Patrick Hansen

Jun
29
Oprah, Seneca, Serena, and Springsteen walk into a bar...

Oprah, Seneca, Serena, and Springsteen walk into a bar...

Or two stories about talent and luck. Oprah the great once said, "I believe luck is preparation meeting opportunity.
11 min read
May
30
A follow-up to my previous Gatekeeping blog...

A follow-up to my previous Gatekeeping blog...

One of the things us classical musicians do really well is gatekeeping. We're actually trained to do it,
9 min read
May
24
Lions & Tigers & Mics

Lions & Tigers & Mics

Oh my! Why do microphones in opera scare people? I think it's because too many of us believe
7 min read
May
02
Why keep the gates closed?

Why keep the gates closed?

Recently, I posted on social media a few short thoughts on gatekeeping and asked people to chime in. This was
5 min read
Apr
16
The Eye of the Beholder:

The Eye of the Beholder:

Art Is Love Made Public “Art is love made public” is the name of a favourite episode of mine from
7 min read
Apr
11
Perception/Reality

Perception/Reality

The 16th century Samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi wrote, "The perceiving eye is weak, the objective eye is strong."
7 min read
Mar
19
Go for B'roque!

Go for B'roque!

This weekend, Opera McGill presents Handel's opera (well, actually it was kinda, sorta an oratorio) "Semele"
7 min read
Feb
08
Is there a critic in the house?

Is there a critic in the house?

There was a time when critics were needed, were lauded even. Remember back to the olden days when people read
10 min read
Jan
03
Sabbatical

Sabbatical

I know I’m supposed to be writing about the craft of coaching. This is a wee bit more personal,
4 min read
Jan
01
CoachCraft

CoachCraft

Hello, bonjour, welcome, bienvenue, willkommen, ciao, bienvenuti a tutti! It‘s January 1st 2024 - a new year and a
2 min read