Alex and Helen have quickly jumped on the podcast to respond to the recent announcement that the BBC will be disbanding the BBC Singers, and the BBC Concert Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra will face 20% role reductions. They discuss what makes the BBC Singers unique, what troubles them about the press release and, if possible, how we can look ahead with a positive spirit. Sign the petition to save the BBC Singers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

Just like that, we’ve come to the end of Season 3 of the podcast! From the live episode, to the Voice of Black Opera Mini Series, to episodes on boundaries, nepotism and perfectionism, it’s been a total blast. To see you out, this week Alex and Helen discuss the three things they’re fighting for in the future of the operatic industry. Boundaries It would be impossible for us to talk about boundaries on this podcast any more than we already do. However, in this difficult time for those...

This week Alex and Helen discuss the pros and cons of perfectionism. For many artists the desire to create perfection can be overwhelming. Perfectionism can have many benefits including producing work of a high standard, committing to a project with passion and motivation and inspiring others. However, perfectionism can also have drawbacks. Perfectionism can cause us to hold artists to unattainable standards, forgetting that real live performance can, in no way, be perfect. Such perfectionism...

This week we discuss the fear culture which pervades the opera industry and how we can take care of ourselves in these situations. Performance AnxietyWe are singers and performers because we love sharing the joy of making good music; however, in certain situations (such as high pressured auditions) we can become crippled by fear. Is there a way of us reframing this? Do the feelings we experience before our first night on stage at the Metropolitan Opera have to be fear, or could they be...

Alex and Helen were delighted to welcome esteemed colleague and old friend Keval Shah onto the podcast to discuss the similarities and differences between singers and instrumentalists. Keval is an internationally recognised pianist who has worked with many world-renowned singers, making him a perfectly positioned guest for this week’s conversation. In the episode they discuss the physicality of singing vs playing an instrument; how instrumentalists could learn from singers and their use of...

This week Alex and Helen discuss five main points surrounding an age-old controversy: how being a singer is much harder than it looks. Encouraged to make it look effortless Singers are constantly encouraged to make their performances look as elegant and graceful as possible (a particular gripe for upper voices!!). Perhaps audiences don’t want to know how much effort goes into singing a full 3-hour role on stage, but being asked to sing 28 bars of coloratura whilst looking like you’re...

This week Alex and Helen each share two personal stories where they made a decision to stand up for themselves in the industry. These stories discuss issues of pay, issues of respect/disrespect and issues of sexism. Alex and Helen hope that in sharing these stories, they can encourage you to stand up for yourself. Setting your boundaries and knowing when your boundaries have been crossed is very important in this industry. There are ways of stating your limits and expressing when things are...

With a brand new season comes a lot of new changes: We are really specialising now, talking to that core audience (of approximately 2 people?!) about the world of OPERA and what things are like backstage. Episodes will be coming out EVERY WEEK!We’re delighted to be introducing a brand new podcast segment, ‘Breakdown of the Week’ where we share something that’s not gone quite as we planned and how we dealt with it. To ease us into that, we thought we’d start the season proper with a whole...

Where’s My Freaking Dressing Room?! hosted their first ever live episode recording as part of Opera Prelude’s OperaWorks conference day. This episode focusses on mental health in the opera industry, however, before getting into the heart of that discussion, the podcast wished to address the controversy surrounding diversity and inclusion and the OperaWorks conference. You can read the pod’s full statement here. As promised, we wished to promote the work of Music Master’s Diversity Audit Tool:...

For the final episode in Series 2 (can you believe it?!) Alex and Helen are honoured to be joined by good friend and esteemed colleague, Richard Robbins. Richard is an in-demand tenor who has soloed with ensembles such as The Southbank Sinfonia and the Academy of Ancient Music; he is a City Music Foundation Young Artist for their 2020-2022 season and he has also been a young artist for Handel House, Leeds Lieder, Oxford Lieder, and Brighton Early Music Festival. Most importantly, Richard...

This week Alex and Helen have a laugh discussing what it's like to study and work abroad. Alex has extensive experience performing across Italy and in September 2021 Helen moved to Switzerland to join the Swiss Opera Studio programme. The pair talk language barriers, finding common ground, how mainland Europe approaches the opera industry and taking the plunge to move your life to another country. Episode edited and produced by Daisy Grant Productions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy...

Opera as an art form requires our imagination. Whether we be entering into the world of Die Walküre, The Cunning Little Vixen or Tosca, each opera asks us to leave behind the every day and suspend our belief. Why is it, then, that singers often face visual discrimination? Time and again singers in auditions, rehearsals and even performances are criticised for their size, their age, and their 'beauty'. This week Alex and Helen talk about image in the operatic industry. They discuss size, age...

