Delaware-based arts organization is aiming to create a stable environment for opera singers to work and build a home life, with the goal of developing future leaders in the industry. According to the organization's representative, nearly all professional opera singers in America engage in side hustles due to the unstable nature of their profession, with approximately 95% working outside of performing.
https://whyy.org/articles/operadelaware-salary-singers-program/Singaporean arts company T:>Works has blended opera and drag in a unique production of "Dido and Aeneas", a baroque opera by Henry Purcell based on Virgil's epic poem "The Aeneid". The show, starring Becca D'Bus (real name Eugene Tan), one of Singapore's most popular drag queens, premiered at the Singapore International Festival of Arts in May and has since been invited to perform at the Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting (YPAM) festival in Japan. Artistic director Keng Sen Ong describes the show as "a work in progress" and it will be performed on December 5-7 as part of YPAM 2024.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2024/11/30/stage/dido-and-aeneas-opera-drag/Elim Chan is a Hong Kong-born conductor who has made a name for herself in the classical music world. She was the first female conductor to win the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition in 2014 and led the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra as principal conductor from 2019 to 2024. Raised in a middle-class family in Hong Kong, Chan began singing in her school choir and learning instruments such as the cello at a young age. She was inspired by local conductor Yip Wing-sie, who showed her that women could lead orchestras. Chan's career has been marked by her efforts to engage audiences in an era of easy distractions. She believes that musicians need new ways to connect with their audience and has experimented with video productions and other innovative approaches. Despite facing challenges, including criticism from unexpected sources such as female musicians, Chan remains committed to her craft and is pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a conductor. Chan's "can-do spirit" was forged in Hong Kong's competitive environment and has driven her to succeed in a male-dominated field. She is proud of her heritage and feels connected to her home city, which came under Chinese rule when she was 10 years old. Chan's upcoming projects include a foray into opera and shining a spotlight on Japanese composer Noriko Koide. Chan's goal is to rethink the relationship between orchestra and audience, building platforms to reach people outside the auditorium. She believes that being on stage and having a good concert is not enough in today's world and wants to engage with audiences in new and innovative ways.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2024/11/23/elim-chan-the-hong-kong-maestro-who-shattered-classical-musics-dinosaur-gender-stereotypes/157754