Studio Class

Episode 98: Masterclass - Whitney George

May 15th, 2023  |  1 hr 2 mins

arts coaching, classical singing, composition, micro actions, music business, opera

Whitney George’s music traverses the affective terrain between tragedy and ecstasy, fragility and strength, bringing together romantically delicate intimacy and the spectacular darkness of the macabre. Haunted by ghosts and/of love, George’s operas, staged multimedia works, and chamber music coloristically explore the mysteries of irrationality, nightmare, and memory, sonically seeking lost objects and hidden subjects. Given George’s theatrical inclinations and preoccupation with the tragic, she has turned again and again to opera as both a composer and conductor. Recently, George has been awarded a number of operatic commissions, premieres, and recognition: in 2017; the Elebash Award for her orchestration of Gideon’s opera Fortunato, which premiered under George’s baton in May 2019. In the same year; the commission of the two-act opera Princess Maleine by dell'Arte and the video opera Julie by New Camerata which was publicly released in 2020. This 2023 season, Fresh Squeezed commissions Fizz & Ginger, an immersive jazz experience, and the second operatic endeavor with libretitst Bea Goodwin. George is the artistic director and conductor of The Curiosity Cabinet, a chamber orchestra formed in 2009. She holds degrees from the California Institute of the Arts (2008), Brooklyn College (2010), and the CUNY Graduate Center (2021).

Episode 97: Masterclass - Jenni Bank

May 8th, 2023  |  58 mins 4 secs

arts coaching, classical singing, micro actions, music business, opera

Jenni Bank was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, grew up in Binghamton, New York, & studied at Peabody Conservatory. She has worked with Seattle Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Chicago Lyric Opera, New York City Opera, Anchorage Opera, Opera Delaware, Des Moines Metro Opera, Florentine Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Tri-Cities Opera, Knoxville Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Bard Summer Music Festival, Ash Lawn Opera, Amarillo Opera, Baltimore Concert Opera, Annapolis Opera, Mid-America Productions at Carnegie Hall, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester, Seoul Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, & the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Performances include Marcellina (Marriage of Figaro), Samira (Ghosts of Versailles), Mrs. De Rocher (Dead Man Walking), The Mother (The Consul), 3rd Lady (Magic Flute), Ruth (Pirates of Penzance), Buttercup (H.M.S. Pinafore), Mrs. Twist (Brokeback Mountain), Emilia (Otello), Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd), Mary (Flying Dutchman), Old Lady (Candide), Mrs. Peachum (Threepenny Opera), Golde (Fiddler on the Roof), Azucena (Il Trovatore), Witch (Hänsel und Gretel), Quickly (Falstaff), Dryad (Ariadne auf Naxos), Frugola (Il Tabarro), Principessa (Suor Angelica), Zita (Gianni Schicchi), Martha (Faust), Giulietta (Hoffmann), Marquise (Daughter of the Regiment), Petra (A Little Night Music), Fairy Queen (Iolanthe), Katisha (The Mikado), Filipyevna (Eugene Onegin), Verdi Requiem, Mozart Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, & Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. She is the leading interpreter of the Duchess in Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland, created the role of Firdaus Noman in Shalimar The Clown & is featured on the Cast Recording, won the Sullivan Foundation Award, is a Metropolitan Opera Competition semi-finalist, & is the Artistic Advisor for Tri-Cities Opera. Jenni is also the Analysis Operations Team Lead at the fast-growing tech startup DoWhatWorks and lives in Upstate New York with her husband and two adorable dogs (@theharleyandeo on instagram). Find Jenni at www.JenniBank.com & @jenni_bank. There's so much more to discover about Jenni's career! Take a listen to this Masterclass episode to learn more!

