If you’re an opera singer, then you have probably heard of Eugenia Forteza. She’s the founder and editor of 360° of Opera, the social media account focused on highlighting every aspect of opera, from behind the scenes, to singers in rehearsal, to the grand stage itself. 360° of Opera is a voice for the community of opera, enthusiastically presenting all the news and events going on in this small world, and making us all feel like we are a part of something great.

In Episode 3 of My So-Called Opera Life, we interview Eugenia to find out more about the soprano behind 360° of Opera, and how she fitting together her own so-called opera life! Here are 8 things we learned about Eugenia:

1. She’s obsessed with opera.

From ASMing (assistant stage managing) to performing, Eugenia has done just about every job in an opera house. She is fascinated by the world of opera and all people involved in making it come together, and she has really embraced learning every aspect of the career. She also goes to a TON of shows, all the time! This obsession is what started 360° of Opera in the first place!

“More people need to realize how cool [opera] is!”

2. She’s an action taker. 

When Eugenia has an idea or a goal or a vision, she doesn’t dwell or ponder it to death. Instead, she takes action. When she had her vision for 360° of Opera, she didn’t think about the negatives or the “what-ifs”. She went for it, took actionable steps, and has been moving forward and gaining followers ever since! 

3. She’s a positive person. 

Eugenia EXUDES positivity. Life is good, opera’s grand, and she’s there for it all!

4. 360 of Opera has led to her side hustle in digital marketing. 

When she started 360°, she learned that digital marketing came very easy to her, and she used this skill to start helping others. So while Eugenia has chosen to keep 360° of Opera a passion project for now (it is not a source of income for her at this point), it has given her the opportunity to get work as a digital marketer. She is currently the Social Media Manager for Lenny Studio.

“It’s not my main goal [to make money with 360°], [but] it does come to a point where if something is taking a lot of your time it has to make you money. For me it translates into getting additional work as a digital marketer.”

5. Eugenia loves travel. And friends. And traveling with her friends.

I know, WHO DOESN’T??? But the thing about Eugenia is that she makes it a reality. Example: Her boyfriend’s was in Columbia last summer, and she made it a point to contact some people and get a show together in Columbia so she could get down there to visit!

“For me friends are everything. That’s the ultimate goal: to travel around the world to make music with friends!”

6. She doesn’t take things too seriously.

One of the things that stuck with us after the interview was this sentiment. In talking about messing up on stage, or going in for an audition, Eugenia always keeps in mind that it’s not life or death–it’s art! In this way, she seems to take the pressure of herself and always keep in mind that this thing called opera, it’s just not that serious.

7. She keeps her dreams in check.

Eugenia has a lot of dreams and goals for her future, which is great! But what has made her successful in those goals thus far is that she realizes something key: dreams are just dreams unless you put in the time to make them a reality. When she has a dream or idea, or anything she wants to do as part of her career, she acknowledges that dream, and then asks herself if she’s ready to spend her time and energy to reach that dream. Sometimes, like with starting 360°, the answer is yes. But we know there’s a lot of dreams in that head of hers that she’s only beginning to plot into reality!

8. She’s embracing a “no rules” attitude.

Our favorite thing Eugenia said while we talked with her was that there are no rules in opera anymore! Things are changing in this game, and she has chosen to embrace it. How? By doing things her own way, not sticking to any mold, and embracing the future of opera!

“We are in a moment where everything is changing so much and everyone sees it as a bad thing…We should choose to see it as a good thing, because for me, there are no rules!…I really believe that!”

Visit http://www.eugeniaforteza.com/ for info about Eugenia, https://360ofopera.tumblr.com/ for the 360 of Opera blog, and follow 360° of Opera on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook under @360OfOpera.