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♪ Opening theme music ♪
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Hello, and welcome to this episode
of ArtsAbly in Conversation.
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My name is Diane Kolin.
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This series presents artists, academics,
and project leaders who dedicate their
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time and energy to a better accessibility
for people with disabilities in the arts.
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You can find more of these
conversations on our website, artsably.com
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which is spelled
A-R-T-S-A-B-L-Y dot com.
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♪ Theme music ♪
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Today, ArtsAbly is in conversation
with Indra Egan,
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who is a pianist and a vocal coach
based in Vancouver.
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Among her multiple musical activities,
she produces and performs in
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Epilepsy Awareness concerts.
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You can find the resources mentioned
by Indra Egan during this episode
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on ArtsAbly's website in the blog section.
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♪ Spring Waters - Jamal Al Titi and Indra Egan ♪
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Welcome to this new episode.
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Today, we are with Indra Egan,
who is a pianist and a vocal coach.
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She describes herself as
a passionate multi-genre musician.
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I'm going to let her present herself.
Welcome, Indra.
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Hi, Diane. Thank you so much for having me.
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Yes, you described me, just as
I often describe myself as a musician.
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I am a pianist and vocal coach
currently based out of Vancouver.
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I'm currently a young artist at the Yulanda
M. Faris program at Vancouver Opera,
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where we're currently working
on a production of Carmen that will
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open at the end of the month.
Very excited about that.
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I have done a lot of musical projects
in a lot of different genres.
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Right now, of course, working mainly in opera,
but I also love everything from
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musical theatre, jazz, classical, even have
done some rock stuff, all over the place.
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My main passion is just collaborating with others
in whatever form of music that happens to be.
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And I am here because I am a musician
living with epilepsy who would like to
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make this musical community a more
disability friendly space.
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Thank you so much and welcome.
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Thank you for having this
conversation with me.
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I'm very excited about
our conversation today.
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I'm very excited that you invited me.
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Can you describe yourself?
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I have epilepsy.
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I've had epilepsy since I was 11, and
I've been playing piano since I was four.
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I've lived with both for a long time.
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I have Tonic-clonic, or what are sometimes
known as Grand Mal seizures.
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They've been throughout my life
anywhere as frequent as twice a week
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to sometimes I've gone months at a time.
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In my teens, I went two
years without a seizure.
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We thought I might have grown
out of the seizures, and I did not.
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I have been balancing music and epilepsy
for quite a long time.
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Thank you so much.
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What is your story?
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When did you start playing the piano?
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I know you traveled a lot here and there
in Canada, so what brought you
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to travel all over these places?
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Well, I was born in a small
town in Northern BC.
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It's called Houston.
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It's not the one in Texas.
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On my bios, I always have to
put from Northern BC because if people
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see Houston, they will assume Texas.
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But I was born in Canada,
small town, 3,000 people.
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I started traveling for piano lessons
when I was four years old.
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We traveled 45 minutes to a
neighbouring town for piano lessons.
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Already from there, I was traveling from
the age of four, eventually was traveling
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three and a half hours for lessons
and to play violin in an orchestra
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in the nearby town, I think more
becoming a city now, of Prince George.
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And then when I first
started university, I actually started in
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political science in Prince George.
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I thought I wanted to become a lawyer.
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And pretty soon into that program,
I realized that I did not,
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not so much that I wasn't interested in
the field of law anymore, but that I was
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taking so much enjoyment from the musical
things that I was doing on the side.
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So I would be at school going to class
from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, roughly.
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My courses would be in that window.
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And then 5:15, I would be on a bus
to leave the campus and go
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to downtown Prince George
and do all sorts of musical things,
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from teaching to accompanying to
singing, all sorts of things.
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And I realized that I was looking forward
to the end of the day so much and that
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I did not want to live my whole life
looking forward to the end of the day.
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I wanted those things to be my day.
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And so I finished the first year, but then
the following year, I took a year off
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stayed in Prince George and just worked.
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I look back on that year,
it's kind of a blur. I don't know.
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I did so many jobs in one year, but
I was saving up to go do my bachelors,
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and it was really important to me.
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So I was accompanying multiple choirs.
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I was playing for ballet classes.
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I was teaching.
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I think I had about 20 students.
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I was waitressing.
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I was playing all sorts of side gigs.
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So I was singing in a choir.
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I was taking voice lessons myself.
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Then I auditioned for
a Bachelor's of Music
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at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg,
which is the next place that I moved.
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I auditioned for piano and for voice,
and I wanted to go for voice,
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but I only got in for piano.
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So I decided to go anyway.
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And my plan was that in my
second year, I would transfer
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into a degree in voice,
that I would re-audition.
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And then about a month or two into my
degree, I saw this incredible concert
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featuring soprano Tracy Dahl
and pianist Laura Loewen.
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I saw their performance, I was blown away,
and I realized that -
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Well, that I was inspired by both,
I realized that what I actually wanted to do
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was do what Laura, the pianist,
had done in that concert,
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that what I really loved was
the vocal repertoire, but that
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I would rather be a part of it from the piano.
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So I stayed in the piano degree.
I'm very glad that I did.
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And then I was planning to do...
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I did end up doing a master's
in collaborative piano, but I
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didn't do it directly out of my undergrad
because I was actually on a waitlist
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for an epilepsy brain surgery.
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And I thought, a master's degree
is only two years long.
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And if I get in for the surgery and I have
to take even three to six months off.
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That's a big chunk of your masters.
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So I stayed at the University
of Manitoba to do a post-bacc
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diploma in jazz piano studies.
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And a month in, I got the call
that I had gotten in for the surgery.
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So I was like, Oh, excellent
life decision to wait for the masters.
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I went to London Ontario for this surgery.
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It was supposed to be an intracranial EEG,
just an exploratory brain surgery.
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And in the first week, they
hook you up to an external EEG.
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So that's just on the
outside of your head
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without cutting into the bone,
without doing the surgery.
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And they keep you monitored like that
for a week, and they induce some seizures,
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and they obviously want to double-check
everything before they go into your skull.
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And then at the end of that week,
it turned out that the initial test
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that had been done three years
prior when I was on the waitlist
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for the brain surgery had been...
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They were incomplete, and they
had not been completed properly,
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and that I was not actually a candidate for
brain surgery, even though I was still having
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seizures despite having tried,
I think at that point, 11 medications.
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So I went back to Winnipeg.
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I was understandably very depressed.
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I wondered if I even wanted
to keep going with music
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because I thought, Okay, if I'm going
to have seizures the rest of my life,
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how am I going to be a working musician,
especially as a pianist, especially as
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an accompanist in the way
that I collaborate with people.
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There are other people depending on me.
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I took some time with that.
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I think I had, for a long time,
viewed my disability as something
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that would eventually end.
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And so when we reach that final
point of, you know,
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there's not really anywhere to go from here that would
be as effective as a brain surgery, it needed some time.