Episode 64: Masterclass - Laura Strickling

January 24th, 2022  |  58 mins 48 secs

classical singing, masterclass, music business, opera

Grammy™ nominated soprano Laura Strickling was praised by The New York Times for her, “flexible voice, crystalline diction, and warm presence.” Celebrated for her work on the concert and recital stage, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, National Sawdust, Trinity Church on Wall Street, Washington National Cathedral, Tanglewood Music Festival, Ravinia Music Festival, and so, so many more! A specialist in new music, she has collaborated with composers Libby Larsen, Tom Cipullo, James Matheson, Juliana Hall, John Musto, Reinaldo Moya, and Glen Roven. Her upcoming commissioning initiative – The 40@40 Project – will bring to life 40 songs by 40 composers. Find out more about her at https://www.laurastrickling.com/

Episode 46: Masterclass - Susan Eichhorn Young

June 24th, 2021  |  54 mins 15 secs

classical music, masterclass, opera, singing, susan eichhorn young

Susan Eichhorn Young is a Canadian soprano, actress, voice-over artist, voice teacher, and writer. Her website reads, "all things voice" and that is the truth!! It is a pleasure to welcome her as a guest for this masterclass episode where we cover Susan's feelings about "finding the singer" rather than making them "fit a mold"; how she focuses on the psyche of the artist; and how to recalibrate when your path goes a different direction than you thought it would. Susan drops so many pearls of wisdom.

Thank you to Josh, Sarah, and Chris for supporting the creation of this episode through their membership in the Sybaritic Camerata's Listening Circle!

Episode 44: Masterclass - Jillian Flexner

June 8th, 2021  |  58 mins 51 secs

classical singing, grantwriting, music business, opera

Composer, producer, and development professional, Jillian Flexner refuses to be labeled as one thing and that's exactly why I wanted her to join us for a Masterclass episode on Studio Class. Jillian Flexner is a composer, new music activist, and bassoonist. Originally from North Carolina, Jillian grew up around a diverse culture of music. In 2013, Jillian co-founded the Fresh Squeezed Opera Company, a group that continues its passion to present new operas today. Jillian received her Master’s in Business Administration from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in 2016, and now works in Development with the Rubin Museum of Himalayan and Buddhist Art. Jillian’s music has been presented all over the United States and has been performed by many ensembles.

Episode 40: Masterclass - Raehann Bryce-Davis

February 15th, 2021  |  1 hr 6 mins

masterclass, mezzo-soprano, opera, raehann bryce-davis

We caught up with mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis for a Masterclass episode on Studio Class as she was preparing Ariadne auf Naxos at Opera Vlaanderen. Raehann shares about how she thinks about supporting the voice, what her "5 year plan" looked like when she finished grad school, and how she's advocating for change in our field through Black Opera Alliance and more.

Episode 38: Masterclass - Sharin Apostolou MacPherson & Ryan MacPherson

November 9th, 2020  |  1 hr 30 mins

classical singing, masterclass, music business, opera

It's true! The #KiltedOlive couple is here for a Studio Class Masterclass. Soprano Sharin Apostolou MacPherson and tenor Ryan MacPherson talk about building musical interpretive power, knowing when it's time to leave professional singing, and what's keeping them hopeful right now.

Episode 20: Outcomes, Not (Mindless) Activities

May 13th, 2018  |  47 mins 59 secs

achievement, arts entrepreneurship, classical singing, new music, opera, setting goals, success metrics, success workbook

"Performance begins with focusing on outcomes instead of activities. In my experience, most people do the reverse. They concentrate their efforts on the pursuit of activities instead of outcomes." Tired of the relentless busy-ness of being a musician? Let's re-focus on outcomes and avoid the temptation of mindless activity, divas, with the help of Douglas K. Smith's book "Make Success Measurable! A Mindbook-Workbook for Setting Goals and Taking Action."

Episode 19: Everyone Performs

May 6th, 2018  |  38 mins 6 secs

audience building, creative placemaking, new music, opera

Today, we’re relying on the wisdom of Barbara Townley and Nic Beech in their book “Managing Creativity: Exploring the Paradox.” This episode covers topics such as audience building in opera and new music, collaborative creativity, creative placemaking, and how user-generated content means that audiences have different expectations of artistic experiences.

Episode 18: Get a lay of the land

April 29th, 2018  |  42 mins 29 secs

classical singing, composers, music business, new music, opera

In this we’re taking a different approach. It’s been a little while since I’ve posted a new episode and I want to tell you about that. Then, we’re going to rely on the wisdom of Ellen Highstein and her book “Making Music in Looking Glass Land” to help us get “a lay of the land” for us that are out there performing and composing our little hearts out.

BURNOUT IS A B****. LET’S AVOID IT. article for NewMusicBox - https://nmbx.newmusicusa.org/burnout-is-a-b-lets-avoid-it/