Coaching insights

Coaching insights

How we think and feel about ourselves and our art directly impacts our performance capability. In this video, Ed Lyon explains that mental health therapy is important as self understanding gives us the choice and the ability to respond consciously to new situations and move through our careers and lives with greater freedom.

Coaching insights

In this video, Nancy Holt shares practical advice from our partner companies on performing for video, how to set up your camera, where to look while you sing, and how to make your performance look natural.

Coaching insights

External validation is a wonderful thing when it happens, but it can’t be the reason we do what we do. Instead, we should invest our energy into the action of creativity – not the reward. Ed Lyon (Tenor, Therapist, Stress Management Coach and Performance Coach) discusses the pitfalls of over-reliance on external validation and its impact on self satisfaction for creatives.

Coaching insights

Nancy Holt discusses what opera companies look for in video auditions, and the importance of clarity, intention, and strong communication in your submissions

Coaching insights

For many of us, becoming an opera artist feels like a calling… but how do we ensure our lives aren’t entirely defined by it? In this short, Ed Lyon discusses the importance of developing a sense of self beyond opera in order to promote a healthy and sustainable artistic life.

Coaching insights

Nancy Holt (Mezzo-soprano 2024/25) offers practical advice on filming auditions using a phone. She discusses what camera settings to use, and how to light and frame your video.

Coaching insights

‘The inner critic’ - How can we respond to it with self awareness and build a healthier internal dialogue? In this new series of shorts for performers, Ed Lyon - Tenor, Therapist, and Stress Management and Performance Coach (and NOS alum!) - will explore a new topic on mindfulness each week, and discuss its impact on musicians.

Coaching insights

Basses are the foundation of the operatic world. There are several bass vocal fachs: Bass-Baritone, Basso Cantante, Buffo Bass, and Basso Profondo. These categories are based on vocal range, timbre, agility, and the kinds of roles each voice typically performs—but like all fachs, they’re not set in stone. Voices evolve, and many singers move fluidly between categories.

Coaching insights

Baritones are the smooth operators of the operatic world. Whether playing schemers, lovers, or conflicted antiheroes, baritones cover a wide emotional and vocal range. While there are three baritone fachs—Lyric, Verdi, and Dramatic—these categories aren’t rigid. Voices grow, shift, and surprise us.