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And I almost missed the deadline to apply
for a master's because I was so down
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and I didn't think I wanted to do it.
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But with one day to go,
I wrote up my cover letter
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and I sent everything in on some encouragement
from a mentor and from some friends.
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And I got into
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the collaborative piano program that I hoped to,
and then spent two years in...
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Then COVID hit, actually.
Let me... Covid hit.
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And so I took another year of break before
going to do my master's.
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I stayed in the Post-Bacc Jazz program
during that year so that I could keep
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my health benefits through the school.
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Everyone with disabilities knows
just how important that is.
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Then I went to Toronto, had a wonderful
time, met so many new people,
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had just the most wonderful teacher.
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Then I was applying for jobs
and young artist programs to
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start after my master's.
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One of them was for an opera company
that I'm going to leave unnamed,
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but it was outside of Canada.
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It was a very exciting opportunity.
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They offered me a two-year Young Artists
program in March of 2023, and I took it.
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I was so excited.
I'm going to go to a new country.
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And two months later, or
a month and a half later,
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I reached out to them asking about the kind of
medical insurance that they offered.
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I had been in touch with an epilepsy
organization from that region
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and was checking in, seeing what
health care is in this country and
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what support am I going to need?
How do I find a neurologist?
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They were fantastic. They were
helping me work through that.
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But they said, Ask your employer
what medical insurance
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you need in order to do that.
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They said they would get back to me, and
I told them why I was so keen to find out
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what medical insurance they offered.
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I also told them I was in touch with that organization
and that I was already preemptively...
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I was even on on a list for a neurologist.
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Then two weeks later, I got an email
saying that they did not think I would be
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a good fit for their company.
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They invited me to...
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It was a really crushing
and infantilizing email.
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At the end, they invited me to reapply if
my seizures settled down sufficiently.
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That was a really rough time
of the intersect of music and disability.
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I didn't know what I was going to do.
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I was supposed to leave to
move there in a month and a half,
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so I had thrown things away.
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I had canceled my lease.
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I felt like my whole
world was falling apart.
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Then I reached out when I heard that
Vancouver Opera had not yet filled
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their position for a pianist
for the Young Artist program.
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I sent them videos and
my resume and had an interview,
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and here I am in Vancouver,
working at Vancouver Opera.
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Not exactly the path that
I expected things to take
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when I started my bachelor's 10 years ago
at the University of Manitoba, but
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I've worked with some fantastic people
along the way, and I'm really happy here.
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Wow. That's such a journey
with all the up and down.
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That's... wow! I'm very glad that Vancouver
was able to offer you this position.
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Yes, me too. It was a huge relief.
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I really just felt like a fish
out of water because I thought that I had
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the next two years of my life
planned out starting July 2023.
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But no, it was really fantastic that
they were willing to take me for this.
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I met some fantastic people here
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and had the opportunity to
play some incredible music.
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I also know that you are doing
a lot of work with Epilepsy Canada,
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including some benefit concerts.
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Can you talk a bit about
these benefit concerts?
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Well, I've done three epilepsy awareness
concerts so far, working on a fourth,
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which I can chat about later.
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But yeah, I've done three of them.
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They weren't actually benefit concerts per se
because I wanted the concerts to be free.
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I wanted full access
for anyone who could go.
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And the first two concerts were at
the University of Manitoba.
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So I'm not even sure if I would have been
allowed to raise money.
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But for the third one, it was
during the pandemic and it was online.
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And so that was completely my own project,
not on someone else's venue.
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And so I asked people to donate to Epilepsy Canada
when watching that concert.
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And so I partnered with Epilepsy Canada.
They were so incredibly supportive of my concert.
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They did an interview,
they featured it widely.
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So they really helped me with
promoting it, which was great because
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anyone in the world could watch it.
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So there were people watching
the concert who actually had...
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It was a mix of music, but
it was primarily classical music.
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And we also had jazz and musical
theatre and some folk.
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So there was a mix of things, I think
primarily classical and so there were
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people watching because they wanted to
support an event with epilepsy and
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not necessarily because they were in my
musical circle with the other concerts.
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It was really cool to see comments
on this video like, Oh, I've never heard -
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I've never listened to music like
this, and I really enjoy it.
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And then, likewise,
there were people watching the concert
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because they wanted to support the
musicians in it or support me, musically,
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00:18:24,736 --> 00:18:27,940
who said, Oh, I'm learning so much
about epilepsy watching this concert.
226
00:18:27,973 --> 00:18:32,411
That was one of the most fulfilling
things I have ever done.
227
00:18:32,444 --> 00:18:36,448
I'm so glad it was a live stream
because I just had tears in my eyes
228
00:18:36,482 --> 00:18:39,218
the whole time watching people comment.
229
00:18:39,251 --> 00:18:42,020
It felt like such a wonderful
collaborative experience
230
00:18:42,054 --> 00:18:45,858
because of the livestream element.
231
00:18:45,858 --> 00:18:47,192
That's very good.
232
00:18:47,192 --> 00:18:52,464
In the first week, it had 2,000 views,
and Epilepsy Canada wasn't able
233
00:18:52,464 --> 00:18:59,771
to give me any specific number for
privacy reasons as far as their donations,
234
00:18:59,805 --> 00:19:02,007
but they said there was a spike that week.
235
00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:05,611
So that was so wonderful to hear.
236
00:19:05,644 --> 00:19:06,812
Congratulations.
237
00:19:06,845 --> 00:19:08,514
Thank you.
238
00:19:08,547 --> 00:19:12,751
I couldn't have done it without all the
wonderful - I mean, everyone in the concert
239
00:19:12,784 --> 00:19:17,689
agreed to perform for free, and they
were all of an incredibly high caliber.
240
00:19:17,689 --> 00:19:19,625
They brought such wonderful performances.
241
00:19:19,658 --> 00:19:23,896
It was all prerecorded
and then put together.
242
00:19:24,530 --> 00:19:30,269
We had - I asked some incredibly
prestigious people being like,
243
00:19:30,302 --> 00:19:34,373
The worst thing they can say is no.
I wonder if they will be in this.
244
00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:38,076
You have incredibly famous people
who are like, Oh, yeah, no,
245
00:19:38,076 --> 00:19:42,414
I absolutely want to support this. I'll totally do this.
What would you like me to perform?
246
00:19:42,414 --> 00:19:50,155
It's just wonderful to see how many
musical communities came together.
247
00:19:50,389 --> 00:19:57,563
I can never forget the incredible
videographer and audio -
248
00:19:58,830 --> 00:19:59,698
Just...
249
00:19:59,865 --> 00:20:03,802
Person who works on audio.
I can't remember.
250
00:20:03,802 --> 00:20:06,338
The audio designer?
I can't remember.
251
00:20:07,339 --> 00:20:10,909
The people who helped me put together
the concert digitally.
252
00:20:10,909 --> 00:20:15,047
We had Allan Cabral, we had
John Anderson and Elliot Lazar,
253
00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:17,783
who did all the stuff that I could not.
