My guest today is a dear friend and colleague of mine Francesca Mondanaro. A fabulous singer and a master teacher. At the forefront of our discussion today are topics such as working with and Identifying the big voice and what “building” one actually means. Why developing and listening to your own intuition is so important in addition to three metrics Francesca has defined for trusting vocal growth for the young singer who is still learning to take ownership of their own instrument.  Why developing and knowing your WHY is crucial in being able to play and stay the long game, which is what it takes to build a career in opera, and dare I say in any business for that matter. There is some powerful information in this episode that you can profit from no matter where you are in your career.  After a 15-year international career performing as a dramatic soprano with such companies as Deutsche Oper Berlin, Spontini Festivale, Sarasota Opera, Nashville Opera, Opera Baltimore, Opera Delaware, Teatro Grattacielo, and many more, Francesca Mondanaro has moved into teaching voice for emerging young artists and working professionals in opera and musical theater.   In 2022 alone, her clients have been featured in roles with Santa Fe Opera, Sarasota Opera, Florentine Opera, Center for Contemporary Opera, Opera Delaware, Teatro Lirico d’Europa, Opera Orlando, Baltimore Concert Opera, Barn Opera, San Diego Opera, and the National Broadway Tour of Disney’s Aladdin, just to name a few.   She has also been a guest master teacher for the Vancouver Opera Young Artist Program and Brooklyn Music School since 2018.  Francesca is absolutely passionate about working with unique instruments, and the whole human, not just the voice, by creating a nurturing, positive environment in her studio that allows for each individual artist to find their most authentic sound, built on a technique that gets them where they want to go on their artistic journey. It was such an honor to have had Francesca on the podcast as she is a wealth of knowledge and experience! A fabulous singer and a master teacher and just such a warm presence to be around!  Connect with Francesca Mondanaro: Website | Facebook   Resources Mentioned: The artist's Way by Julia Cameron The body keeps the score by Bessel van der Kolk Ikigai by Héctor García