This week, I sat down with Oliver Camacho and the team at Opera Box Score, Chicago's classical talk radio station on WNUR FM 89.3. We discussed the business side of opera singing, the kinds of opportunities available to a singer in year one of their career, and the challenges and risks facing young singers today. Lots of overlap with recent posts, but a few new ideas in there. It was such a blast chatting with these passionate opera bros. Check it out! #interview #finance #op

Taxes for most humans are a boring, but relatively quick and harmless process. Taxes for a freelancer, however, are a dystopian hellscape. Your 1099s are always late, your receipts are sweaty and faded, and, most importantly, you have NO CLUE how much you made this year or how much you owe. Fear not. I am no CPA, but I have seven years experience slogging through this tripe salad and I know my way around Excel. I can help you organize your Schedule C to send to an accountant,

In honor of tax time, here's some scary singer math. I make my living primarily by travelling as a professional tenor soloist 4-5 months a year to perform with symphonies, choruses, and chamber orchestras. The gross (very important word) fees are great compared to local work. I can expect on average around $2,000 USD a performance for the performance of a major work. However, I see less than half of that in my bank account. On a $2,000 USD fee to sing a work with orchestra,