Check Out Leah Podzimek’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Podzimek.

Hi Leah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Iowa, in a moderately sized “city” with parents that embraced the arts in their working-class lives. I was lucky that they wanted, and made many sacrifices, to foster my creative abilities in dance, music, and theater. I participated in every performing arts opportunity I was afforded throughout school, which led me to a degree in voice performance with the ultimate desire of building a career on the stage as a singing actor.

However, fear got the best of me for a while and instead of diving into the pursuit of a performance career, I began working as an arts administrator. While I enjoyed making art happen and supporting artists, I quickly realized how much joy singing brought me, and how I missed it. From that moment on, I spent my time crafting a career that was able to bring together all my passions – singing opera, producing immersive experiences, and supporting other artists by bringing their visions to life.

Today, that’s exactly what I do! I make a stable income as a freelance arts administrator specializing in fundraising and grant writing, take on performance contracts as an operatic soprano, and produce arts events of all kinds, but primarily rooted in the performing arts and immersive.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not necessarily… what was originally intended as a fallback career easily became the route of ease and stability. It was comfortable to live my life supporting others in the pursuit of their creative visions, but I felt severely lacking in my own expression.

The deeper I get into making my own dreams happen, though, the struggles are pervasive — imposter syndrome and self-confidence, perfectionism and its ongoing vendetta against creative freedom, and learning how to be a good collaborator and producing partner. The journey to be better – not perfect – is continual.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in opera, but not your grandfather’s opera! I like to call a lot of the experiences I produce and curate ‘un-opera’ or opera-adjacent. Opera is a centuries-old art form that is rooted in musical storytelling. We, as opera singers, use language and the sheer power of the unamplified human voice to enhance emotions and deepen audiences’ experiences with the stories we share.

One of the moments in my life that I’m most proud of is my ongoing journey to find and cherish my uniqueness as a performer. It’s easy to put yourself into a box and try to be like everyone else but in reality, it’s our own individual voices that make us stand out as singers. I’m so proud of the progress I continue to make in celebrating and allowing my uniqueness to shine.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Chatty and troublemaker is what I hear the most! I got bored in class and was always getting in trouble for distracting others or reading in the middle of a lecture. I think that the ability to grasp things quickly is the ultimate culprit of these characteristics, which also resulted in me never truly developing good musical practice habits until my 20s. I was always singing, as well, and I continue to be that way. I’m always making up songs and little ditties throughout the day, often without really thinking about it, such that roommates and coworkers have commented on it in the past… for better or worse!

I am perpetually attracted to anything art-related, including interior and fashion design (and for quite a while I wanted to be a fashion designer) and to this day truly enjoy decorating interior spaces. I also have always enjoyed baking and have vivid childhood memories of baking kolaches or lefse or other typical desserts with both of my grandmothers as well as my mother and my great-grandmother. And lastly, was obsessed with horses from a young age, and it’s a dream of mine to own a horse someday.

Pricing:

• $90/hour for grant writing and variable (starting at $150 flat fee) for concert curation and life performance, depending on length

Contact Info:

• Website: www.leahpodzimek.com
• Instagram: @leahpodz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leahpod/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahpodzimek
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/virtuosogirl89
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/leah-podzimek

Image Credits
Jamie Kraus and Kevin Beatty