{"id":68176,"date":"2020-05-25T13:47:55","date_gmt":"2020-05-25T17:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=68176"},"modified":"2020-05-25T13:47:55","modified_gmt":"2020-05-25T17:47:55","slug":"remote-madison-angus-right-now-isnt-forever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2020\/05\/25\/remote-madison-angus-right-now-isnt-forever\/","title":{"rendered":"REMOTE | Madison Angus: \u2018Right Now Isn\u2019t Forever\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Soprano
Soprano Madison Angus (Photos courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s obviously been a very difficult time for all aspects of the performing arts across the country, but the challenges faced by young and emerging artists in a city as expensive as Toronto can be quite different from how more established individuals and organizations experienced such a sudden loss of income. Soprano Madison Angus joins us for this episode of REMOTE to reflect on her experience of the pandemic as a multi-faceted performance artist. Her perspective focuses on the mental health cost of the last two months, as well as the reorientation towards digital performances that we\u2019ll all have to do in order to bridge the gap between now and live performances.<\/p>\n

Part of that reorientation consists of a return to creativity for those of us who have been using this time as a respite from hectic schedules. Though I think there\u2019s a crucial distinction to be made between creativity and productivity \u2014 there\u2019s still no rush to get to the latter. The damage has been done, and the path towards recovery begins with reminding ourselves why we committed to a career in the arts in the first place. This, and more, is the subject of Madison\u2019s contribution to this series; and she\u2019s got a ton of book and TV recommendations to make it worth your while.<\/p>\n

How have you been coping with this lockdown?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the last several weeks I\u2019ve started to find my creative drive again. I have been privileged in the sense that essential goods have not been a struggle for me to access. In a strange way, despite the current circumstances, I think the time away from the busyness of life has been an opportunity to reflect on what I care about most and how I would like to move forward both personally and professionally. I will say though, that the first month of quarantine was incredibly challenging for me. As someone who works daily on managing my own anxiety, the extreme change of lifestyle and global worry due to COVID-19 was quite debilitating. I\u2019m grateful to have found more of a routine and to be working on and dreaming about what artistic initiatives are possible during this time and beyond.<\/p>\n

What sort of digital initiatives have you been involved in?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I do have a few projects in the works but nothing I can reveal just yet! I\u2019ll let you know soon!<\/p>\n

I believe innovation is key right now. The pandemic has caused artists to interact with technology in ways that may not have been examined previously or with the same intensity. I am a strong advocate for learning about and within a multitude of different artistic disciplines. Right now, all areas of arts and culture are in the same difficult place. Moving forward, I think it could be wise to lean on each other, expand our efforts, and grow together.<\/p>\n

Also, it is the responsibility of artists and artistic administrations to actively think about online content and the way we want our industry to be viewed in a digital format. What is it that we want people to take away from these performances? No longer having the opportunity to be singing in an unamplified process gives way to serious discussions about how opera is to stay relevant. Jenna Simeonov, wrote an editorial entitled, \u201cWithout the acoustic thrill, why are we still singing?\u201d<\/a><\/span>, on her platform, Schmopera<\/em>, which discusses this same idea. I highly suggest reading it.<\/p>\n

Words of wisdom that have helped you get through this pandemic?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I feel very fortunate to have a few wonderful mentors whose support during this time has meant a great deal to me. I couldn\u2019t just pick one and I figure why not spread the love and advice. We could all use it, I think!<\/p>\n

My teacher\/ soprano\/ mom\/ Associate Artistic Director at Against the Grain Theatre\/ wonder woman, Miriam Khalil, and I have been texting and checking in with each other throughout the pandemic. This was just over a month ago and I hadn\u2019t felt like singing much at this point. I remember one day we were messaging and I was going on about this app called Design Home (Side Note: It\u2019s really fun if you like interior design), she politely acknowledged her interest but also lovingly suggested that maybe we could consider having a lesson and to enjoy making music for ourselves. I recall tearing up reading that message with the response that I would like to try. We\u2019ve had a few lessons since then and the biggest takeaway from what we\u2019ve talked about is to just stay present, find happiness in the small things, and to not think beyond what you are not able to control.<\/p>\n

