What is the On the Verge Series?
The On the Verge Series consists of a monthly podcast, blog, and occasional videos, covering various topics connected to the (mostly performing) arts industry, created by classical singer and translator Ema Katrovas. Right now, the bulk of the output consists of a monthly interview with an "indie" artist as part of the Artists on the Verge podcast and a blog post on the Soprano on the Verge blog, which Ema created to map her eclectic journey through the opera, and now broader art, world.
To find the latest blog posts and podcast episodes, and read more about Ema and why she decided to create this series, the best place to go is the website: onthevergetrilogy.com
Why is this important?
There are a lot of misconceptions about what artists lives are really like. We are often told the stories of "success" rather than those of the obscurity and selfless dedication that most artists actually live. I am on an ongoing mission to document what I, as a certain kind of "indie" artist myself, see as the issues facing the arts and artists today, without the lens of glamour. This is an ongoing narrative research project, which is constantly developing as I continue to talk to artists about their lives and continue to learn from my own struggles as an "indie" creator.
What is an "independent" artist, anyway?
It took me a while to arrive at what is now my main output: a monthly podcast interviewing "indie" artists.
In a blog post about my podcast, I defined the kind of artist I am interviewing like this: "The idea for the podcast has always been to interview “indie” artists, a category I understand as indicative of something much broader than merely their source of funding. “Indie” is an ethos, a way of being, which often, though not always, goes hand in hand with founding artist-led companies and ensembles but that, in my conception, can also encompass a pop-music performer who self-publishes a novel on the music industry, or an up-and-coming theater director who doesn’t want to “become the establishment,” or a pastor who only used to go to church because he got paid to play organ and now is on a mission to point out misreadings of the Bible."
Here are some of my favourite episodes and the artists they highlight:
Ep. 9: Christoph Ogiermann (improvisor, composer, founder of Klank)
Ep. 10: Kate Gale (writer, founder of Red Hen Press)
Ep. 11: Jim Osman (theater director, sci-fi enthusiast)
Ep. 13: Miro Tóth (improvisor, composer, saxophonist)
Ep. 14: Elena Floris (Odin Teatret violinist, actress, music director
What will I get with my ticket?
You will get access to various "insider updates." There is a lot of old content (see list of some of the available content below) which you will get instant access to and you will also get vlogs or written/podcast updates every few months in the future (or more frequently, should I get more members). Where appropriate, I also try to stay in regular email contact with my patrons (who happen, at this point, to all be artists themselves) and ideally would like my patrons to be part of the editorial team.
Why do all members get access to the same content?
While getting backstage updates is certainly interesting, supporting this project mainly means you believe in the merit of the platform. I trust your ability to assess how much you can afford to give and, from where I stand, giving anything at all from your own pocket, however deep or shallow that pocket is, deserves the highest reward. That's why you will get access to all backstage content, no matter how much money you pledge.
I'm intrigued, but I'm not sure if I want to commit just yet. Is there any way to keep updated on how this project develops?
Yes! The best way to keep up with this project is to sign up for the newsletter, which I send out on the 13th of every month.