Interviews

Talking with singers: Robert Hayward

Talking with singers: Robert Hayward

"I get a thrill working in opera, a physical and mental high to unravel the personality of different characters and to earn a living from it is an honour. The UK is blessed with great opportunities for singers young and not so young."

Jenna Simeonov
A lesbian chamber opera to span centuries: Pomegranate

A lesbian chamber opera to span centuries: Pomegranate

"It shows how lovers can be so deeply bonded that they remain loyal to each other across huge time spans and are once again drawn together, even without recognizing why, just acting on instinct."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with singers: Stephen Costello

Talking with singers: Stephen Costello

"In my off time, I come home. My wife Yoon and I live in NY. She plays violin in the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera. I don't get enough of a chance to see her and I'm hardly ever at home."

Eva Cahen
The Verdi Chorus & the Walter Fox Singers: 36 years on

The Verdi Chorus & the Walter Fox Singers: 36 years on

"These singers are also part of a whole team where they have a certain amount of responsibility as section leaders of the Verdi Chorus, and it is up to them to know their music better than anyone else and develop their musicianship."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with singers: Gerald Finley

Talking with singers: Gerald Finley

Shady characters aren't new for the affable Finley; before adding Iago, Baron Scarpia (Tosca), and Duke Bluebeard (Bluebeard's Castle) to his repertoire, his career was famously rooted in two of Mozart's most prominent cads, Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni) and Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro).

Jenna Simeonov
A prodigy grows into his art

A prodigy grows into his art

"It's like when you meet a love for the first time and for the first two months it's ecstatic love. That's what I need to do with my music and with roles; to have that spark at all times because it's what refreshes me."

Jeremy Hirsch
Talking with composers: Mark Grey

Talking with composers: Mark Grey

"Getting my hands dirty planting the earth, tending to the land with a chainsaw, baking and brewing, reading, and maybe driving up the Highway 1 coastline will ultimately blow out any cobwebs. Also, long walks and hikes really get my ideas flowing."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with singers: Erwin Schrott

Talking with singers: Erwin Schrott

"Let's face it: if we had the chance to clone ourselves in a younger self and keep our memories or our soul…I wonder how many of us will take the chance immediately."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with singers: Grace Davidson

Talking with singers: Grace Davidson

"I have always felt that Baroque music is my natural habitat. I love working with historical instrumentalists, everything about their unique colour, tone and pitch feels comfortable for me and relates to the way I sing a line or phrase."

Jenna Simeonov
Talking with singers: Patrick Terry

Talking with singers: Patrick Terry

"I wish I had started to save money earlier. I wish I had invested in travel containers for toiletries earlier, because I cannot tell you how many tiny shampoos I have accumulated over the years."

Jenna Simeonov

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