The Disabled Divas Podcast

A Semi-spooky Episode 8: Kendra Preston Leonard

We are so grateful to have Kendra Preston Leonard join us for our 8th episode. A perfect guest for the Halloween season, as much of Kendra's work is inspired by gothic, dark, other-worldly (and totally awesome) themes. But, seriously, her work is scary good and incredibly impactful. Kendra is a lyricist and librettist whose collaborations with composers tell stories about empowerment, resilience, and compassion. The Teaching Artist in Libretto Writing at Guerilla Opera, Leonard is inspired by history, language, nature, and myth. Leonard is also a music scholar, focusing on women and music in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; and music and screen history. You can follow her at https://kendraprestonleonard.hcommons.org/.

Episode 7: Katherine Meizel & Anne Slovin

We are so excited for this episode of The Disabled Diva's podcast as we welcome Katherine and Anne share insights from their new book, Disability and Accessibility in the Voice Studio. From practical teaching strategies to powerful personal stories, this episode is for educators, singers, and anyone who believes in access to the arts.

Episode 6: Isaac Selya

Isaac Selya has extensive experience as a musician, entrepreneur, scholar, and educator. He is the Music Director of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic [https://www.thecip.org/], and founder and Artistic Director of Queen City Opera [https://queencityopera.org/], where he has led acclaimed performances that combine high-caliber classical performances with contemporary relevance. This episode focuses on disability in opera from the perspective of an able-bodied collaborator and discusses Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta (a character who is congenitally blind). Because of the content of this episode it was quite fitting that the conversation was between Isaac and Cristina- all the same Please excuse Molly's absence in this episode due to the combination of tech issues and a sick toddler.

David Salsbery Fry - Disability Pride Month Extended Special Edition Episode

Praised for his “darkly sonorous” voice, internationally acclaimed operatic bass, voice actor, and advocate David Salsbery Fry joins us on this epic special edition episode to discuss his experience as an artist with hemophilia and autism. “The pressures of concealing [my disability] were weighing upon me in ways that I could not have understood until I chose to set that burden down.” – David Salsbery Fry This moving episode features a bold, vulnerable, and inspiring conversation with an artist who’s taking up space unapologetically.

Episode 4: Marleena Barber

Join us for our delightful conversation with this month's guest, Marleena Barber. Marleena is the executive Director of Orange County Arts and Disability. She is an arts and disability consultant for the Orange County Department of Education and is also a cabaret singer. Marleena was once told she would never be successful as a stage performer because of her disability and the way she looks as a woman with albinism. We divas question whether those who made those comments were projecting their lack of success onto this particular queen who absolutely slays!www.marleenabarber.com [http://www.marleenabarber.com/]facebook.com/marleenabarber [http://facebook.com/marleenabarber] YouTube: @marbopperIG: @MarleenaBarber