Nathan Granner

Pardon me while I spend the next month deep in my memories, prepping to return to one of my signature roles: Rodolfo in La Boheme.

This clip is from a production that holds a really special place in my heart. Mimì was the incredible Katharine Gunnink, and it was an utter joy to tell this iconic story together.

Rodolfo always gets under my skin. He's young and impractical and wildly in love and absolutely heartbroken, sometimes all within the same phrase. Stepping back into that headspace both vocal preparation and emotional architecture.

I cannot wait to step back into the shoes and soul of Rodolfo for Chicago Festival of Opera's La Bohème in just a few short weeks!

Act 2 is the easiest act for Rodolfo.

Which is exactly why you have to stay sharp.

There's no big aria to anchor you. No dramatic pivot. Just Cafe Momus, a crowd of children, Musetta causing her usual chaos, and you, the guy in love, watching it all happen. Your job here is presence, not performance. Simplicity is a skill.

But buried in all that noise is a line most audiences barely catch.

"Sappi per tuo governo che non darei perdono in sempiterno."

Suddenly the poet is gone. What speaks in his place is something older, harder. A warning, almost. Rodolfo sees Musetta acting out, defends his friend, and in doing so reveals something true about himself. The love is real. The flame is hot. But there are limits. And he knows it, even now.

That one line tells you everything about what's coming in Acts 3 and 4.

Act 2 is where you get to just be in love. Don't overthink it. But don't stop counting either.

Read more on Substack: https://bit.ly/SurvivingRodolfoPart1

Don't let the gatekeepers tell you, maybe you'll have a career... when you're already in your career.

Nobody "becomes" an artist.

They just start.

Jacob Collier was obsessed with sound and posted constantly. Taylor Swift wrote songs. Time for Three, Emi Wins, dancers, actors, instrumentalists... they all started because something pulled them toward it.

Not because they had a plan, but because they couldn't not do it.

What nobody talks about in the beginning? After the obsession comes the business. Contracts, taxes, negotiating your worth, figuring out how to actually get paid for the thing you love.

Not glamorous. Not fun. But that's how you know it's working.

You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to start with what fascinates you, and grow into everything else.

(For the record, it takes about $400 a year to officially be a small business owner. Less than a gym membership, and you'll actually use it!)