The Opera Pod

Apr 05 2022 60 ep. 31 mins 3

The Opera Pod Podcast artwork

A backstage pass to the world of opera. Stage director and industry insider Nina Brazier interviews guests from all corners of the industry, exploring the influences and obstacles that shaped their journeys, and discovering how they each found a unique operatic voice.

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Ed Gardner OBE – Conductor, Principal Conductor - London Philharmonic Orchestra & the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Apr 05 2022 32 mins

From jumping in as a rehearsal pianist at the Salzburg Festival, through taking on ENO at the age of thirty-one, and onto the legacy of the LPO , Ed Gardner gives a refreshingly honest insight into his journey from a young chorister to the multi award-winning conductor that he is today. Nina chats to Ed about nurturing and sustaining his musical - and managerial - relationships, hi

Lou Platt – Psychotherapist & Artist Wellbeing Practitioner

Mar 30 2022 33 mins

How can we find balance when our schedules can be so punishing? How can we find meaning in our work in a world that celebrates immediate success? And how can we tackle that unrelenting desire for perfectionism? Returning guest Lou Platt explores these questions and more, and gives ideas and insight into what we can do to better take care of our mental health and wellbeing. You can

Nadine Benjamin MBE – Lyric Soprano, Mentor, Mind Coach, Certified High Performance & Founder of Everybody Can!

Mar 24 2022 34 mins

What happens when the career you have is not the one that you really want? Do you stay and climb the ladder, or do you take a risk and step into your story? Nadine Benjamin found herself thriving in the world of Finance, but always remembered her teacher Mrs. Lake who introduced her to the Queen of the Night’s music at school, telling her that she too could sing like that one da

Kathleen Alder, Founding Director - WildKat PR

Mar 16 2022 29 mins

Hailing from the German equivalent of the Von Trapp family with plans to be a solo violinist, Kathleen’s career took an unexpected pivot when she was unceremoniously sacked from her first job and bumped into Richard Branson in the veg aisle in Marks and Spencers. Gathering her thoughts alongside her graphic designer boyfriend Alan Long, she launched WildKat PR, a creative PR agen

Tracy Cox – Singer, Artist, Activist

Mar 09 2022 34 mins

Have you ever been judged on your appearance? Or been on the receiving end of well-intentioned advice that - in fact - turned out to be not that helpful? Nina chats to the Soprano and Fat Politics Activist Tracy Cox on judgement, setting boundaries and living freely as an artist. From early expectations, through learning to filter criticism, to her approach to high-pressure moments

Kate Valentine – Soprano, Voice Care Specialist & Founder of Valentine Voice Care

Mar 02 2022 31 mins

For over a decade, Kate was a busy lead Soprano singing across UK opera houses and around the world. However, some worrying panic attacks and serious vocal health issues came to the surface and required swift surgery. During her own long rehabilitation process, she discovered a newfound fascination with vocal health, and wanted to ensure that other people didn’t have to go throug

Allyson Devenish – Artistic Director, Music Director, Coach, Recitalist & Teacher

Jan 05 2022 27 mins

Allyson was surrounded by music in Ottawa as she grew up - from jazz to classical and calypso - and playing the piano was an intrinsic part of her childhood, where she gathered happily with friends at festivals and competitions. She initially planned to become a paediatrician after her music degree, but music persuaded her to continue her studies - from the Conservatoire de Musique

Anna-Marie Sullivan – Actor

Dec 15 2021 33 mins

Leaving home at just sixteen to get a place at a London drama school, Anna-Marie needed to support herself, so walking around the Royal Opera House she found her way to a stage door, and was brave enough to ask for a job. Beginning as an usher, and working her way onto the stage as a performer, Anna-Marie has become a regular actor at UK opera houses including Glyndebourne and the

Mark S Doss – Bass Baritone

Dec 08 2021 30 mins

One of Mark’s earliest performing experiences was actually on stage for the Metropolitan Opera in Aida as a supernumerary, or as others might say, an actor, little knowing that he would go on to become a Metropolitan Opera Finalist Winner just a few years later. His first ambition however, was to become a Catholic Priest and despite having begun his training, he pivoted to studyi

Kate Freston-Davy - Head of Stage Management, Opera North

Dec 01 2021 27 mins

Kate remembers both music and theatre from her Methodist church and her local amateur dramatic society, where many of her family took roles on the stage – and they had to find a suitable place for Kate. So backstage was where she began, and when their performance of Oliver! went on tour to the Minack Theatre, Kate was surprised to discover that Stage Management was a real profess