254
00:20:17,816 --> 00:20:21,486
We had one number at the end
of the concert that featured
255
00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:25,791
almost 100 singers performing
all together, which was so cool.
256
00:20:25,824 --> 00:20:29,928
It was to an arrangement of Carol
King's You've Got A Friend.
257
00:20:29,962 --> 00:20:35,667
We had four soloists, and then
singing most of the song, and then
258
00:20:35,701 --> 00:20:41,573
a final chorus that featured almost 100
singers from all over Canada.
259
00:20:41,607 --> 00:20:44,576
And that also just made me tear up.
260
00:20:44,610 --> 00:20:46,812
When I was watching it, it was amazing.
261
00:20:46,845 --> 00:20:51,650
So these were all so many people
who took time out of their lives to
262
00:20:51,683 --> 00:20:53,619
be a part of this project.
263
00:20:54,286 --> 00:21:01,159
So that was a big project for our
digital team, but they came through.
264
00:21:01,193 --> 00:21:04,196
And as I said, everyone did this
265
00:21:04,229 --> 00:21:08,567
throughout the concert for free.
266
00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:12,971
I would hope in the future, as I do
more of these concerts, to be able to
267
00:21:13,005 --> 00:21:16,742
apply for funding and
pay people for their work.
268
00:21:16,775 --> 00:21:21,113
But I was incredibly grateful that people
thought this was a project that
269
00:21:21,113 --> 00:21:22,848
was worth dedicating their time to.
270
00:21:23,615 --> 00:21:26,051
Is this video still available?
271
00:21:26,084 --> 00:21:28,053
Yes, the entire concert
is still available.
272
00:21:28,086 --> 00:21:29,688
I can send you the link.
273
00:21:29,721 --> 00:21:31,390
It's on YouTube.
274
00:21:31,423 --> 00:21:35,294
The concert is called Unshakeable.
275
00:21:35,327 --> 00:21:37,095
I love puns.
276
00:21:37,129 --> 00:21:43,969
The very first concert that I did for
epilepsy awareness, I called Seize the Day.
277
00:21:44,002 --> 00:21:48,573
I thought that was too cheesy,
when I switched to yet another cheesy
278
00:21:48,573 --> 00:21:53,111
but slightly less cheesy name,
it was Unshakeable.
279
00:21:53,145 --> 00:21:55,447
That's what I'm calling them now.
280
00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:58,317
I will I'll post this
link to- Oh, wonderful.
281
00:21:58,350 --> 00:21:59,618
ArtsAbly's website.
282
00:21:59,651 --> 00:22:04,489
Speaking of puns, I know
that you also have a satire site
283
00:22:04,523 --> 00:22:09,461
called Stay Tuned with Indra, right?
284
00:22:09,494 --> 00:22:10,762
Yes.
285
00:22:10,796 --> 00:22:13,332
Can you talk about that?
286
00:22:13,365 --> 00:22:15,067
Yeah.
287
00:22:15,233 --> 00:22:21,940
I've always loved writing, and I have always
loved comedy, and I read a lot of satire,
288
00:22:21,940 --> 00:22:25,310
and I just really love the genre.
289
00:22:25,344 --> 00:22:27,813
I thought, wouldn't it be cool if...
290
00:22:27,846 --> 00:22:31,850
And I'm sure there are others that exist,
but - I know there are others that exist,
291
00:22:31,883 --> 00:22:35,253
but I wanted to lend my own voice
to musical satire,
292
00:22:35,287 --> 00:22:36,855
specifically classical music.
293
00:22:36,888 --> 00:22:40,292
Satire, I'm really inspired -
294
00:22:40,325 --> 00:22:46,331
It's very much inspired by Reductress,
the feminist satire magazine.
295
00:22:46,365 --> 00:22:54,439
I believe my first one,
my first article was about a
296
00:22:54,473 --> 00:22:59,411
pianist who is a collaborative pianist who is crying
because they were called an accompanist,
297
00:22:59,411 --> 00:23:03,215
who was just soul crushed because
a singer called them an accompanist,
298
00:23:03,248 --> 00:23:09,187
which for me I made because I think
the name collaborative pianist is,
299
00:23:09,321 --> 00:23:11,590
in my opinion, a bit redundant.
300
00:23:11,590 --> 00:23:14,960
I don't think we call any other musicians
301
00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:18,797
collaborative violinists
or collaborative cellists.
302
00:23:18,797 --> 00:23:25,103
I also don't mind being called
an accompanist because I feel like when you
303
00:23:25,137 --> 00:23:29,374
accompany someone on a walk to the park,
you are just going with them.
304
00:23:29,407 --> 00:23:32,744
Anyways, it started from there,
it was quite the hit,
305
00:23:32,744 --> 00:23:36,848
so then I kept writing,
and it's been really fun.
306
00:23:36,882 --> 00:23:44,089
Everything from a Barbie with
a perfect pitch to a cellist who's able
307
00:23:44,122 --> 00:23:49,361
to put a down payment on a house with
all the exposure that he has saved up.
308
00:23:50,962 --> 00:23:57,836
I try to keep them timely. We had one during
the pandemic about a flutist who said,
309
00:23:57,836 --> 00:24:01,573
Sorry, my sound is not coming through on Zoom very well,
310
00:24:01,573 --> 00:24:04,276
but in real life, she sounded the exact same.
311
00:24:04,276 --> 00:24:07,512
She was using the Zoom sound as an excuse.
312
00:24:07,546 --> 00:24:12,217
I try to keep some of them timely, and
then others were just ideas that I had.
313
00:24:12,217 --> 00:24:15,587
You can check out the website
at staytunedwithindra.com
314
00:24:15,587 --> 00:24:21,493
and I also have - part of that page
features my Unshakable Concerts.
315
00:24:22,427 --> 00:24:25,263
Okay, it will be posted.
316
00:24:25,263 --> 00:24:27,265
Thank you.
317
00:24:27,499 --> 00:24:32,437
I want to come back to these concerts,
318
00:24:32,471 --> 00:24:35,407
the epilepsy awareness concerts.
319
00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:41,313
You talked about an upcoming fourth one
that will happen.
320
00:24:41,346 --> 00:24:45,650
Can you give us more
details about this one?
321
00:24:45,684 --> 00:24:50,655
I will have to see what it ends up being.
322
00:24:50,655 --> 00:24:54,492
I have a very strong idea
of what it is in my mind.
323
00:24:54,526 --> 00:24:57,496
This is because it almost
It happened last month.
324
00:24:57,529 --> 00:25:02,968
I had scheduled a concert to be
performed through
325
00:25:02,968 --> 00:25:07,706
Vancouver Opera's recital series,
free recital series.
326
00:25:07,706 --> 00:25:10,575
I thought, This is perfect. I've always
wanted my concert to be free.
