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

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/

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