blog: crescendo–building a community, growing together
Meet the hosts of MN Opera’s new podcast, Crescendo
We caught up with two members of MN Opera’s Impact team, Rick Hoops (they/he) and Jared Miller (he/him) to discuss their upcoming podcast, crescendo, debuting April 16. Learn a bit about what they will discuss and don’t forget to tune in!
How did you come up with the name for this podcast?
Rick: We wanted something to evoke themes of growth and building while also creating a connection to music. Crescendo is a musical term indicating a gradual increase in volume or intensity of sound over a passage of music. Having been in the musical arts space as educators, this term resonates because we’ve all experienced growth and intensity in our careers.
What were your interactions with music; when did you know you wanted to work in this field in some way?
Jared: My Uncle used to practice piano and I would listen to him practice. I think about this experience a lot, especially when I’m teaching. I encourage others to think back to those passion-sparking moments; what made you passionate in the first place and how can you continue to connect to it today?
What will listeners learn about in the first few episodes?
Rick: We will talk a lot about things we wish we had known when we first began and throughout our career. I think people will be able to relate to that and we hope to create a broader conversation around the ups and downs and learnings not only in the music field, but in any field, especially creative ones.
What’s one thing that has changed the way you work?
Jared: I try and remind myself to have FUN! It’s important to put in the hard work while also balancing your individual needs. I have often taken things too seriously and I think it ultimately took away from the joy and the experience overall. You really can present good work while also having fun.
Rick: Professionally speaking, it’s just realizing and gaining confidence in understanding that I can really do this for work, as a career, and I can choose to do things differently. I don’t always have to follow someone else’s rubric for it to be good work. I remember doing a recital performance and I wanted to approach the narrative and the framework of it differently and in doing so, I stayed true to who I am while also gaining positive feedback from others. I hope we can share more of those stories of success—the success that does happen when we change the script or try something different.
For you, why is music so vital to our community?
Rick: It’s vital because it works. The kinds of communities that are formed around music are so special. And from an economic perspective, people often say that the arts don’t generate enough revenue, but when you look at what happens to a community when there’s a performance—people go out to eat, they take a rideshare, they pay for childcare—there are real economic outcomes when we prioritize the arts in our communities.
Jared: Accessing music and artmaking can really be such a universal experience, and it offers us ways to feel, heal, and process emotions and that is so essential for creating inclusive communities—those where you can feel seen and heard.
Be sure to catch the first episode of crescendo debuting on April 16, 2024. Available where ever you get your podcasts.
About Rick and Jared
Rick X. Hoops (they/he) is a trans & queer, disabled performance artist, administrator, and educator. They currently work as the Program Manager at the Gender & Sexuality Center for Queer & Trans Life at UMN and as one of the Youth Programs Music Directors at MN Opera. Rick has two Bachelor’s degrees from St. Olaf College in Vocal Performance and Theater, a Graduate Certificate in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion from UMN, and will graduate with a master’s in arts & Cultural Leadership from UMN in May 2025. He also operates a voice and piano studio in Saint Paul.
As a performer, Rick is a coloratura soprano who has sung on stages across North America, Europe, and Asia. Some of their operatic roles include: Adele (Die Fledermaus), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Gilda (Rigoletto), Rose Maybud (Ruddigore), and Musetta (La boheme). They have also performed many musical theater role, including Olive (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Carlotta (The Phantom of the Opera), Meredith Parker (Bat Boy), Fraulein Schneider (Cabaret), and more! They have also directed several productions and have a broad background in technical theater.
Jared Miller (he/him) is a Mexican-American collaborative pianist and educator based in the Twin Cities. He graduated from St. Olaf College with a B.A. in Music and an Asian Studies Concentration and completed a master’s degree in Collaborative Piano and Coaching at the University of Minnesota. Jared has served as pianist, assistant music director, and repetiteur for productions of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Big Fish, Der Vampyr, Die Fledermaus, Cabaret, Sister Act, Addams Family, Ruddigore, Into the Woods, Chicago, Mamma Mia, Little Shop of Horrors, The Consul, The Rape of Lucretia, Proving Up, and Dark Sisters. As an educator, he works with the music department at North High School in North St. Paul, as the music department pianist, is a Youth Program Music Director at MN Opera, as well as a core faculty member for the Ordway’s BIPOC musical theater training fellowship, GreenRoom.
As a freelance pianist in the Twin Cities, Jared has worked with groups and organizations including BorderCrosSing, Heritage Choir, South Metro Chorale, Schubert Club, Source Song Festival, OOPS MN, Mississippi Valley Orchestra, Skylark Opera, AOT, Journey North Opera Company, MN Opera, and The Ordway Center for Performing Arts. Jared strives to bring a holistic approach to every facet of his art making, creating spaces that foster sustainability in the arts.