Editor’s note: Opera Bloggers’ Month concludes with this Q&A with the intrepid, wholly devoted, and widely admired blogger, Intermezzo.
the intrepid Intermezzo
Who is Intermezzo? By her own admission, she is a “charlatan soprano and ex-pianist” who spends most of her free time at London operas and concerts. She thinks London is the greatest place in the world and can’t understand “why anyone would ever want to live anywhere else. Even when it’s raining.”
Intermezzo is the mastermind behind the opera blog of the same name. Her real identity is veiled from readers, part and parcel of her mystique. And though you may not know who she really is, if you read her blog with any frequency you certainly feel like you know her. Or at least, you know what matters to her: novelity, celebrity, intensity, immediacy, personality, and quality.
The sidebar of her blog is filled with names operas, houses, and performers. Why? Because Intermezzo readers are counting on her for the inside story, the photo exposé–all the information that conventional media don’t normally cover and that performers’ publicists seldom release about the stars they serve.
Welcome to Operatoonity, Intermezzo!
When did you start blogging and why?
Remember Usenet? I’ve been active on social networks since the mid-90s. Back then, all the classical and opera discussion was stuffy, yawny and male-dominated, so I gravitated more towards my other passions: fragrance, art and fashion. When my dear friend Victoria began her fragrance blog “Bois de Jasmin” in 2005 I was inspired to follow suit. Then I realised opera needed me more! From the start Intermezzo has focused on live performance and the latest news, with a strong visual element – areas served poorly by traditional media. As the list of contributors and commenters has grown, the balance has shifted away from my own concert experiences in favour of subjects that readers find more relevant – like discounted tickets and artist cancellations. And feline pianists.
Intermezzo'sblog
What is your biggest challenge?
I average 4-5 concerts/operas a week. Combined with a full-time job and other social activities, that never leaves me enough time to blog about everything I’d like to.
Biggest thrill?
When readers are as excited about a performance as I am.
What is your favorite post and why? (if you provide the URL, I’ll include it in the profile).
I believe the old adage that actions speak louder than words (despite that fact that a blog is, er, written….) So I was delighted when readers got behind me and forced the Royal Opera House to retract their threat to ban me from their premises for the ‘crime’ of taking photos after performances. To their credit, they’ve recently started sharing their own photos with audiences. I’d like to think our little run-in had something to do with that. I was also secretly thrilled to make the front page of The Stage and The Lawyer on the same day – not a lot of people manage that. You can read about this experience in Intermezzo’s words at this link.
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You can follow Intermezzo on Twitter @inter_mezzo. Also Intermezzo has made it on to the final shortlist of the 2011 Cosmopolitan Blog Awards. Go to http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/blog-awards-2011-vote and vote now.
