How did you get into opera?

From discovering opera through his local library in Hartlepool to designing multiple productions for La Scala in Milan, Leslie Travers has been on quite the journey! In this podcast, Into Opera’s Artistic Director, Genevieve Raghu, finds out about Leslie’s extraordinary design career including his award-winning production of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes on Aldeburgh Beach. Leslie also shares his own very personal story about his health battle with Covid-19 in 2020. This podcast was recorded in August 2020 and produced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Starting a brand new job running a major national opera company… during the Covid-19 pandemic. Challenging to say the least! Annilese Miskimmon took on the prominent role of Artistic Director of English National Opera in May 2020. In this podcast, Annilese talks to Into Opera’s Artistic Director, Genevieve Raghu, about women as artistic leaders, the need for greater gender balance in opera, and offers a real insight into the planning that has had to go into ENO’s extraordinary Drive & Live: La bohème experience. This podcast was recorded in July 2020 and produced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Opera and Circus, a match made in heaven for choreographer Tim Claydon. If vocal acrobatics weren’t enough, Tim frequently takes things one step further, convincing opera singers to embrace physical acrobatics too… we hear all about how he manages that one! In this podcast, Tim talks to Into Opera’s Artistic Director, Genevieve Raghu, about his very own Billy Elliot story and shares highlights from his impressive career in opera, spanning over 25 years. This podcast was recorded in July 2020 and produced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Mezzo… who paints! The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the lifestyles, hobbies and habits of so many. Northern Irish mezzo-soprano, Carolyn Dobbin, has turned to painting. In this podcast Carolyn talks to Into Opera’s Artistic Director, Genevieve Raghu, about her career, artwork and what it was like to spend lockdown in London. This podcast was recorded in June 2020 and produced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

No one was more surprised than Toby when he found himself in his first conducting lesson. In this podcast we hear all about Toby's journey into opera and classical music, including his training in Russia and recent appointment as the Head of Conducting at the Royal College of Music. Toby catches up with Into Opera's Artistic Director, Genevieve Raghu, and discusses some of the challenges facing the opera industry in June 2020 and what it's been like to be a conductor in isolation. This podcast has been recorded as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

From the age of 12, opera had Nazan hooked. 20 years on and Nazan has performed with a long list of major opera companies, including Glyndebourne and Garsington Opera. In 2017 she brought opera singers together in a time of crisis and produced the Grenfell Tower Benefit Concert at Cadogan Hall, to raise funds for those affected by the terrible fire. Alongside her performance career Nazan also works for Songhaven, managing their care concerts especially developed for people living with dementia or memory loss. In this podcast, Nazan talks to Into Opera's Artistic Director, Genevieve Raghu, about these experiences and what got her into opera in the first place. This podcast episode was recorded in June 2020 and produced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.