Notes on the Opera Life with Kristina Maria Agur

As described by opera singer Kristina Maria Agur (whose nickname is “Mama Estonia”), opera productions employ countless singers, artists, and technical professionals. And the return is significant—culturally, socially, and financially. This is all possible because of how much people value the art form, especially in countries like Germany and Austria where she has lived.

If you’ve ever wanted a personal tour of the inside of the opera world, you’ll want to listen to the latest episode of Estocast, where Kristina tells us:

🎶 how she moved from geochemistry to the second alto section of the Wiener Staatsoper

🎶 what makes Thursday nights special for singers all across Toronto

🎶 why chopping wood and beautiful cafés go hand in hand

🎶 and much more!
 

Content mentioned in this episode:

-Steiermark (Styria), the state in Austria where Kristina lives: https://www.steiermark.com/en 

-Wiener Staatsoper, for which Kristina is a member of the chorus: https://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/en/artists/choir/ 

-an explanation of the role of a chorus in opera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwAqtIxAMCg

-the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music: https://music.utoronto.ca/ 

-“What was the Hanseatic League?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN5DseqmY6M&ab_channel=KhAnubis 

-an explanation of the audition process for opera singers: https://www.csmusic.net/content/articles/audition-101-for-opera-singers/

-Catalyst Berlin’s discussion of the myth of the tortured artist: https://catalyst-berlin.com/stories/dialogues-mental-health-myth-tortured-artist 

-The Royal Opera House's overview of the many technical roles involved in opera: https://www.roh.org.uk/interactives/opera-machine 

-“The Unexpected Languages of Opera”: https://www.wqxr.org/story/opera-unexpected-language-spanish-english-russian-czech/ 

-a look into what the fach voice classification system is: https://halifaxsummeroperafestival.com/opera-resources/the-fach-system-of-vocal-classification/ 

-an explanation of what an aria is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRO3eWavWrs&ab_channel=UnderstandingMusic 

-At the end is Kristina’s performance of “Ah! chi mi dice mai” from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni, together with pianist Pantelis Polychrinidis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1msSlM-6zeU&ab_channel=KristinaAgur 

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