The Opera Pod – Details, episodes & analysis

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, his approach to collaboration, and why cross words in a rehearsal room isn’t always a bad thing

Find out more about the London Philharmonic Orchestra and their upcoming season here and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra here.

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 find Lou on her website or at Artist Wellbeing, on Twitter here, & on Instagram here.

Brought up by his single mom to a musical, church-going family, Roderick’s first instrument – a snare drum – arrived in its JC Penney cardboard box, which he carried the drum around in until they found a second-hand case in a pawn shop. While training to become a music teacher, a professor suggested he become a conductor, something he had never dreamed of as being possible. This pivotal moment was the push he needed to shift the focus of his ambition, and Roderick is now an acclaimed, award-winning conductor working all over the world. Alongside his conducting work, his initiative, the Roderick Cox Music Initiative, provides scholarships for young musicians of colour from underrepresented communities, allowing them to pay for instruments, music lessons, and summer camps – minus the cardboard box.

You can learn more about Roderick on his website here

You can find out more about Roderick from his agent here

You can follow him on Instagram here and on Facebook here

Classical, Jazz, Funk and R&B were all embraced in Andrea’s Massachusetts household growing up, and with music already very much in the family, choosing it as a career was an easy decision. From Aspen Music Festival and Eastman School of Music, to studying in San Francisco with Blanche Thebom, Andrea has gone on to work literally all over the world.  Known for her distinctive voice, intense artistry, and passion, she is the first African American to sing Fricka, Waltraute, Erda and Second Norn in the Ring Cycle in its Chinese premiere at the Beijing Arts Festival, the first African American Carmen in Australia at the Sydney Opera House and to sing the role of Ortrud in the South Korean premiere of Lohengrin. Andrea reveals the extraordinary moments of her career, from her sudden move to Europe, to the most challenging staging she has battled with, and on to her experience of often being the only black person in a white-dominated space.

You can find out more about Andrea on her website here or through her agent here

You can learn more about Sing Sistah Sing here, the show she conceived and wrote that celebrates the sound and breadth of the African American female voice.

You can listen to Andrea’s incredible podcast and radio work here including her interview with her teacher, Blanche Thebom

Transgender opera singer Breanna Sinclairé felt trapped in the Tenor repertoire where she had never felt at ease, and finally told her teachers that she would be physically transitioning, to their complete astonishment. She became the first trans woman of the opera programme at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, first tackling Mezzo repertoire, and later developing into the voice she feels most comfortable with, the Lyric Soprano that she is today. Her physical transition was a journey that lasted for over eleven years. Since then, she has been the first trans woman to perform the National Anthem at a professional sporting event, the first trans singer to perform with the San Francisco Symphony and at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and her operatic career is just getting started. Having survived abuse and homelessness on her journey, Breanna is now determined to use her voice.to bring peace.

Find out more about Breanna on her agent’s website here

Follow Breanna on Instagram here and on Twitter here

As a young girl, Anna ensured her playdates were only at houses with pianos, until her parents finally gave in and bought one just for her. Unaware that she could make a career from singing opera, her early path took her via Leeds University and au pairing in Italy, before she found an unexpected route to training at Guildhall in London.  Now a multi award-winning soprano who performs all over the world, Anna is praised for her captivating stage presence and extraordinary vocal fluidity. 

She has gone on to use her voice in other ways, as an Ambassador for the Incorporated Society of Musicians, as Co-founder of Swap’ra supporting women & parents in Opera & in her role as a Development Consultant at British Youth Opera, who were instrumental in her earliest stage opportunities.

Find out more about Anna on her website here and follow her on Twitter here and Instagram here

Find out more about Swap’ra here BYO here and ISM here

After a car journey listening to Carmen tapes on repeat, on to failing his Grade 8 flute three times (despite the efforts of Mr House, his peripatetic teacher) Kit decided to put music on hold for a while. From dipping into careers as a chef and a mental health worker, to studying Politics and Society part-time, Kit went on to join the Royal Opera House towards the end of his studies, and is now the Associate Production Manager in Opera Broadcast. He works with world class technical and artistic teams to sensitively integrate filming seamlessly into the production process.  While supporting the original ‘director’s vision’ they capture the unique atmosphere of a performance – crucially - without disturbing the experience of the live audience, the results of which we can enjoy in different ways: whether online, or live in over a thousand cinemas and streaming venues across the world.

Toria recalls dancing around her living room to Simon and Garfunkel, and insisting on learning to play the piano - with no urging from her parents. Critiquing her dad’s acting skills at the age of three, Toria went on to explore the world of improvisation at university and trying her hand at directing with her very understanding group of friends. As she continued to explore her craft, working freelance in different capacities, she hid her illness with ME until she realised she had to adapt her ways of working. Toria went on to co-found HERA with Linda Hirst and Simone Ibbettt-Brown, an intersectional feminist company making and touring inclusive opera and music theatre by women and gender-minoritised artists. Toria speaks openly about the highs and lows of navigating her path through the industry.

Find out more about HERA here

Follow Toria on Twitter here

Damien grew up with his mom singing around the house, and Diana Ross and The Pointer Sisters on the record player, with a bit of Bach and Tchaikovsky thrown in for good measure. Although he went on to study music education and conducting, he didn’t really think of performance as a viable career, and became a high school teacher – and stayed teaching for over 15 years. However, he was always composing and performing on the side, and when he was cast as the Undertaker in The Met’s production of Porgy and Bess, Damien realised it was time he gave the opera world his full attention. His composition work includes deeply moving chamber, vocal, and orchestral works, and his work often infuses classical music with styles from the black diaspora to create music that furthers the cause for social justice

He was recently commissioned by Washington National Opera alongside the Librettist Lila Palmer for their opera American Apollo, a story forged at the crossroads of celebrity, class, race, and power in America. Alongside his thriving career as a singer and composer, Damien has recently been announced as the interim Music Director at Portland Opera, where he’s currently in rehearsals for the role of Angelotti in Tosca.

Find out more about Damien on his website here

Find out more about Portland Opera here and his new role here

As a young girl, Robyn constantly played both Mariah Carey and Maria Callas on tape and CD, so her mum signed her up for a local children's choir where she first discovered a love for singing opera, starting with the Queen of the Night aged just fifteen. Going on to study music both academically at Oxford and training vocally at the Royal College of Music, on graduating she faced a devastating series of rejections, and had to completely relearn her approach to singing. Struggling emotionally while she made extremely high-profile debuts, she had to find a way to survive, and navigate her path through the opera world. Robyn talks candidly about her journey - from changing voice type and moving to Germany, and through her philosophy for staying sane and surviving the industry.

Find out more about Robyn and her work on her website here

Book to see her in Medea at the Theater für Niedersachsen here
and keep an eye out in 2022 for her debut solo album, featuring songs from the Viennese Secession with pianist Simon Lepper.