327
00:25:10,609 --> 00:25:14,446
Then I'm in a new city where I will
struggle to market it
328
00:25:14,446 --> 00:25:17,015
the way that I did when I had
lived in Winnipeg for a while,
329
00:25:17,015 --> 00:25:19,251
and that I really appreciated that
330
00:25:19,284 --> 00:25:24,155
Vancouver Opera was going to let me
host a recital for that series.
331
00:25:24,155 --> 00:25:28,827
But in January, I broke
my shoulder in a seizure fall.
332
00:25:28,860 --> 00:25:35,634
I was supposed to be the pianist for
the concert, and it just didn't end up
333
00:25:35,667 --> 00:25:41,973
working out in order for me to accompany
the concert, and so it was cancelled.
334
00:25:42,007 --> 00:25:47,479
Not sure if it will be through the same
organization when I do it next,
335
00:25:47,479 --> 00:25:53,285
but I hope that I can ask those musicians again
to join me in Vancouver at some point.
336
00:25:53,885 --> 00:25:58,456
The list of musicians for the concert
was going to be soprano Sawyer Craig,
337
00:25:58,490 --> 00:26:01,159
who I've known for eight years now.
338
00:26:01,192 --> 00:26:04,129
It was very cool that our lives have -
339
00:26:04,129 --> 00:26:07,198
we've crossed paths again in Vancouver.
340
00:26:07,699 --> 00:26:11,169
mezzo Emma Parkinson,
341
00:26:11,169 --> 00:26:20,045
violist Roxi Dykstra, who is from the same town as me
in Northern BC, that same 3,000-person town,
342
00:26:20,045 --> 00:26:22,047
and who is an incredibly -
343
00:26:22,147 --> 00:26:26,851
She's left that town to be
an incredibly established musician
344
00:26:26,851 --> 00:26:30,021
and is an inspiration to us in Northern BC.
345
00:26:30,055 --> 00:26:36,461
And tenor Benjamin Butterfield, who
is also an incredible musician
346
00:26:36,461 --> 00:26:40,465
who sings all over and
currently teaches at UVic.
347
00:26:40,498 --> 00:26:44,603
And I met him eight years ago
as well when I was studying
348
00:26:44,603 --> 00:26:46,538
at a program where he was teaching.
349
00:26:46,571 --> 00:26:49,507
So I was really excited to
collaborate with all these people.
350
00:26:49,541 --> 00:26:52,944
And I hope that if I'm able
to do another concert
351
00:26:52,978 --> 00:26:57,415
in Vancouver, that if they're still
in town still available, they'll join me
352
00:26:57,449 --> 00:26:59,918
for the next Epilepsy Awareness concert.
353
00:27:00,018 --> 00:27:01,853
I try to time them for...
354
00:27:01,886 --> 00:27:06,558
I think the others had been on
International Epilepsy Day.
355
00:27:06,558 --> 00:27:13,798
And then in this case, with the timing of
Vancouver Opera's shows, I decided to
356
00:27:13,798 --> 00:27:18,937
schedule it in March, which is, as you
know, Canada's Epilepsy Awareness Month.
357
00:27:18,970 --> 00:27:23,074
So it probably would be rescheduled
for sometime early 2025,
358
00:27:23,074 --> 00:27:25,810
but still - the wheels are moving.
359
00:27:25,810 --> 00:27:29,080
The project is definitely
still in the works.
360
00:27:29,114 --> 00:27:31,116
How is your shoulder now?
361
00:27:31,116 --> 00:27:33,918
It's not 100%, but it's better.
362
00:27:33,952 --> 00:27:36,187
I mean, much, much better.
363
00:27:36,187 --> 00:27:37,422
Initially, I couldn't move it.
364
00:27:37,455 --> 00:27:39,157
I was in a sling for six weeks.
365
00:27:39,157 --> 00:27:42,093
It was the longest I have
ever not played the piano.
366
00:27:42,127 --> 00:27:44,663
It was crazy.
367
00:27:44,696 --> 00:27:50,068
Longest in my entire life,
well, no, other than, you know, my infancy
368
00:27:50,101 --> 00:27:53,872
that I had not played the piano.
369
00:27:53,872 --> 00:27:57,509
I'm back to playing. I have been playing
on our current production of Carmen.
370
00:27:57,542 --> 00:28:01,680
I've been playing a reduced schedule, and
371
00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:06,518
I've appreciated that I've been able
to do that at Vancouver Opera.
372
00:28:06,684 --> 00:28:09,988
I look forward to when it's fully healed.
373
00:28:10,021 --> 00:28:14,426
I also have a fantastic physiotherapist
who has been very understanding of
374
00:28:14,426 --> 00:28:20,432
not just how to heal my injury, but how my
injury impacts my work and my everyday.
375
00:28:20,432 --> 00:28:23,068
So we're making good progress.
376
00:28:23,635 --> 00:28:31,943
In this time where you were healing and
you were unable to play the piano,
377
00:28:31,976 --> 00:28:37,048
did you do other musical activities
or other things that would
378
00:28:37,082 --> 00:28:42,387
allow you to continue progressing in
your career without playing the piano?
379
00:28:42,420 --> 00:28:47,826
Well, in the Young Artists program,
some of my work is often observing.
380
00:28:47,859 --> 00:28:52,964
So once I was able to leave the house,
I went back and I was observing rehearsals
381
00:28:53,698 --> 00:28:56,968
and going to the shows that were happening.
382
00:28:57,001 --> 00:29:00,371
But actually, my recovery
process was really intense.
383
00:29:00,405 --> 00:29:05,410
I was on full doses of morphine
for two weeks after the injury,
384
00:29:05,443 --> 00:29:07,178
so I was really out of it.
385
00:29:07,212 --> 00:29:10,515
I remember the first day
after it happened, I thought,
386
00:29:10,548 --> 00:29:11,850
Oh, I'm going to go to...
387
00:29:11,883 --> 00:29:16,254
I was always either in a lot
of pain or really out of it,
388
00:29:16,254 --> 00:29:19,557
depending on where I was in the drug cycle.
389
00:29:19,557 --> 00:29:22,193
The first day after the
incident, I thought, Oh,
390
00:29:22,227 --> 00:29:23,795
I'm going to go to rehearsal.
391
00:29:23,828 --> 00:29:28,099
I'm going to keep going and just watch.
And I'm in pain anyway. It'll be a distraction.
392
00:29:28,099 --> 00:29:31,836
And then very soon I realized,
Oh, this is a terrible idea.
393
00:29:31,836 --> 00:29:36,274
I'm in a lot more pain sitting upright,
and I can't focus on any of this.
394
00:29:36,307 --> 00:29:40,411
So no, I spent the first couple of weeks
mostly in bed, very out of it.
395
00:29:40,445 --> 00:29:45,350
I remember wanting to rewatch a show
that I watched a long time ago
396
00:29:45,350 --> 00:29:49,654
as a distraction, and it's a very -
Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
397
00:29:49,654 --> 00:29:51,756
A very simple show.
