Violinist turned author ERICA MINER has had a multi-faceted career as an award-winning screenwriter, author, lecturer and poet. A native of Detroit, she studied violin at Boston University with Boston Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Joseph Silverstein, where she graduated cum laude; the New England Conservatory of Music, and the Tanglewood Music Center, summer home of the Boston Symphony, where she performed with such celebrated conductors as Leonard Bernstein. She continued her studies with Mr. Silverstein at the New England Conservatory of Music, and went on to perform with the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for twenty-one years, where she worked closely with much-respected maestro James Levine and numerous other luminaries of the opera world. After retiring from the Met, Erica drew upon her lifelong love for writing as her creative outlet and studied screenwriting in Los Angeles with screenplay guru Linda Seger. Erica’s screenplays awards include such recognized competitions as Santa Fe and the Writer’s Digest. Her debut novel, TRAVELS WITH MY LOVERS, won the Fiction Prize in the Direct from the Author Book Awards. Subsequent published novels include the first in Erica’s FOUREVER FRIENDS novel series chronicling four teenage girls coming of age in the volatile 60s. ARIA FOR MURDER, a novel of assassination and intrigue at the Metropolitan Opera, the first in her Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series published by Level Best Books, has won rave reviews across the board. The sequel, PRELUDE TO MURDER, received a glowing report ('A skillfully written whodunit of operatic proportions') from the prestigious Kirkus Reviews (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/erica-miner/prelude-to-murder/). Erica’s lectures, seminars and workshops have received kudos on both coasts and in Australia, and she has won top ratings as a special lecturer for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. An active contributor to BroadwayWorld.com, Backtrack.com and LAOpus.com, she also contributed a monthly “Power of Journaling” article series for the National Association of Baby Boomer Women newsletter. Other writings have appeared in Vision Magazine, WORD San Diego, Istanbul Our City, and numerous E-zines. Erica’s lecture topics include “The Art of Self- Re-invention,” “Journaling: the Write Way to Write Fiction,” “Solving the Mystery of Mystery Writing,” and “Opera Meets Hollywood.” Details about Erica’s novels, screenplays and lectures can be found on her website, https://www.ericaminer.com.
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First Show:
GYPSYFavorite Show:
Onward VictoriaFavorite Stories:
- Lawrence Brownlee Speaks as he Sings: Gloriously - African American tenor Brownlee is opera royalty, a representative of diversity in his field and at the top of his game. Interviewing him was sheer pleasure, as he could not have been more affable, accessible, and articulate.
- MET OPERA CONCERTMASTER RAYMOND GNIEWEK: A REMEMBRANCE at Metropolitan Opera House - Ray Gniewek was also opera royalty, one of the greatest concertmasters of all time, and a key influence on my life as a violinist with the Met Opera. His immense contribution to the opera world cannot be quantified. I remain in awe of him.
- BWW Previews: THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS - The brilliant operatic rendering of the life of this ultra-important person, whose work has had an enormous influence on all of our lives, has been hugely successful since its premiere. The composer and librettist captured the essence of Jobs: his life, his trials, and his journey, so perfectly.
- BWW Interview: Jamie Bernstein Celebrates Remarkable Centennial - Jamie Bernstein has been a friend and colleague ever since we were at the Tanglewood Music Center decades ago, when I was a Fellowship student working with her famous father, whom we all called Lenny. She is keenly intelligent, savvy, and a joy to interview.
- Interview: David Holloway Shepherds Santa Fe Apprentices - David is another former opera colleague whose friendship goes back decades, ever since we were neighbors in Manhattan and our children played together and we worked together at the met Opera. More recently, he provided me entree into the Santa Fe Opera, where I based my most recent Opera Mystery novel, Prelude to Murder. His insights into the workings of this unique opera company were fascinating.
BWW Interview: Losing the Disguises - Opera Director Lesley Koenig on Verdi's A MASKED BALL
March 6, 2014
March 6, 2014
A Wagner-loving cat and a childhood listening to the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts influenced Lesley Koenig's eventual plunge into the world of opera.
BWW Reviews: THE SCHOOL FOR LIES Tickles Ribs at San Diego North Coast Rep Theatre
February 24, 2014
February 24, 2014
Theme: Moliere's 'Misanthrope.' Variations: 'The School for Lies.'
BWW Reviews: Best Date Night Ever: San Diego Opera's ELIXIR OF LOVE
February 17, 2014
February 17, 2014
Once more, with feeling! This year's SDO Valentine offering, Donizetti's 1832 comic masterpiece, 'Elixir of Love,' echoed last season's midwinter love fest, the composer's 'Daughter of the Regiment.'
BWW Interviews: Karen Kamensek - A Young Conductor Who Knows Herself
February 13, 2014
February 13, 2014
Conductor Karen Kamensek exudes authority, gives off a distinct overachiever vibe and projects wisdom beyond her years.
BWW Interview: Opera Is About People: Andrew Sinclair Interview Part 'Deux'
January 31, 2014
January 31, 2014
In part one of my recent interview with Director Andrew Sinclair, he shared his insights and experiences directing San Diego Opera, from Aida to the 2014 opening of the powerful verismo opera 'Pagliacci.' In part two, Sinclair delves further into the subject of character in opera.
San Diego Opera's 'Pagliacci' Stands On Its Own
January 27, 2014
January 27, 2014
This season's San Diego Opera Opening Night incited passion, drama, and nonstop thrills for the audience. The festive atmosphere at the Civic Theatre provided the perfect complement for the exciting intensity of one of opera's grittiest dramas, 'Pagliacci.'
BWW Interviews: Catharsis, Raw Emotion and Tears: San Diego Opera Director Andrew Sinclair Talks Opera
January 20, 2014
January 20, 2014
Veteran opera director Andrew Sinclair, director of this season's opening San Diego Opera production, Leoncavallo's 'Pagliacci', knows what makes opera tick.
BWW Interviews: Doing What He Wants To Do: Stephen Powell In San Diego Opera's PAGLIACCI
January 20, 2014
January 20, 2014
He has great analytical skills, approaches his roles with remarkable intelligence, and even accompanies himself at the piano. Baritone Stephen Powell, who sings his first Tonio in San Diego Opera's opening production of 'Pagliacci' this season, embodies the phrase, 'multi-talented.'
BWW Reviews: WEST SIDE STORY Still Shows Many Faces
January 7, 2014
January 7, 2014
The day Leonard Bernstein died, a sense of gut-wrenching loss pervaded the musical world. Anyone who had watched and listened to his extraordinary music making could not help but be affected by his passion and reverence for music. Those of us lucky enough to have known and worked with him and availed ourselves of his wisdom, still hold deep affection and respect for him, along with a feeling that we have been blessed many times over.
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