Editor’s Note Front of House www.operanow.co.uk www.operanow.co.uk EDITORIAL Phone +44 (0)20 7738 5454 Email hattie.butterworth@markallengroup.com Editor Hattie Butterworth Editorial Assistant Holly Baker Design Daniela Di Padova, Louise Wood ADVERTISING Phone + 44 (0)7766 508458 Title Manager Clifford Gagliardo clifford.gagliardo@markallengroup.com Advertising Production Daniela DiPadova, +44 (0)20 7333 1727, daniela.dipadova@ markallengroup.com SUBSCRIPTIONS AND BACK ISSUES Phone UK 0800 137201 Overseas +44(0)1722 716997 Email subscriptions@markallengroup.com Subscriptions Manager Bethany Foy UK Subscription Rate £27 PUBLISHING Phone +44(0)20 7738 5454 Commercial Director Esther Zuke Marketing & Events Director Tony Hill Head of Marketing John Barnett Group Institutional Sales Manager Jas Atwal Production Director Richard Hamshere Circulation Director Sally Boettcher Editorial Director Martin Cullingford Chief Executive O­ cer Ben Allen Chairman Mark Allen Part of www.markallengroup.com OperaNow (ISSN 0958-501X PE 9346) is published four times a year in January, April, July and October by MAƒEducation & Music, St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road, London SE24 0PB, United Kingdom. The US annual subscription price is $38. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named World Container Inc., c/o BBT 150- 15, 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY 11256. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Opera Now, World Container Inc., c/o BBT 150-15, 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA. Subscription records are maintained at MA Education & Music, Unit A, Buildings 1-5 Dinton Business Park, Catherine Ford Road, Dinton, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP3 5HZ. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent. © MA Education & Music Ltd, 2024. All rights reserved. No part of Opera Now may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the publishing director. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the editor. The presence of advertisements in Opera Now implies no endorsement of the products or services offered. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of statements in this magazine but we cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for matters arising from clerical or printers’ errors, or an advertiser not completing their contract. We have made every effort to secure permission to use copyright material. Where material has been used inadvertently or we have been unable to trace the copyright owner, acknowledgement will be made in a future issue. Please read our privacy policy by visiting http://privacypolicy. markallengroup.com. This will explain how we process, use and safeguard your data. Printed in the UK by Pensord Press Ltd, Dowlais, CF48 3TD For newstrade queries, please email Marketforce at mfcommunications@futurenet.com www.operanow.co.uk The inner life of singers The emotional lives of performers is something very close to my heart. Having dealt with severe performance anxiety when studying cello at music college, I have often wondered how opera singers are able to manage this aspect of their career. Just as ballet dancers have the added pressure of body image, opera singers are often encountering traumatic storylines and libretti which impact their lives, even outside of the theatre. This month’s Opera Now looks at many different elements to a performer’s inner life. We speak to Huw Montague Rendall, whose debut album Contemplation looks at the roles that have helped him through di¡ cult times. He was also open about how roles can sometimes embed themselves into his psyche, even turning up in his dreams. Our cover star Nadine Sierra has a slightly different perspective and speaks about putting her own pain into di¡ cult roles and the importance of connecting characters to her personal experiences. She speaks about the ‘truth’ that these roles can bring out of people when not just focusing on ‘making opera pretty’. Elsewhere in the interview, she brings an interesting perspective on the opera business, saying she sometimes witnesses a snobbery present. She welcomes presenting opera in places and ways that are accessible and talks to us about her work with Andrea Bocelli. It’s not for everyone, but it might be for some looking for an entry into the art form. Of course, opera is a beautiful escape for many of us who attend the theatre. Still, it’s important we recognise that embodying the more traumatic roles can be di¡ cult for singers. Mezzo Rosie Middleton is looking into singers’ trauma and performance in her PhD at the Royal Northern College of Music. She presents some of her findings in the news feature. Out of the #MeToo movement of 2015, the role of the intimacy director gained traction in the opera industry. Now, many directors insist on working with one to ensure the singers are safe and their emotional wellbeing central to the experience of performing. We meet Hannah Goalstone in the ‘Behind the Scenes’ feature, who explains the path to becoming an intimacy director and what her work involves. ed traction in the opera industry. Now, h one to ensure the singers are safe and the experience lstone in the ains the path d what her As we approach the final few months of the year, I want to wish you all a healthy and peaceful end to 2024. hs of the year, eaceful end Hattie Butterworth @operanow fb.com/operanow Opera Now captures the drama, colour and vitality of one of the most powerful of all the performing arts. In our print and digital issues, we showcase the creative spirit of opera, both on stage and behind the scenes, with profiles of opera companies, singers, directors and designers. Our in-depth features reflect how diverse cultural elements have influenced opera, including travel, history, literature, art, architecture, politics and philosophy. Our lively reviews and opinion pages are a platform for writers and critics drawn from all over the world. Our aim is to inspire our opera-loving readers to broaden their knowledge and deepen their passion for this fascinating and stimulating artform. OperaNow Winter 2024 3