I could not follow the plot.
398
00:29:51,789 --> 00:29:55,860
It was too complicated for me.
399
00:29:55,894 --> 00:30:00,532
So all that to say, I did not get
a lot done during that time,
400
00:30:00,565 --> 00:30:03,968
but during the first half of it, I would say.
401
00:30:04,002 --> 00:30:06,404
But then the second half,
yes, I was observing rehearsals.
402
00:30:06,437 --> 00:30:13,711
I eventually was taking notes and stuff on
our March show and preparing
403
00:30:13,711 --> 00:30:21,653
as much as I could through the score, our next opera,
Carmen, before I was able to play it.
404
00:30:21,719 --> 00:30:25,156
As a vocal coach,
what are you doing exactly?
405
00:30:25,190 --> 00:30:31,329
That's such a good question, and
we get asked it all the time because
406
00:30:31,329 --> 00:30:36,568
the thing that I get asked all the time,
very specifically, is,
407
00:30:36,568 --> 00:30:39,771
Isn't a vocal coach just a voice teacher?
408
00:30:39,804 --> 00:30:43,741
And no, it is actually not.
It is very much not.
409
00:30:43,741 --> 00:30:51,115
I do not tell anyone how to sing
when it comes to vocal technique.
410
00:30:51,115 --> 00:30:55,987
Absolutely, that is between you and
your teacher and your vocal cords.
411
00:30:55,987 --> 00:31:02,794
So vocal coaches
are pianists who work with singers
412
00:31:02,827 --> 00:31:10,535
who will generally talk about things like
diction or the musical side of things or
413
00:31:10,568 --> 00:31:17,275
the dramatic acting side of things,
discussing the poetry,
414
00:31:17,308 --> 00:31:22,680
finding - we don't teach people how to sing,
but we can definitely make it easier.
415
00:31:22,714 --> 00:31:26,351
Someone may bring something to a vocal coach
and say, I'm really struggling with this.
416
00:31:26,351 --> 00:31:29,520
I might say, Well, have you
tried looking at the phrase this way?
417
00:31:29,554 --> 00:31:34,259
Or maybe, Have you tried really
making sure that that vowel is very pure?
418
00:31:34,292 --> 00:31:40,198
Have you tried singing this
section with a lot of rest?
419
00:31:40,231 --> 00:31:43,868
Just legato all the way through and
taking them out, putting them back in.
420
00:31:43,902 --> 00:31:46,271
Do you feel the phrase is now...
421
00:31:46,271 --> 00:31:49,540
You're feeling the longer phrase now,
even though there are stops in the music.
422
00:31:49,574 --> 00:31:53,244
That's the thing that I
do as a vocal coach.
423
00:31:53,278 --> 00:31:56,547
I find it incredibly rewarding.
424
00:31:56,581 --> 00:32:04,689
I tend to specialize with the dramatic
side, especially with my history of
425
00:32:04,722 --> 00:32:10,461
performing as a vocalist and also playing
for a lot of shows, musical theatre,
426
00:32:10,495 --> 00:32:13,765
having done some straight theatre.
427
00:32:14,132 --> 00:32:17,335
That's my favourite, it's delving into
the poetry, whether -
428
00:32:17,335 --> 00:32:22,340
if it's art song, delving into
the characters, if it's opera, and
429
00:32:22,373 --> 00:32:25,476
giving as much attention as we can.
430
00:32:25,510 --> 00:32:28,413
Again, the collaboration
between me and the singer.
431
00:32:28,446 --> 00:32:33,117
I like to ask what they're thinking
and then build on that.
432
00:32:33,885 --> 00:32:36,154
It's really the definition
of collaboration,
433
00:32:36,154 --> 00:32:39,357
it's working together on
producing something.
434
00:32:39,357 --> 00:32:40,992
Absolutely.
435
00:32:43,027 --> 00:32:47,398
I have a question that I
like to ask all the interviewees.
436
00:32:47,398 --> 00:32:52,971
As an artist with disability
working in the musical field,
437
00:32:52,971 --> 00:32:57,642
what does accessibility in the arts
mean for you?
438
00:32:58,910 --> 00:33:02,347
That's a big question
and an important one.
439
00:33:02,380 --> 00:33:07,852
At my stage in my career,
because I've worked professionally
440
00:33:07,885 --> 00:33:12,256
a lot, but I've also been in
school, as you heard, quite a lot.
441
00:33:12,790 --> 00:33:21,299
For me, a huge priority is making
arts education, in my experience,
442
00:33:21,299 --> 00:33:25,436
music education much more accessible because
443
00:33:25,436 --> 00:33:31,309
I struggled with this a lot in my -
444
00:33:31,309 --> 00:33:34,011
particularly in my undergrad, for my entire studies.
445
00:33:34,045 --> 00:33:39,784
It's very hard to get degrees and
have a lot of seizures at the same time,
446
00:33:39,817 --> 00:33:42,920
particularly when they're tonic clonics that -
447
00:33:43,087 --> 00:33:47,825
Let me tell your listeners that
a tonic clonic seizure is the type
448
00:33:47,859 --> 00:33:50,194
that a lot of people think of
when they think of a seizure where
449
00:33:50,228 --> 00:33:54,499
you lose consciousness and you convulse.
450
00:33:54,532 --> 00:33:59,971
At the end of that seizure,
the rest of the day is a write-off, and
451
00:34:00,004 --> 00:34:02,707
probably also the next day depends.
452
00:34:02,740 --> 00:34:05,109
And then also sometimes I've been injured.
453
00:34:05,143 --> 00:34:10,415
I would say the shoulder injury is
the most severe one I've had,
454
00:34:10,448 --> 00:34:17,155
maybe tied with the time that I fell
on a metal grate and broke two teeth.
455
00:34:17,555 --> 00:34:23,327
So yeah, one of these is deconstructed
and one of them is just missing.
456
00:34:23,361 --> 00:34:28,466
So all that to say, yeah, that has...
457
00:34:29,767 --> 00:34:33,771
I've really struggled with
having seizures and going to school.
458
00:34:33,805 --> 00:34:38,009
And it wasn't that people
didn't want to help me.
459
00:34:38,042 --> 00:34:40,344
It was that they really didn't know how.
460
00:34:40,378 --> 00:34:50,388
I would really love to help educate people
on how they can support a student
461
00:34:50,421 --> 00:34:55,827
trying to go to university for music.
462
00:34:55,860 --> 00:35:03,468
I received a lot of poor
treatment that I now realized
463
00:35:03,501 --> 00:35:07,338
was mostly just a lack of knowledge.
464
00:35:07,371 --> 00:35:11,409
It was not as it felt at the time.
465
00:35:11,442 --> 00:35:14,078
It was not pointed, it was not malicious.
466
00:35:14,112 --> 00:35:18,516
A lot of it was really
just based in ignorance.
467
00:35:18,549 --> 00:35:20,084
I think we can change that.
