Artist Portrait No. 2: Julia Mintzer (mezzo-soprano, opera director)

This is an episode of the old podcast, called Artists on the Verge. I decided to keep these conversations up in the feed because they are, in fact, part of what led me to create Classically (Un)Trained. I have taken down all except the artist interviews - but you can check out an expanded archive here: https://classicallyuntrainedpodcast.com/former-podcast-archive/ Check out the current podcast here: https://classicallyuntrainedpodcast.com/ Julia Mintzer is one of those artists who has been able to cultivate a dual career in more ways than one: first, she is both a performer and director. Second, she has worked on the "industry" side of opera as well as on "indie" projects. Julia and I talked about some of her directorial projects, about giving depth to two-dimensional operatic characters (especially soprano ones), performing in art galleries, her direction of the first fully-staged opera in London after the beginning of the pandemic, and the difference between directing for the stage and for video - among other things. Julia Mintzer's website: http://www.juliamintzer.com/ Music: "Si vuol di francia il rege" from Maria Stuarda (Donizetti) and prelude to Der Tod und das Mädchen (Schubert): http://www.juliamintzer.com/audio Excerpt from /Bread and Circuses: The Wrestling Opera/: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAuBPpTRZ1M La Bohème at Mass Opera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=datdy5oPEiE Carmen instrumentals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCrKncOpE7Q Dana Varga's research into gender disparity in opera: https://theempoweredmusician.com/supply-and-demand-gender-disparity-in-opera-part-1/ 💋👁👂🏼 Artists on the Verge website: ⁠www.artists-on-the-verge.com⁠ 👀 Instagram: @artists_on_the_verge