Heart Pounding. Thoughts racing. Pacing backstage. Every musician has experienced performance anxiety, but most of us have never been taught how to actually deal with it or that a little bit of performance anxiety can actually be a good thing! Today, we break down what performance anxiety is, why we have it, how to lessen it, and how to use it to your advantage. Two heads are better tha...

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...

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! Follow Us: I...

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! Follow Us: Instagram Twitter Fa...

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 rep...

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, dif...

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...

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...

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...

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 wit...

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...

Over the centuries, classical composers and musicians have created some of the most complex and beautiful works ever written. But behind the history of classical music lie tales of gruesome murders, suicides, black magic, and stolen heads. In the Halloween spirit, indulge in some of music history's most haunting tales and decide for yourself whether they're fact or fiction.  Follow Us: Instagram T...

Nothing throws off your audition prep more than when you see a monologue requirement in the listing for a Young Artist Program. Luckily there are lots of handy tips and tricks that can turn this intimidating task into a valuable asset, all while avoiding the common mistakes that often lead to poor performances. Today we cover how to find, choose, and prepare your monologue so that you're ready for...

When should you start looking into artist management? How do you find a manager? What are some red flags that a manager doesn't have your best interests at heart? Artist management is one of the least spoken about aspects of being a young musician, leaving young artist confused about what managers are, how they can help you, and how to avoid managers who are only looking to make money off of you....

WELCOME TO THE SPOOKY EPISODE! There is nothing we love more than a good scary story, so why aren't there more horror operas?  Today we talk all about the few horror operas there are, and why it's so difficult to bring scary stories into stage mediums. Then we talk about a couple of ways we think opera can adapt to better suit a good spooky tale. Finally we get creative and pitch some of our favor...

The phrase amateur musician has gotten a bad reputation, but we're here to redeem it because amateur musicians are some of the most hardworking and inspirational people we know. Today's episode is all about and for amateur musicians. We dive into why amateur musicianship is vital for our communities and how important it is for professional musicians to support and uplift those musicians. We also c...