468
00:35:20,117 --> 00:35:23,020
I think we can make that a lot better.
469
00:35:23,054 --> 00:35:30,528
I think if we can show people what sort of
accommodations can be made for students.
470
00:35:30,561 --> 00:35:36,334
And my experience at the University
of Toronto, in a master's
471
00:35:36,334 --> 00:35:43,207
in a freer program, I actually realized that a lot
more accommodations were possible than
472
00:35:43,241 --> 00:35:46,277
what I received in my bachelor's.
473
00:35:46,277 --> 00:35:51,182
It was also a bigger school that just,
I think, had seen a bit more of this.
474
00:35:51,215 --> 00:35:56,087
When I was at the University of Manitoba,
which is a wonderful school with a wonderful faculty,
475
00:35:56,087 --> 00:36:01,526
there was - I was just this
rogue student having seizures,
476
00:36:01,526 --> 00:36:10,001
and they didn't know what to do. They didn't know
how to grade me if I couldn't perform at certain things.
477
00:36:10,568 --> 00:36:15,740
I remember at one point talking to
a disability advisor who...
478
00:36:15,773 --> 00:36:20,478
The disability advisor worked
for the entire school.
479
00:36:20,511 --> 00:36:23,614
There wasn't something
just for the music faculty.
480
00:36:23,648 --> 00:36:29,820
He would be in touch with my professors, trying
to set up accommodations, figure things out.
481
00:36:29,820 --> 00:36:33,457
I remember saying to him,
I said, Why is this so hard?
482
00:36:33,491 --> 00:36:37,428
Why doesn't anyone know what to do?
483
00:36:37,461 --> 00:36:40,798
There's 40,000 people at this university.
484
00:36:40,831 --> 00:36:46,971
And he said, As far as I know, you have
the most severe case of epilepsy,
485
00:36:46,971 --> 00:36:51,709
as far as how it is impacting your daily life.
486
00:36:51,709 --> 00:36:54,946
I said, There's so many people here.
How is this possible?
487
00:36:54,946 --> 00:36:57,315
How is this possible I have
the most severe one?
488
00:36:57,348 --> 00:37:00,418
Or comparably, about one
of the most severe ones.
489
00:37:00,451 --> 00:37:06,557
And he said, Well, most people with
epilepsy as severe as yours
490
00:37:06,591 --> 00:37:09,093
are not going to university.
491
00:37:09,126 --> 00:37:14,832
That hit me really hard, and that is
something that has really stuck with me.
492
00:37:14,865 --> 00:37:16,500
I know that it would have been...
493
00:37:16,534 --> 00:37:21,439
There were definitely times that I thought
about dropping out because it was so hard
494
00:37:21,439 --> 00:37:28,346
and because sometimes I felt like I
didn't fit into the musical community
495
00:37:28,846 --> 00:37:31,816
as someone who had seizures.
496
00:37:31,849 --> 00:37:38,456
I would wonder about whether I would ever
be hired as an opera pianist,
497
00:37:38,489 --> 00:37:43,561
for example, by a company that knew
that I could have a seizure at any time.
498
00:37:43,594 --> 00:37:48,966
Of course, we saw that with the company
I spoke about earlier that
499
00:37:48,966 --> 00:37:54,438
took my offer of two years of work off the table
after they found out I had seizures.
500
00:37:54,438 --> 00:37:59,243
There was something in that email even that said
that there was a danger of me having...
501
00:37:59,243 --> 00:38:03,180
that me having a seizure in the rehearsal
room would be dangerous.
502
00:38:03,214 --> 00:38:12,490
Again, that's, I think, partially a lack
of knowledge and also a very narrow lens.
503
00:38:12,523 --> 00:38:17,428
Whereas I think if people were more educated
on what to do if someone has a seizure,
504
00:38:17,428 --> 00:38:22,366
how it manifests, what care and accommodations
the person needs afterwards,
505
00:38:22,366 --> 00:38:25,403
there could be a lot more inclusivity.
506
00:38:25,636 --> 00:38:28,572
All that to say, that's a huge goal for me,
507
00:38:28,572 --> 00:38:34,211
is making music education more
accessible for people with epilepsy.
508
00:38:34,245 --> 00:38:40,084
Obviously, for all people with disabilities, but
I can only speak to my own disability community,
509
00:38:40,084 --> 00:38:43,754
I feel, when it comes to specifics.
510
00:38:43,788 --> 00:38:49,760
Then as a professional, I think one of
the things that we all learned from COVID
511
00:38:49,794 --> 00:38:54,098
as a disability community is how many
accommodations you can actually make
512
00:38:54,098 --> 00:38:57,168
when able-bodied people will need them.
513
00:38:57,201 --> 00:39:04,975
And suddenly, you were able to submit assignments
or complete work things over Zoom.
514
00:39:04,975 --> 00:39:08,913
And yes, it was just as
useful as going to...
515
00:39:08,946 --> 00:39:16,954
And just as valid and got the same
marks or at work, you were paid
516
00:39:16,987 --> 00:39:20,858
the same amount of money for
doing something over Zoom as in person.
517
00:39:20,891 --> 00:39:27,765
So it was a very small
silver lining in a huge tragedy
518
00:39:27,765 --> 00:39:32,503
was that we saw ways in which
accommodations can be made.
519
00:39:32,503 --> 00:39:36,941
I really hope that we can stick
to some of those for those who need it.
520
00:39:36,974 --> 00:39:40,478
Yeah, in the professional sector,
I think just continuing
521
00:39:40,478 --> 00:39:43,714
to push for accommodations.
522
00:39:43,748 --> 00:39:49,954
I once had someone say that
an opera company would
523
00:39:49,954 --> 00:39:53,257
probably never hire me knowing
that they needed to also hire a backup
524
00:39:53,257 --> 00:39:56,127
because the money is just not there.
525
00:39:56,594 --> 00:40:01,499
Whenever someone says the money is just not there,
that just means they don't want to spend the money on it
526
00:40:01,499 --> 00:40:04,168
because they have a pool of money
and they were - there -
527
00:40:04,201 --> 00:40:07,505
What if you were to say, Well, you know,
528
00:40:07,505 --> 00:40:11,809
we don't have a first aid attendant on hand
because the money is just not there.
529
00:40:11,809 --> 00:40:16,781
They say, Oh, well, you need a first aid attendant.
It's mandatory. It's by law.
530
00:40:16,781 --> 00:40:24,255
Well, so clearly, when we actually have
to do things, we find the money for them.
531
00:40:24,755 --> 00:40:28,125
I think there are a lot of accommodations
that can be made that just aren't.
532
00:40:28,125 --> 00:40:33,431
And a final thing that's really important
that I'd like to share is
533
00:40:33,464 --> 00:40:36,801
that I'm planning on,
I'm not sure in what way,
534
00:40:36,834 --> 00:40:40,838
but I'm planning on eventually
sharing my story of
535
00:40:40,838 --> 00:40:44,942
being fired by that opera company
536
00:40:44,942 --> 00:40:50,114
because I think it's really important that people
with disabilities stand up for themselves.
