12/16/2025 - Opposite of Expert: Opera

Episode 06 - Opera with Monica

Welcome to Opposite of Expert, a series from The 33 Project.

Opposite of Expert is for curious generalists. Each post will tackle a new subject you may know nothing about! Instead of aiming for mastery, the goal here is modest: learn just enough to hold a relevant conversation. In other words, tickle that part of your brain that likes to learn something new. In each post, I connect with one person who is an expert on a subject and I ask them three questions. Instead of the traditional back and forth interview style, these expert guests have gone ahead and sent me either voice notes or short video responses to my questions. This way you get to hear/see it straight from the expert. Feel free to comment on subjects you want to learn more about and share feedback. Enjoy!

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Hello hello! We’re back with a new Opposite of Expert. Sticking within the artistic, musical realm for this episode I spoke with dear friend and opera expert, Monica Thakkar!

Monica currently works at the Houston Grand Opera after successful stints at Opera San José and The Julliard School. She also trained in Opera at the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University.

Additionally, Monica recently worked on and executive produced an album that has been nominated for a grammy! That’s right, Houston Grand Opera’s world premiere opera Intelligence has been nominated for Best Opera Recording this year! You can listen to the beautiful album, here.

You’re in for a treat because despite her remarkable pedigree, Monica is down to earth, approachable and (most importantly) funny. She also loves to call me out and for that I feel both seen and loved.

I gathered my strength, sent ahead some undeniably stupid questions on a very cool subject and Monica responded with gold! So let’s get into her answers that will help us all be more capable of holding an informed, relevant conversation on the topic of: OPERA.

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

Question 1. When you’re watching an opera, what’s the first thing you’re looking for? Like when I watch a movie, of course I think about story structure first, but there’s a lot more that goes in to how I consume the art form. Can you walk me through how you process and consume the art and be detailed because I know nothing about opera!!

Every night is cover night! Love it.

Question 2. How does the physical space of an opera house (meaning the acoustics, architecture, distance from the stage, etc) change or impact what you think of as a ‘good’ performance? Which seat should I pick?

I love this answer! Such great advice for picking the best seat.

Question 3. Opera has survived for centuries. In your mind, what is the element that makes it timeless? Is there an element that keeps getting misunderstood as ‘old-fashioned’?

She is offering to be your opera guide! Take her up on it!!

Bonus Question. Why is opera rarely in English? Is there a reason it’s mostly in Italian or German? Is the language part of the point? Like the artform is supposed to be in that specific tone?

Molto bene!

Alright! Well, I certainly know more about Opera than I did before this. And, of course, I realize it’s way too massive of a subject to get all the info I can from just three questions. But, I definitely get it more now.

Many, many thanks to Monica for sharing her brilliant insights and still being my friend after I badgered her to do this for weeks! If you want her to be your opera guide, hit me up.

Have a great rest of your Tuesday.