The next bit of advice that was offered to me was from Andrea Donaldson, who is the Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre. Nightwood offers a program called the Young Innovators Program which helps train emerging artists in the process of producing theatre. One of our last sessions happened over Zoom on \u201cnetworking\u201d and with Andrea speaking to 13 or so worried 20-something artists faced with the uncertain realities of the pandemic…I think the topics discussed meant more to us than ever before. A couple of points that had an impact on me were that, objectively, this period of time in our lives is small compared to the span of an entire career. Right now isn\u2019t forever. It\u2019s the people going through these same experiences that will remain your colleagues as you move forward. So, why not further establish those supportive relationships through this phase too.<\/p>\n

Finally, Aria Umezawa and Teiya Kasahara have both been fundamental in helping me establish my own path within this industry. They recently founded Amplified Opera and are forces in a variety of artistic work. I have spoken to both of them during this time and their encouragement for me to follow my instincts and trust my own creativity has been crucial to my development as an artist. Also, Teiya and I regularly send each other kitten\/cat related content on Instagram which has really gotten me through some of these days!<\/p>\n

What do you think are some of the ways arts communities can better prepare for adjusting to a crisis such as this?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While I don\u2019t think anyone ever anticipated this kind of situation, I think an ongoing discussion between artists and companies has been the message of transparency and inclusion. The pandemic has brought this conversation to the forefront. I feel this could be a time of re-building and re-inventing for our industry.<\/p>\n

Books, films, or TV on the go?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019ve made it this far, thanks for reading my TED Talk. Here\u2019s the fun stuff:<\/p>\n

Books:<\/strong>
\nI wish I read more. The last full book I read previous to these was a book for my vocal pedagogy class about Psychogenic Dysphonia. Interesting topic.
\n– Inward<\/em> by Yung Pueblo<\/a><\/span> (This was gifted to me and I have enjoyed it thoroughly. Great perspectives on life. I love a good Instagram quote and this literally is a book full of them.)
\n– Girl, Wash Your Face<\/em> by Rachel Hollis<\/a><\/span> (Easy read with lots of motivational messages. I had read half of it prior to COVID-19, I have a bad habit of doing that, but I am now almost done.)
\nFilms:<\/strong>
\nI finally watched Parasite<\/em> and Jo Jo Rabbit<\/em>, both were excellent for different reasons. Also, I rewatched Ocean\u2019s 8<\/em> because those women are bad***. Can I be Cate Blanchett when I grow up?
\nTV:<\/strong>
\nI LOVE television.
\nAlways binging:
\n– Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em> on Netflix (It never gets old. Fight me. Also, Grey\u2019s Anatomy: The Opera anyone?? I think it could be the new Ring Cycle, there\u2019s enough material.)
\n– The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina<\/em> on Netflix (I cannot explain my obsession with this show but yet it remains. I think it\u2019s my nostalgia of a childhood filled with stacks of Archie comics mixed with my love of all things magical.)
\nRecently:
\n– Hollywood<\/em> on Netflix (Loved it!)
\n– Killing Eve on BBC (I\u2019m on the 3rd season, Sandra Oh kills it in this one too!)
\nGuilty Binge:
\n– Keeping Up with the Kardashians<\/em> on E! (Don\u2019t judge me. Their lives are insane and it numbs my mind.)
\nBest Overall:
\n– Big Little Lies<\/em> on HBO (Debatably, I think this is the best series I\u2019ve seen with GOT being a close second because of that last season…come on.)<\/p>\n

For more chats with artists in social isolation, read on <\/span><\/span><\/em>HERE<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/em>.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n

#LUDWIGVAN<\/em><\/h3>\n

Want more updates on classical music and opera news and reviews? Follow us\u00a0on <\/em>Facebook<\/b><\/a><\/em><\/span>, <\/em>Instagram<\/b><\/a><\/em><\/span> <\/b>or <\/em>Twitter<\/b><\/a><\/em><\/span> for all the latest.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soprano Madison Angus talks about creative inspirations and advice \u2014 and binging on books and TV \u2014 during the lockdown.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":68180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[33451,35839,43,36052,56,63],"tags":[36515,32117,36514,4745,4719],"yst_prominent_words":[7292,9008,11623,7765,10459,11027,26397,8507,21312,36513,10359,36518,6886,35859,8086,11034,7558,36517,36516,10395],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Madison-ANgus-REMOTE.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-hJC","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68176"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/89"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68176"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68178,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68176\/revisions\/68178"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68176"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=68176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}