Access to opera can sometimes feel out of reach, especially for audience members with diverse abilities and accommodation needs. Cincinnati Opera strives to change that with its second annual Access Night at the Opera, on Saturday, June 15, with its season-opening production of Mozart's Don Giovanni.
Amid Cincinnati's diverse cultural landscape, Cincinnati Opera Young Professionals (COYP) is turning heads with its dynamic approach to arts engagement.
American composer Gregory Spears chats with Evans about his rise into the opera world and two of his most notable works: Fellow Travelers, which Cincinnati Opera premiered in 2016, and Castor and Patience, which Cincinnati Opera will premiere during its 2021 Summer Festival. Listen in to hear about Spears’s musical origins, inspirations, and how he goes about writing for opera.
Grammy Award-winning opera singer Isabel Leonard chats with Evans about how to approach each role with compassion, what raising a son looks like as a professional performer, and her perspectives on operatic characters both old and new. Hear about why she prefers to be called a “singer” rather than a “soprano” or “mezzo-soprano”—to the point that she can’t wait to see an opera house list her as a tenor in a program!
Evans sits down with vocal coach, collaborative pianist, conductor, and long-time friend Marie-France Lefebvre to talk about her upbringing in rural Quebec and how she works hands-on with opera stars and students alike as a professor at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Plus, hear what it’s like to be one of the only people who can talk during a live opera performance: the prompter!
American soprano and self-described “baseball mom” Talise Trevigne chats with Evans about her early love of ballet, rise to opera stardom, passion for new music, and unconditional support for her son’s Major League aspirations. Take a peek into the life of a true supermom, hear about her work with composer Jake Heggie, and listen to her perspectives on being an artist during the COVID-19 shutdown.
Famed Cincinnati-born conductor and educator David Effron recounts his astounding and, at times, hilarious behind-the-scenes stories from working with some of the top singers of the 20th century. Also, learn what it was like to see opera at the Cincinnati Zoo, about the Cincinnati classical music scene of the mid-1900s, and why the Pulitzer-Prize winning musical Hamilton has caught this opera conductor’s attention!
Evans chats with theatrical designer Vita Tzykun about her life, artistic upbringing, and creative process. Learn why Vita wants to break the barrier between scenic and costume design, what it’s like to work with Lady Gaga, and how her work—along with many artists’ work—has evolved in the time of pandemic.
Evans Mirageas and Yugoslavian-born conductor Daniela Candillari explore her wide-reaching musical career that spans continents and genres. Candillari was raised under the inspiration of her opera-singing grandmother and dove headfirst into her classical piano studies in modern-day Serbia. Little did she know that she would soon study jazz in the far-off town of Bloomington, Indiana or become a renown contemporary opera conductor in New York City. Didn’t think she could get any more interesting? Wait until you hear how many languages she speaks!
Evans sits down with David Charles Abell, his friend for over thirty-five years, to discuss their overlapping careers, shared experiences living in London, and frequent collaborations. They discuss David’s unusual path into the world of conducting, his conducting debut, and how his career has been helped by avoiding some advice he was once given. His best career advice is to “think of all music as storytelling.”
A longtime friend of Evans Mirageas, mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor brings life and energy to this episode of “Inside Opera”. Evans and Kelley discuss her unlikely path to becoming an opera singer beginning at the age of five. Kelley discusses her changing voice and how it has influenced the roles she receives. Learn why and how she challenges herself by “stepping out of the box” and her advice for young singers.
Evans sits down with Director Stephen Lawless - director of Cincinnati Opera’s performance of “The Marriage of Figaro” – to discuss how Stephen got his start, his directing career, the amazing people he has worked with and all the wonderful experiences he has had in the directorial profession. Stephen’s advice to young directors trying to make a name for themselves? Find out what your directorial voice is, what you want to see, and what you like seeing.
Director Matthew Ozawa- director of Cincinnati Opera’s performance of “Romeo and Juliet” - talks with Evans about how he fell in love with opera, how he created his career out of the world of instrumental music and into directing, his interesting heritage, and how he gets people to “play well together”. Learn why “be kind to everybody” is one of Matthew’s directorial mottos and how collaboration is like the art of origami.
Evans Mirageas sits down with soprano Susanna Phillips, who played the Countess Almaviva in Cincinnati Opera’s production of “The Marriage of Figaro”. Evans and Susanna discuss her distinct voice, how one begins a career, the fulfillment of motherhood and balancing life with career, and how to be yourself. Susanna’s piece of advice? “Do you. Don’t try to be anyone else.”
Evans sits down with Janai Brugger to discuss what it’s like to be a working mom, the first time Janai got goosebumps listening to opera- she was six years old- how she recognizes the voices of her fellow opera singers, and how to create “legato”. Plus, learn how Janai deals with stress why her favorite piece of advice is to “hurry slowly”.
