Indie Opera Podcast Turns Ten

Indie Opera Productions announces the tenth anniversary of Indie Opera Podcast. In March, the company celebrates ten years of informative, humorous, and insightful episodes which have highlighted the boldest and most innovative opera artists and companies of the twenty-first century.

The podcast has been a passion project for host and cofounder and opera conductor, Peter Szep. Though the show's creators did not set out with grand goals, they have gained a loyal and growing global following. Szep recently shared the inspiration for him to launch the show: "I just felt horribly uninformed about what was going on in the world of opera. Mainstream opera journalism covered the biggest companies like The Met, Chicago Lyric and La Scala. They didn't report on new music or the smaller companies, and I couldn't find that interesting information. The only way I could find out what was happening was to force myself. I wanted a podcast which would serve as a forum to talk with someone about all of this." Peter teamed up with his colleague, Noah Lethbridge, to create Indie Opera Podcast.

Since the show's humble beginnings in 2011, the team has expanded to include several more cohosts: mezzo soprano Brooke Larimer (Business & Operations Manager for Indie Opera), stage director Walker Lewis, journalist Gregory Moomjy, composer C. Colby Sachs (Indie Opera Associate Producer), and vocalist, songwriter and teaching artist Ashley Renee Watkins. Indie Opera has also broadened its impact as a more formally structured organization, forming a board of directors and achieving status as an official 501(c)(3) organization.

The company has produced 77 episodes to date, with numerous noteworthy guests including John Holiday, Huang Ruo, Royce Vavrek, David T. Little, Missy Mazzoli, Jeanine Tesori, Tazewell Thompson, Mark Adamo, Laura Kaminsky and many more. The special tenth anniversary episode will include many special memories, and several surprises from previous guests.

Indie Opera Productions educates audiences about the latest activities and trends in the opera industry and the challenges faced by those producing opera in the twenty-first century. The organization focuses on companies that are creating new operas and that are presenting the classics in new ways for wider audiences, no matter how big or small.

Named one of the "The Must-Listen Podcasts for Opera and Classical Music Fans" by Playbill, Indie Opera has been best known for their podcast broadcasts, but recently they have broadened their scope beyond the audio medium. According to Forbes.com, "Their insightful, in-depth shows have changed to a streamed video platform for the opera community." The Indie Opera team also plans to produce more live events such as their IndieOperaLive! Women In Opera Panel Discussion in collaboration with New York Opera Alliance. Upcoming episodes will highlight the opera world's reaction to #BlackLivesMatter, and the winners of 2020's OperaAmerica Grants for Female Composers. For more information, visit indieopera.com.