This week Alex and Helen mythbust some of the common misconceptions surrounding diet and singing. Caffeine A huge topic in the vocal world, there are many conversations about caffeine being a vocal irritant, drying out the cords and preventing healthy singing. Mythbust: It’s important to remember that nothing you eat or drink directly touches the vocal folds; that is a physical impossibility. Caffeine is a diuretic and therefore dehydrates the whole body. In understanding that we can combat...

Nobody likes talking about it, Alex and Helen certainly don't like talking about it, but in this episode they get into the uncomfortable topic of money. Money is hard to come by in the arts. From the start of education to attempting to make a stable living, we all know how it feels to worry about paying the next round of exam fees/audition fees/rent(!!!). Alex and Helen discuss how money affects every area of a singer's life and offer a range of ideas on how to create greater financial...

New year, same dressing room, and this week Alex and Helen have a double bill for you. To start, they discuss the seasonal nature of the career as a performer and how it often involves intense periods of work (like Christmas!) followed by intense periods of quiet (did someone say January blues?). They suggest using your off-season to reflect, plan and work on personal development as well as managing your on-season in order to avoid three months of chaotic work without a break. Following that,...

It's our last episode of the year so we decided to take a look back at the New Year's Resolutions we made back in series 1 on the pod in January and see whether we stuck to any of them or just totally ignored them. Before we get started don’t forget to tag us on social media #AlexSimpsonFail and tell us whether you think Alex passed his driving test this week! Resolution 1: Let it Go Helen: 'I feel like I'm a lot better at letting go of bad rehearsal experiences, and even on a smaller scale...

It's Christmastime, for many performers it's audition time, which also means it's acceptance/rejection time. Performers in the creative industries have to audition for opportunities in order to further their careers, and it's likely that for every ten auditions a performer does only one of those will be successful. Therefore, 90% of the time performers are facing, handling and processing rejection. Alex and Helen can't help but ask themselves why it is they were never taught to handle...

The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting colder and it's almost an acceptable time of year to be eating mince pies which can only mean one thing: Christmas is on its way! There's no denying that for singers and performers Christmas is an intense period of time including carol services, Messiah concerts, midnight masses and so much more. With that in mind Alex and Helen thought it was about time to offer you some tips, tricks and ideas on how to handle your crazy Christmas...

Although we don't care to admit it, almost all artists experience crises of confidence. From panicking during the final minutes before you go on stage, to experiencing a few weeks feeling slightly under the weather, crises of confidence can affect us in many different ways. This week Alex and Helen share strategies and techniques they've used in the past to help battle their crises of confidence. For the 'in the moment' Crisis of Confidence: Practice mindfulness backstage: notice your...

With the Christmas audition season just around the corner Alex and Helen thought it was about time they revisited this topic. In this week's episode they discuss the advice they wish they'd been given before they started auditioning for music college. Alex and Helen talk about travel plans, how to handle seeing people you know, the dreaded rejections and a whole lot more in between. If you've got an audition coming up soon, this is the episode for you. Episode edited and produced by Daisy...

To celebrate the first anniversary of 'Where's My Freaking Dressing Room?!' Alex and Helen decided to organise a dinner party and were delighted to be joined by their close friend and food and fine-wine enthusiast, Henrietta Gullifer. Having trained at Leith's Cookery School and worked at Berry Brothers & Rudd for over five years, Alex and Helen felt Hetty was the perfect guest for their dinner party. For their anniversary meal Alex and Helen curated a four-course musical menu, featuring...

There are three ps that come with a career in music and no, we don't mean pianississimo! Practice. Performance. Pressure. In every aspect of a musician's career there is an undeniable element of pressure. This week Alex and Helen dig into the different types of pressure musicians experience, from self-applied pressure to pressure exerted by colleagues and friends. They talk about both the bad and good effects of pressure, considering how in some cases performers can even benefit from a little...

Every September Alex and Helen get that same ‘back to school’ feeling. For Helen, it’s a period of excitement as she buys far too much stationery and looks forward to getting stuck in to a new artistic year. For Alex, it’s a period of dread as he realises the summer is waning and winter is on its way. In this episode they explore what September, and the start of a new artistic year, means to both of them. During the episode they talk about hopes for the coming year, they take stock of the...

This week Alex and Helen discuss how to make the most of your contacts. The classical music industry is a small, small world. No matter where you go or what you do, everyone seems to know everyone! Alex and Helen talk about both the pros and cons of this intimate and well-connected industry, but more importantly they give YOU the tools to make the most of your own contacts. They offer some simple and effective networking tips and they encourage you to get out there and learn to network with...