We were lucky to catch up with Brady Collins recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brady, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
Taking risks has always been a massive part of my life as an artist. I remember auditioning for college voice programs as a high school senior. Occasionally you would run into a student who did not want to complete the audition process for reasons of stage fright. That broke my heart. In my mind, it was always worse if you didn’t walk into that room and sing for the panel. The alternative of not taking that risk scared me way more.
I carried this mindset into my undergraduate degree at Duquesne University. If I had the slightest instinct to mount a performance, I elected to deliver an additional recital. I never wanted to leave my ideas buried underneath fear. Consequently, those additional recitals turned out to be the most fruitful for my artistic development, because they did not have the same requirements as mandatory recitals. I could do an afternoon of all German song, and I began to fall in love with an area of repertoire that I now specialize in as a professional.
Similarly, when I graduated, I had the idea to do Kurt Weill’s, Seven Deadly Sins. A short, but ambitious, ballet chanté. As the singing lead, you must demonstrate a split personality on stage with your dancing counterpart. The task seemed insurmountable. That seemed, to me, anyways, the reason I had to do it. I rented a theatre space, enlisted and hired a few colleagues, and had two successful nights of performance. That was my first foray into directing and producing. Admittedly, I had no idea what I was doing, but I fell in love with the process. Since then, I’ve directed at many companies and had two major direction residencies. I’ve also produced several of my own shows selling out to crowds in Pittsburgh and Chicago. I now hold a trademark for my show, The Wild Stage, which is an immersive Berlin cabaret experience.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
When someone asked me what I was going to do with a voice performance degree when I graduated from college, I replied, “the possibilities are literally endless.” I’ve always been drawn to the variety in this career. Much to my delight, I’ve had the chance to engage in so many areas of the industry. First and foremost, I am a singer. My training is in opera, but I specialize in singing classical and contemporary chamber music and cabaret. I’ve been crossing over into more jazz lately, and I’m excited for the avenues that will open up. However, I’m also a stage director, producer, and living historian. As a stage director, I’ve found a good deal of work in the operatic world. I was a Resident Director for Opera Festival of Chicago and Opera North (New Hampshire). My directorial skills have come in handy as a producer. I have two main immersive historical musical experiences: The Wild Stage and The Gilded Stage. The Wild Stage is an immersive Berlin cabaret experience that began as a research grant from Roosevelt University, where I earned my master’s degree in Vocal Performance. The Wild Stage is so unique because it brings the Roaring 20’s to life in a way that authentic, immersive, and full of accurate, historical insight. The Gilded Stage is an immersive Gilded Age musical experience that demonstrates the wonder of the advent of electric light. Collaborating with my father, who designs light fixtures with antique and novelty items, we create an immersive set. That set is brought to life with chamber music from the era. They are both enthralling experiences with completely different vibes.
Currently, I’m stretching my historigraphical skills to give a lecture at my local historical society on one of the World War II veterans from the area. Since all of my shows draw on history, my research methods are paramount. I become so excited to dive into a new project. Uncovering the past, is like detective work. There’s so much to learn about the past still that you can put the puzzle pieces together for yourself.
I’m excited to share that my husband and I are now expecting our first baby soon. While my focus and entire world will most certainly shift, I’m very excited to bring along my growing family on creative endeavors. My greatest adventure is around the bend.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The quality I’ve relied the most heavily on throughout my journey has been resilience. You are going to make bad art at some point. You’re not going to sell out or break even every time. Sometimes, you have to say goodbye to colleagues. You have got to keep going though. You may not even learn from everything the first time. It’s much more important to be doing what you love than to worry so much about the results constantly. You’ll paralyze yourself. You have to cultivate the ability to put your passion above your fear or despair. I’ve also relied on my ability to ideate. My ideas take shape slowly. Of course, I have “lightbulb” moments, but that moment becomes refined over the course of the artistic process. Plus, I talk about my ideas with people I trust, Sometimes, they don’t have to offer a single bit of feedback, but just by articulating the idea out loud, it grows in refinement.
My skill as a communicator has allowed me to flourish in this industry. That may seem broad, so allow me to narrow it down: the way in which I write and speak about my ideas has opened many doors for me. English class is very underrated. No matter the profession you venture into, people always listen when someone is an effective communicator. It’s also purely practical. The Wild Stage would never have been had I not been able to write a six page grant application in a weekend. Furthermore, audiences enjoy when singers speak. I do not sing a single concert without also delivering scripted dialogue or some historical lecture (even if it’s a sentence or two before I sing.) I highly recommend everyone take a composition or creative writing course if you can!
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
As an only child, my parents had unique challenges in raising me. They did their best to cultivate an independent spirit in me, which I am so grateful for today. By twelve years old, I was picking up the phone if I was sick and needed to cancel a voice lesson. By sixteen, I was paying for my own piano lessons. I learned to communicate with adults for myself. Today, I can deal with confrontation without feelings of dread.
Not only that, but they encouraged me to take risks and make decisions for myself. Being the first to attend college in my family, my parents certainly had their reservations about my attending school for music. Despite all of my positivity about the field, you have to be an entrepreneur to make a living, and there were no services for job placement following graduation. Equipped with the knowledge, I forged ahead. Each decision I make and risk I take has been like a snowball. I have the confidence to turn away from things that don’t serve my life or purpose, and I have the gumption to go after what does.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bradycollinssoprano.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradylcollins
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bradycollinssoprano
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@historicalsongstress
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/@bradycollins735
Image Credits
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