_{Artist of the Week} 18 Qs for Aemilia Moser

Heels or flats?
HEELS duh – I am a verified shoe addict.

Top 3 favourite composers?
This is ever evolving and nobody can truly pick favorites, this year I will say however that I listened to A LOT of Fazil Say, Osvaldo Golijov and ROSALĺA. Listening to these composers has made me so inspired and excited to be a an artist in classical music. While ROSALĺA is perhaps not the most paradigmatic example of a classical composer, I think she is an absolute tour de force, and is having a huge impact on the way classical music is being perceived.

What’s your favourite opera house?
The Bregenz Festspielhaus – does that count? It’s technically an outside theatre, situated on Lake Constance in Austria. My family is from that area, and so I’ve had the privilege to go to several productions there. It never ceases to absolutely amaze and captivate me. It’s opera on steroids.

Who is a singer you admire from the past?
Edita Gruberová – Her musicality is so inspiring to me. She sounds so effortless, and sings with so much character and charm. Her recordings are absolutely incredible, and she is one of the first singers I go to, to listen to my repertoire.

Who is a singer you admire that is currently working?
Tracy Dahl – It doesn’t matter who you talk to, anybody who knows Tracy talks about her with the utmost respect. She is a Canadian treasure, and I got to spend two years studying with her in Winnipeg. She is an incredibly intelligent singer and teacher, one who can think of a million different ways to conceptualize and explain a character or a technical idea AND someone who is so fiercely alive both on and off the stage. This is the kind of artistry that I aspire to.

What are you afraid of?
Mice! I have the most terrible phobia of mice – sometimes I’ll see a piece of garbage out of the corner of my eye, and think it’s a mouse…oh, it makes me feel totally sick to my stomach!

What was the first opera you ever saw?
Tosca at the Bregenz Festspielhaus! Now that got me INTO opera. I was seven years old, and when they executed Cavaradossi, they shot him from the audience, and his body plunged from the elevated stage into the lake. I couldn’t believe it, I was totally gobsmacked. To this day I think it’s some of the most insane and incredible theatre that has ever been created.

Are there more musicians in your family? If yes, who and what do they play/sing?
My younger sister Ehrentraud is an amazing violinist. She is my best friend, and I look forward to a time in our lives when we will create music and performance together. Any day now…she’s gonna see how cool I am and take me up on a collaborative venture.

What’s the downside of being an opera artist?
Zero stability and absolutely crushing imposter syndrome.

What’s the best thing about being an opera artist?
I can’t pick ONE best thing, there are many incredible things that I try to remind myself of when things are tough. To start – the FEELING of singing opera is incredible, it’s addictive, it makes me feel like I am flying. The people – okay, obvious answer, but opera singers are amazing, they are highly intelligent, feeling individuals who never cease to surprise me and inspire me. To tie it into a bow and give you a solid three points, I’d say getting to interact and consume opera is pretty special. Few things make me feel quite as alive as opera does, and I feel intensely grateful to get to be someone who is trying to create a life in this world.

What was your childhood dream job?
I always wanted to dance. I came out dancing, and to this day I believe it was what I was meant to do. Obviously…that was not the path I ended up pursuing, but I have all the admiration and respect for dancers. It’s still my favourite thing to watch, and you bet I’m boogying on a daily basis.

If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
A praying mantis…I’ve tried to deny the allegations, but there is just too much evidence that points to a hard conclusion. It’s my spirit animal, both in a visual sense and a spiritual sense.

Which colour best symbolises your personality?
Pink! Pink, totally pink, LOVE pink.

What’s a big investment for an opera artist, but totally worth it?
Investing in your relationships outside of opera. It’s a big investment because, believe me, I do NOT want to be pried away from the endless obsession that is classical music, I’d like to keep stewing and ruminating on all the mistakes I have made in this career just as much as the next soprano, but I am learning the hard way that rumination does not in fact lead to better career satisfaction or improvement – it’s rather the opposite… Plus, you need other experts to help you with your life anyways. Knowing the correct pronunciation of “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen,” only gets you so far…

Do you enjoy cooking? If yes, what is your best dish?
I adore cooking! I’m one for a great spread. It isn’t just one dish, it’s the combined aesthetic and and pairing of several…When I have time on my hands, I make a really fabulous pistachio cream, green apple and fennel salad, which I like to serve with some latkes, Crème fraîche and spiced short ribs. IF I have really had all day, banana cream pie is my specialty dessert.

Does singing help keep you young?
Surely, it must? Singing means you have to constantly be playing, both as characters and with your technique. You always have to play with different ideas, and ways of feeling and thinking about things. Plus, any industry as ageist as classical music totally makes one want to access the fountain of youth. I haven’t found it yet, but when I do, I’ll absolutely share it with all those who have supported my career thus far.

What does it mean to be brave with music?’
I think it means loving and trusting yourself. Preparation, research, and tradition are essential to this art form, and they are part of a lifelong process. But being brave also means trusting your own interpretation. It means sharing it honestly, and listening to how others receive it. No one is interested in hearing the same thing repeated over and over. Yet in a field so rooted in tradition, it can be difficult to find your own voice. Being brave means showing up each day and continuing the search for that voice.

What is happiness for you?
Being with the people I love.