What do a famous jazz composer, a west coast ultramodernist percussionist, and a British film composer and arranger have in common? They're here, they're queer, and they're the musicians we're highlighting this Pride month. We're continuing our favorite tradition of sharing the stories of LGBTQ+ musicians you should (or maybe don't even realize you already do) know. Follow Us: Instagram Twitter Facebook Hosts: Jessie Michelle

The 100th Episode of Opera Offstage has finally arrived! Join us as we celebrate three years of fantastic community, unhinged instagram comments, crazy mistakes, and lessons learned.  Join Our Discord: Discord Follow Us: Instagram Twitter Facebook Hosts: Jessie Michelle

We spend a lot of time talking about all the various business and practical parts of being a musician, but what does it really mean to be an artist? How does someone transition from the technical focus of school into the much more ambiguous realm of artistry? Today we discuss what we believe it means to be an artist and how we can retrain the artistic muscles that make us strong and competent creators. Join Our Discord: Discord Follow Us: Instagram Twitter Facebook Hosts: Jessie Michelle

February flew by, which means it's time to take a second to cover some of the crazy news that came with it, and MAN do we have things to talk about. We've got some surprising season announcements, another (unsurprising) YAP problem, a frightening Broadway update, and Michelle's personal conductor heartbreak. Join us as we unpack a very eventful month in the world of music. Join Our Discord: Discord Follow Us: Instagram Twitter Facebook Hosts: Jessie Michelle

We loved our writer Preston Hereford's blog post on historical figures who need their own operas, so we decided we wanted to play along too! Today we're telling the stories of some crazy historical figures and how we would adapt their tales for the operatic stage. Join us as we pit our operatic pitches against each other to see which figure comes out on top. Join Our Discord: Discord Follow Us: Instagram Twitter Facebook Hosts: Jessie Michelle

The most captivating parts of music history often have less to do with music and more to do with what inspires it: LOVE! Love letters, affairs, and failed marriage proposals are just the tip of the iceberg in today's Valentines' Day episode, so join as we dive into deeply romantic and frequently cringy classical lovers. Join Our Discord: Discord Follow Us: Instagram Twitter Facebook Hosts: Jessie Michelle

Black History Month is an amazing time to talk about the incredible Black musicians who have formed and changed the genre of classical music, but sometimes it feels like we always see the same names highlighted each time February rolls around. So this year, we wanted to celebrate just a few of the many living Black musicians who are currently making history in our industry, changing the way we think about classical music and how we operate within our industry. Follow Our Honorees: Jens Ibsen Karen Slack J'nai Bridges Jonathan Heyward Join Our Discord: Discord Follow Us: Instagram Twitter Facebook Hosts: Jessie Michelle

It's time to once again dig into everyone's favorite touchy subject: MONEY. Every artistic project, training program, and school has one critical thing in common: They all require money. So we're breaking different ways to get the cash and ditch the shame around fundraising for you artistic dreams. Join Our Discord: Discord Follow Us: Instagram Twitter Facebook Hosts: Jessie Michelle

Listen, we couldn't head into 2023 without dissecting the GOSSIP from 2022. Jonas Kauffman's never-ending Christmas Album, a Yoga sex-crime ring, and a certain leaked email chain that gives us the ICK-- 2022 was a year of weird music news. So come laugh, commiserate, and cringe at all the crazy last year brought us. Follow Us: Instagram Twitter Facebook Hosts: Jessie Michelle

As we wrap up the Messiah Season™, we enter the classical period of reflection that is the short week leading us into 2023.  We've gathered a couple pieces of advice as you set out on your new goals and adventures next year, but we can't do it alone so we've brought on friend of the pod Tiffany Soricelli to help us learn how to set better financial goals and tell us a little about a great new resource for artistic financial literacy. Sign up for The Academy: The Virtuoso Academy Follow Tiffany: Instagram Website Hear Tiffany's Opera Offstage Episodes: 73: Budgeting and Saving with Tiffany Soricelli 56: Taxes for Musicians with Tiffany Soricelli Follow Us: Instagram Twitter Facebook Hosts: Jessie Michelle