Make it personal
Do musician bios put you to sleep, too? Here’s my take, plus a mini Midsummer playlist and an opera format worth noticing.
As always, thanks for letting me into your inbox. My Backstage letters offer a personal perspective on the classical music industry that thrives on tradition and innovation. It’s part journal, part industry whisper, and a space for some honest reflections - all written with deep admiration for the people who make the music happen - on stage and behind the scenes.
I am thinking about …
(and falling asleep over) musician bios, and I read a lot of them. Yes, my subtitle is a little provocative - but the truth is, I’m rarely drawn in. Rarely curious to meet the person behind the words. Rarely left with a sense of how their life experiences might shape their interpretation of the music they perform. Most bios read like polished résumés: exam results, competition wins, recordings, prestigious venues, orchestras, projects. These are all valid and amazing accomplishments, but they often miss the mark when printed in a concert programme, written for a mixed audience. What’s so often absent is the person behind the music.
More and more performers today speak directly to their audiences before and during a concert, creating a connection that can deepen the experience of the music. But not everyone is a natural speaker. That’s where a thoughtful programme note can help - or, if the performer does not have a say in that, a bio is a powerful opportunity.
A bio can be more than a list of milestones. It is an opportunity to offer a glimpse of the person behind the performer. A bio can offer a detail, a perspective, or a story that helps the audience hear the music with a deeper sense of who the artists is. I’d say: Make it personal.
(And yes, if you’d like, list professional highlights - just don’t let them be the whole story.)
I love …
this concept: The Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm has just presented the fifth edition of Short Stories, an innovative format that’s reshaping what opera can be. In this series, three composer-librettist duos create a 20-minute opera, supported by a full production team.
This year, they presented:
Wild Bird (Vildfågel) by Stefan Klaverdal - set in the 1940s, this piece follows Loulou Forsell, writer and daughter of renowned opera figure John Forsell, as she plots her escape from a psychiatric hospital.
The Loving Mother (Den ömma modern) by David Saulesco is about a new mother, overwhelmed by dark thoughts. As her cries for help go unheard, tragedy unfolds.
The Rehearsal (Repetitionen), is a witty meta-opera by Ylva Fred about a tenor and soprano rehearsing a love scene. What their exasperated director does not know is that they are lovers in real life, too.
I haven’t seen any of these productions (yet!), but I think the idea is absolutely brilliant. It’s exactly the kind of format that opera needs more of - flexible, creative, and open to new voices. So it is good to read that Short Stories, launched by dramaturg Katarina Aronsson, seems to have grown into a major success.
The initiative fosters new talent, attracts new audiences, and offers a creative lab for opera’s future. Both established composers and writers as well as emerging artists are involved. They come from diverse artistic backgrounds, including theater, literature, and film. They are also free to choose what to write about, often on subjects relevant to today’s audiences. That they are sung in Swedish lowers the barrier even more. These glimpse of what opera could look like tomorrow are selling fast every year.
I am listening to …
It’s Midsummer today, and I’m at home waiting for a builder, as the house façade is threatening to crumble. There are definitely better ways to spend the day - but while I’m stuck, this music is lifting my spirits and feels perfectly midsummery. Consider this a mini playlist for your weekend, and do go and check out these two fantastic string quartets - one Danish, one Scottish - both brilliant at arranging and weaving traditional folk music into their repertoire, mixing it up seamlessly.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy my backstage ramblings. If you do, I’d really appreciate your support by liking, commenting, sharing or forwarding the email to someone you think might enjoy it, too. You can also buy me a coffee to help fuel future posts!
Thank you so much and till next time,
Happy Midsummer!
Kirsten