537
00:40:50,147 --> 00:40:55,219
Also because the second half
of that story is that I sued the company.
538
00:40:55,252 --> 00:40:59,323
That was a huge,
very harrowing journey
539
00:40:59,323 --> 00:41:01,992
because it had happened in another country.
540
00:41:02,026 --> 00:41:04,895
I had to find a lawyer in another country.
541
00:41:04,929 --> 00:41:10,134
I was really fortunate that a close friend
of mine has a family member who was
542
00:41:10,167 --> 00:41:13,037
an employment lawyer in Canada, but part of a
543
00:41:13,070 --> 00:41:16,373
global alliance of employment lawyers.
544
00:41:16,407 --> 00:41:21,579
It took me, I think, three lawyers to
find someone who would help me.
545
00:41:21,579 --> 00:41:26,650
It was a team of two incredible
female lawyers who were standing by me.
546
00:41:26,684 --> 00:41:29,253
It took months.
It took a lot of money.
547
00:41:29,286 --> 00:41:33,624
There was a very kind person who donated
the money for me,
548
00:41:33,657 --> 00:41:38,662
who eventually donated the money for me to
sue because I was very
549
00:41:38,696 --> 00:41:43,234
afraid of putting money into this and then
nothing happening because, of course,
550
00:41:43,234 --> 00:41:44,935
I'd already lost money on the job.
551
00:41:44,969 --> 00:41:51,342
I had to go through, document everything,
proof the affidavit,
552
00:41:51,375 --> 00:41:54,778
give them a very clear timeline
of everything that had happened.
553
00:41:54,812 --> 00:41:59,083
It's really - It's a really
harrowing process, especially
554
00:41:59,083 --> 00:42:03,287
for me, having no idea whether
it would even be worth it.
555
00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:08,626
From the time that I started looking,
which I believe was June,
556
00:42:08,626 --> 00:42:16,700
until I received - We ended up settling in court.
557
00:42:16,734 --> 00:42:20,471
That was in October.
558
00:42:20,504 --> 00:42:26,810
It was a long time to be working at this
and to be stressed about it,
559
00:42:26,810 --> 00:42:28,412
not know if that was going to happen.
560
00:42:28,445 --> 00:42:34,051
But through working with lawyers,
I learned that even in a country
561
00:42:34,084 --> 00:42:39,189
whose laws I didn't know, yes, there are
so many laws against disability.
562
00:42:39,223 --> 00:42:42,760
If you push back, I know that
not all people have the means to do so.
563
00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:48,332
I didn't, and I was really fortunate that
someone kind came forward and helped me out.
564
00:42:48,365 --> 00:42:52,603
But for those who have the means to do so,
for those who could set up a GoFundMe or
565
00:42:52,636 --> 00:42:59,410
something like that, I strongly
encourage people to fight back
566
00:42:59,410 --> 00:43:01,478
when they are discriminated against in the workplace.
567
00:43:01,478 --> 00:43:06,517
I want to raise awareness
for what our rights actually are.
568
00:43:06,517 --> 00:43:08,319
It's so easy to just be dismissive.
569
00:43:08,352 --> 00:43:12,389
I've been discriminated against in
the workplace in countless ways.
570
00:43:12,423 --> 00:43:17,728
This was just a very, very
large life-changing one.
571
00:43:17,761 --> 00:43:25,336
It really made me think, and it makes
me stand up for myself more even now.
572
00:43:26,670 --> 00:43:32,977
Well, that's a very good point because a
lot of people don't know how to do that
573
00:43:33,010 --> 00:43:36,747
and struggle to find the information,
to go through a process.
574
00:43:36,780 --> 00:43:43,253
But I think we all, in a certain time,
period of our life,
575
00:43:43,287 --> 00:43:48,859
experienced a level of discrimination,
either at school,
576
00:43:48,892 --> 00:43:55,666
because as you mentioned,
the character of being kind of unique,
577
00:43:55,699 --> 00:44:02,940
you're treated like someone different instead
of being included with the other students.
578
00:44:02,973 --> 00:44:07,411
This happens to a lot of universities
and a lot of schools in general.
579
00:44:07,444 --> 00:44:11,782
Then as an artist,
there is very few representations
580
00:44:11,815 --> 00:44:18,856
of artists with disabilities
in the mainstream media or around us
581
00:44:18,889 --> 00:44:22,893
because we are just told not to do it,
582
00:44:22,893 --> 00:44:25,195
or we're just told that it's too difficult,
583
00:44:25,195 --> 00:44:28,298
or that It would be too dangerous for us to do it.
584
00:44:28,799 --> 00:44:33,604
But some of us are willing to
climb these few steps between
585
00:44:33,637 --> 00:44:42,046
the ground and the stage or find
ways to do it or ask for some support
586
00:44:42,079 --> 00:44:45,416
to create some ways to go there.
587
00:44:45,449 --> 00:44:51,188
But we need to have at least
one or two or more persons who said,
588
00:44:51,221 --> 00:44:53,257
Here's the way I did it.
589
00:44:53,290 --> 00:44:58,929
It would be great if you could share share
this experience and let us know how
590
00:44:58,962 --> 00:45:07,604
we can support you in that. We can maybe
share that on your resource page
591
00:45:07,638 --> 00:45:10,307
and maybe on our communication later.
592
00:45:10,340 --> 00:45:15,746
If you are willing to share that with us,
then we will share it with the audience.
593
00:45:15,779 --> 00:45:22,820
For sure. I think I will have to check and see
exactly how much I am able to share.
594
00:45:22,853 --> 00:45:25,489
I did not sign a nondisclosure agreement.
595
00:45:25,522 --> 00:45:30,794
That was something that I told my lawyers
in the first place that I would not do
596
00:45:30,828 --> 00:45:34,531
because I did want to share this story.
597
00:45:35,032 --> 00:45:40,671
I ended up settling in court
because it financially did not make sense
598
00:45:40,704 --> 00:45:48,011
to move forward to arbitration and spend
more money to probably get less money.
599
00:45:48,045 --> 00:45:50,614
But at least they had to come to court.
600
00:45:50,647 --> 00:45:56,420
At least all of their board members were
alerted and unhappy that
601
00:45:56,420 --> 00:46:00,424
they had to come to court.
602
00:46:00,457 --> 00:46:06,230
I also got to tell them to their faces
over Zoom, because it was another country,
603
00:46:06,230 --> 00:46:12,469
the way in which their
ignorant decision had impacted me.
604
00:46:13,070 --> 00:46:17,474
So yes, and I received some compensation.
605
00:46:17,508 --> 00:46:24,214
It was not full compensation, certainly,
for the work that I had lost,
606
00:46:24,214 --> 00:46:29,453
but it was something, and that definitely
felt like a win for me,
607
00:46:29,453 --> 00:46:34,057
and that the process was over
and then it was successful.
