Fandom of the Opera

This week, Gwen and Alissa have a lengthy discussion about two things that have taken up a lot of time in their lives recently! This episode comes with a massive SPOILER WARNING for plot details of hit video game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and the 2009 musical Next to Normal -- which, as it turns out, are about exactly the same thing. (Give or take a flaccid Eiffel Tower.)Content warning for extensive discussion of death, suicide, and other self-destructive behaviors.Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen HylandEdited by Gwen HylandArt by CHIMIMusic by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

This week, we welcome our friend & colleague Chris to the podcast! Together, we discuss the current state of classical singing in America, what "bel canto" singing actually is, and how we've been radicalized by our experience with Next to Normal!Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen HylandSpecial Guest: Chris Fotis (Instagram | TikTok)Edited by Gwen HylandArt by CHIMIMusic by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

On this week's episode, we have a conversation about the distressing lack of theater reviewers in the Triangle region and the role of criticism in the arts in general. Are performers and critics natural enemies? Can arts journalism survive in an age of casual online cruelty? And, perhaps most importantly: how much horniness should be allowed in video games?? Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen HylandEdited by Gwen HylandArt by CHIMIMusic by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

In this episode, we discuss recent news in the opera world: budgeting turmoil at the Met, the passing of a colleague, and the viral comments a certain actor twink made about ballet and opera. Along the way, we also answer several important questions, like "is it a waste of time and effort to preserve dying art forms", "when did the first season of Stranger Things come out", and "how many alternate names can we come up with for Timothee Chalamet?" **(No, thirty years ago, and three.)Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen HylandEdited by Gwen HylandArt by CHIMIMusic by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

We cover a lot of ground this week! We start off with an addendum to our AI episode, followed by discussion of our upcoming opera The Genders of Gybberidge, adding some friendly competition to our ongoing fundraising campaign, and queer representation in opera. In our numerous detours along the way, we also touch on libraries, pay transparency, mezzo pants roles, and The Ugly Duckling. It makes sense in context, mostly.Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen HylandEdited by Alissa Roca & Gwen HylandArt by CHIMIMusic by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

This week's episode is all about generative AI and its growing use by certain arts organizations. We discuss why exactly we hate it so much, what we think of claims that AI "democratizes" the process of making art, and what it says about the integrity of opera companies who are willing to embrace it. In addition, we discuss our artistic philosophies, why you can't grow without failure, and what it means to really support artists and creators in today's world.CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains brief discussion of specific harms that are linked to AI, including LLM Psychosis leading to suicide and the ability of AI deepfake technology to create nonconsensual sexual content. This may be upsetting to some members of our audience, and listener discretion is advised.Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen HylandEdited by Alissa RocaArt by CHIMIMusic by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

In this episode, we talk auditions — the good, the bad, and the deeply cursed. Drawing from our recent Next to Normal auditions, we pull back the curtain on the audition process and discuss things casting teams may not explicitly tell you they’re looking for, how decisions actually get made, and what can quietly work in your favor.Along the way, we share plenty of audition horror stories, reflections from both sides of the table, and (of course) go off on several tangents that you will never expect.Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen HylandEdited by Alissa RocaArt by CHIMIMusic by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

In this episode, we’re joined by our friends Sami & Adam for a wide-ranging conversation about music, fandom, and how our relationships with opera (and art in general) are formed. We talk about their limited but memorable exposure to opera growing up, how hearing it in the background still left an impression, and how those early experiences connect to their love of D&D, video game music, and storytelling.Along the way, we dig into how music functions in games and tabletop play, why fandom spaces matter, and how opera fits into a broader creative ecosystem — plus plenty of laughter and chaos, as always.Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen HylandSpecial Guests: Sami and Adam Edited by Alissa RocaArt by CHIMIMusic by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by a very special guest: Maria Roca (aka Alissa’s mom!). We cover everything from Maria’s history with opera, theatre, and the arts to her years as a legendary Con Mom, plus a whole lot of heartfelt chaos in between. There’s laughter, vulnerability, incredible storytelling, and several moments that feel like getting a warm hug — with just a little trauma sprinkled in for seasoning.As requested by Maria, please check out and support:Roots of Compassion and Kindness (ROCK) Centerwww.fgcu.edu/cas/centers/rockcenter/Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen HylandSpecial Guest: Maria RocaEdited by Alissa RocaArt by CHIMIMusic by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

In Messiah Hot Takes & Trauma, we unleash our spiciest opinions on Handel’s Messiah — and trust us, they are very hot. We also spiral (with love!) into a whole tangent on the nature of oratorio, drag the Greek gods into the conversation, and round things out by fan-casting the Messiah entirely from pop culture.Plus plenty of laughter, fandom chaos, and a surprising amount of emotional damage for an oratorio-themed episode. And we want to hear from you: who would you cast in your pop-culture Messiah?Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen HylandEdited by Alissa RocaArt by CHIMIMusic by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

In our very first episode of Fandom of the Opera, we introduce our hosts Alissa & Gwen, recap the absolute whirlwind that was the 2025 PXO raid train, and dive into the extremely important question: Which opera composers map to which anime genres?Plus plenty of laughter, fandom chaos, and quite a few surprising hot takes. Join us as we kick off this wild adventure!Hosted by Alissa Roca & Gwen HylandEdited by Alissa RocaArt by CHIMIMusic by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler

Welcome to Fandom of the Opera — the podcast where opera obsession meets full-blown fandom energy.Join us for hot takes, deep dives, questionable jokes, and the kind of chaotic joy that only opera lovers, anime nerds, and internet creatures can bring to the same table.Subscribe now so you don’t miss our first episode!