Ep. 2 Opening Yourself to Healing & Connection with Ann Baltz
No man - or woman - is an island.
No man - or woman - is an island. No matter how successful or powerful someone is, there is no way they can do everything on their own. However, too often, we shut people out and do not allow them to support us. But, what would happen if we allowed others to come alongside us?
In her Weekly Coaching Tip, Elena challenges us to ask ourselves poignant questions if we think we can do it all on our own. In her interview, she talks with Ann Baltz, who is a social justice powerhouse, a vocal advocate for musical improvisation, and the director of Opera Works, an incredible training program for opera singers. They highlight the importance of vulnerability, understanding, and connection as we all strive to support each other.
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Learn more about our incredible guest, Ann Baltz, through Opera Works, her personal website, or on Facebook.
This podcast was produced by the following amazing team:
John Biethan, President of Imagine Podcasting
Sam De Santo, Creative Director
Rye Taylor, Podcast Design Strategist & Producer
Meg McCarley, Brand Designer & Social Media Manager
Raejan Noh, Business Writer
J.Aaron Boykin, Musician & Artist (Get updates about Aaron’s music via Instagram)
Elena Armijo
Executive & Leadership Coach, PCC
Ann Baltz
creator // educator // director // pianist
Ann Baltz is recognized as one of the leading opera educators in America today. Inspired by her work with visionary Wesley Balk at the Merola Opera Program and as music director of his Minnesota Opera Institute, Baltz's revolutionary holistic approach to singer training became OperaWorks™, a vanguard of performer education which was the first of its kind to incorporate the cross-disciplinary education vital to singers. Founded in 1987, OperaWorks now boasts an impressive list of over 2,000 alumni worldwide, expanded pedagogical training for teachers and coaches, and documented success of Baltz's teaching methods in the International Journal of Music Education.
Ms. Baltz is sought after to teach residencies, master classes, and workshops nationwide. She is a frequent speaker at national conventions including National Association of Teachers of Singing, National Opera Association, and Classical Singer. While on the steering committee of OPERA America’s Singer Training Forum, she served as a panelist for their national seminars Building a Career: Strategies for Success.
As a creator-director Baltz combines her artistry and social conscience to conceive pastiche operas on current issues such as immigration, homelessness, and war. Recent productions at institutions include Bowling Green State University, Ithaca College, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and California State University Northridge.
She is a vocal advocate of musical improvisation as a tool for freeing musicians' innate musical and dramatic capabilities. As a collaborative pianist, Baltz continues to perform live improvised concerts and operas throughout the country. In 2015 she created OperaWorks’ Arts for Social Awareness Project (ASAP) to produce original, musically improvised opera/theater performance pieces that put a human face on social issues in society. She was nominated by the NAACP Theatre Awards as Best Music Director for ASAP’s first production, The Discord Altar, addressing homelessness, and she is the recipient of a Red Carpet Award from “Women In Theatre” recognizing her outstanding achievements in theater in Los Angeles.
Her diverse professional background includes roles as assistant conductor, coach, and chorus master in productions with singers including Dame Joan Sutherland and James McCracken, and conductor Richard Bonynge. An accomplished collaborative pianist, Ms. Baltz played extensively on tour with Columbia Artist Concerts and Minnesota Opera. She studied at the San Francisco Opera where she received the Otto Guth Award for outstanding coach in the Merola Opera Program.
Ms. Baltz currently maintains a private vocal coaching studio in Los Angeles.