Operatoonity.com boasted lots of new interviews and profiles in 2011.
Why, you may be asking?
To my mind, interviews comprise the Best of Operatoonity.com 2011, for many reasons. For one, I love meeting and talking to performers and other stakeholders in the opera/classical world. For another reason, artists in the thick of auditioning, performing, and training lead interesting and varied lives, often around the world.
Profiles are my modest way of rewarding those enmeshed in a difficult, challenging profession with a little more face time in cyberspace. I also have made some enduring relationships and truly meaningful friendships reaching out to opera singers/opera bloggers/artists in related industries and entrepreneurs.
I added an editorial calendar in 2011, which I plan to use again in 2012, because it greatly helped me anticipate and prepare future content. Next year, I’ll have a new editorial calendar with high hopes of doing even more profiles and interviews.
So . . . who all was profiled on Operatoonity.com in 2011? Thankfully, loads more artists carved out time to talk with me than during Operatoonity’s first year in cyberspace. Some of the artists or their publicists (sometimes their girlfriends) reached out to me. Some I found (okay–stalked) on Twitter. Get ready for a robust list:
Bass-baritones
Craig Philip Price (February 3) – get to know bass-bari OperaCraig
Andrew Stuckey (February 21) – meet bari ‘Andrew’ Stuckey
Michael Adair (April 5) – meet @barihunk Michael Adair and Operaplot’s second chair
Sopranos
Michelle Trovato (April 3) – get to know Michelle Trovato, lyric coloratura
Alison Trainer (April 11) – meet Alison Trainer, sparkling coloratura
Samantha Jade Ash (April 13) – meet Samantha Jade Ash, opera lover and opera hopeful
La Toya Lewis (April 15) – meet La Toya Lewis, whose velvety soprano is simply delicious
Amy J. Payne (April 22) – meet Amy J. Payne, British mezzo
Marcy Richardson (April 28) – gaga for Marcy’s #operaplot (a 2011 #operaplot winner)
Tenors
Nathan Granner and The American Tenors (July 4) – celebrating The American Tenors on the Fourth of July
K.E. Querns Langley (July 6) – meet a teaching tenor, K.E. Querns Langley
Eric Barry (July
Mitchell Sturges (July 11) – meet @mitchthetenor
David Lomelí (July 14) - chattin’ up David Lomelí: Mexican tenor, toast of NYC!
René Barbera (August 30) – up close & personal with tenor René Barbera, 2011 Operalia triple-winner
Opera Bloggers
Opera Obsession (September 1) – opera is this erudite blogger’s obsession
David Karlin (September 3) – Bachtrack founder’s reviews and posts connect the world to live opera
Zerbinetta’s blog “Likely Impossibilities” (September 6) - Zerbinetta’s blog, a trove of news and reviews for opera lovers
Stephen Llewellyn (September 7) – up close and personal with Stephen Llewellyn, aka Operaman, two-time #Operaplot winner
Tenor Nicholas Phan (September 9) – half Greek, Chinese. Hence his blog’s name: ‘Grecchinois’
Marion Lignana Rosenberg (September 14) – Marion’s blogs celebrate her devotion to opera greats
Hairman at the Opera (September 20) – Cardiff ‘Hairman’ has a thing for hair and opera!
Intermezzo (September 30) – Intermezzo – an opera blogger whose actions speak louder than words
Opera Companies/Radio Stations & Recordings/Artists in Related Industries
Canadian Opera Company (April 6, June 28) – COC’s contest entries all dolled up; COC nabs three Dora Awards
Sheri Greenawald, Director of the San Francisco Opera and Merola Opera – (August 10) – Merola Opera: where future stars get loads of training and TLC
Opera Company of Philadelphia (September 17 ) – Opera Co. of Phila. launches ‘Carmen’ under the stars
Opera Music Broadcast (November 20) - Opera Music Broadcast, a treat for music lovers & resource for opera companies
Artist Jose Llopis (November 22) - love of opera inspires young Spaniard’s poster designs