608
00:46:34,091 --> 00:46:37,227
So yes, I'm happy to share
as many of the details as I can.
609
00:46:37,261 --> 00:46:41,465
I'll just have to go and check
what those are.
610
00:46:41,498 --> 00:46:42,666
Thank you.
611
00:46:42,699 --> 00:46:48,472
I have a last question
before we conclude this conversation.
612
00:46:48,505 --> 00:46:55,112
It's about people who inspire you
or who are important in your life.
613
00:46:55,145 --> 00:47:01,652
So either in the artistic community or in
the disability and the arts community,
614
00:47:01,685 --> 00:47:07,124
if you had to think of one person who
inspired you or guided you or were there
615
00:47:07,157 --> 00:47:10,360
when you needed, who would it be and why?
616
00:47:10,727 --> 00:47:14,698
I want to start by saying that there have
been so many people who have supported me
617
00:47:14,731 --> 00:47:19,836
through my disability and musical journey
who I love and care about so much.
618
00:47:19,836 --> 00:47:26,844
A person who comes to mind where the music
and disability communities cross is
619
00:47:27,411 --> 00:47:31,081
pianist and vocal coach and repetiteur,
Liz Upchurch,
620
00:47:31,114 --> 00:47:35,752
who runs the Ensemble Studio
at the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto,
621
00:47:35,786 --> 00:47:38,956
the Ensemble Studio being
a young artist program.
622
00:47:39,590 --> 00:47:45,295
She is one of the most fierce, incredible
people I've had the privilege to meet.
623
00:47:45,329 --> 00:47:51,068
Liz is legally blind and yet has just
624
00:47:51,068 --> 00:47:56,240
risen to these incredible levels in
the opera world as being one of,
625
00:47:56,240 --> 00:48:00,811
one of the top repetiteurs and
pianists and vocal coaches.
626
00:48:00,811 --> 00:48:05,782
I was inspired by her even
before I met her in person.
627
00:48:05,816 --> 00:48:07,384
I was so excited when...
628
00:48:07,417 --> 00:48:09,953
I think this was
my second year of my bachelor's,
629
00:48:09,987 --> 00:48:11,855
was when I first met her in person.
630
00:48:11,889 --> 00:48:15,192
She came to give some master classes,
and I already knew about her because
631
00:48:15,225 --> 00:48:20,664
there are so few people in the arts
with disabilities that I knew of
632
00:48:20,697 --> 00:48:23,267
that are not being kept more silent.
633
00:48:23,300 --> 00:48:25,469
I was so excited to meet her.
634
00:48:25,502 --> 00:48:31,308
Actually, our very first meeting one on one,
I had asked if I could have a lesson with her.
635
00:48:31,308 --> 00:48:33,677
She very generously said yes.
636
00:48:33,677 --> 00:48:37,381
I showed up and the room was dark.
637
00:48:37,414 --> 00:48:41,151
And she said, Indra, I'm so sorry,
I have this horrible migraine.
638
00:48:41,184 --> 00:48:44,187
I said, Oh, no, I'll leave.
We don't have to do this.
639
00:48:44,221 --> 00:48:47,190
And she said, No, I don't
think I can do a lesson right now,
640
00:48:47,190 --> 00:48:48,792
but why don't we just sit and talk?
641
00:48:48,792 --> 00:48:50,193
Tell me a bit about yourself.
642
00:48:50,193 --> 00:48:51,461
Tell me a bit about your goals.
643
00:48:51,495 --> 00:48:55,365
So that was our very
first one-on-one meeting.
644
00:48:55,399 --> 00:48:58,135
From there, I've played for her
645
00:48:58,135 --> 00:49:02,005
many times since then, both in auditions and also
646
00:49:02,005 --> 00:49:08,912
at the Orford Musique Academy in Magog, Québec.
647
00:49:08,945 --> 00:49:11,982
I worked with her for a couple of weeks, and she has been
648
00:49:11,982 --> 00:49:18,288
incredibly supportive of my career prospects.
649
00:49:18,322 --> 00:49:27,531
We've had some long talks about whether
I can manage to pursue a career in opera
650
00:49:27,564 --> 00:49:33,103
while living with epilepsy, and
she has always very strongly said yes.
651
00:49:33,337 --> 00:49:34,972
And
652
00:49:34,972 --> 00:49:42,012
I remember talking with her about what
happens if I have a seizure in rehearsal?
653
00:49:42,045 --> 00:49:44,648
Is this just going to ruin everything?
654
00:49:44,681 --> 00:49:48,819
She said, Well, first of all, there's a
lot of different jobs in an opera house
655
00:49:48,819 --> 00:49:54,157
that don't have to be playing in the pit
on opening night or anything that
656
00:49:54,157 --> 00:49:57,327
you feel is too high stress.
657
00:49:57,361 --> 00:50:02,099
Actually, some people have triggers for their seizures.
I don't have triggers for my seizures.
658
00:50:02,099 --> 00:50:06,903
But even just if there was a lot
of pressure, they felt someone...
659
00:50:06,937 --> 00:50:11,608
If you yourself felt that you felt uncomfortable
being in a high pressure situation
660
00:50:11,608 --> 00:50:14,878
where they needed someone
at that time and place,
661
00:50:14,878 --> 00:50:17,314
there are other people who can do that.
There are lots of jobs.
662
00:50:17,314 --> 00:50:23,286
You can be vocal coaching. There's
always another pianist in the house.
663
00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:25,856
Absolutely, you would
be able to work in this field.
664
00:50:25,889 --> 00:50:32,229
She said the actual thing that ruins a rehearsal
would not be something like a seizure.
665
00:50:32,229 --> 00:50:34,164
It's actually a negativity.
666
00:50:34,531 --> 00:50:39,369
That is also something
that really stuck with me.
667
00:50:39,403 --> 00:50:45,409
Being a woman, an LGBTQ person, and
a person with a disability.
668
00:50:45,442 --> 00:50:51,047
I see myself in her in a lot of ways,
and she's been a huge inspiration.
669
00:50:52,482 --> 00:50:54,151
Thank you so much.
670
00:50:54,184 --> 00:50:56,253
It was a wonderful conversation.
671
00:50:56,286 --> 00:51:01,057
Thank you for sharing your story
with us, your projects,
672
00:51:01,091 --> 00:51:03,627
and good luck with everything.
673
00:51:03,794 --> 00:51:07,030
Thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure
to speak with you, Diane.
674
00:51:07,063 --> 00:51:09,766
Thank you for all the work
that you're doing.
675
00:51:09,800 --> 00:51:10,867
Very welcome.
676
00:51:10,901 --> 00:51:12,002
Have a great day.
677
00:51:12,002 --> 00:51:13,470
You too, thanks.
678
00:51:14,471 --> 00:51:19,609
♪ Closing theme music ♪