Sex, Drugs, and Opera
An opera podcast with over one million downloads, active from 2018 to 2022. At its peak, SDAO attracted more than 10,000 monthly listeners and reached audiences in over 60 countries.
The Founders
Sex, Drugs, and Opera was founded by American opera singers Jared Ice and Michael Pegher. When the podcast launched in 2018, Mike and Jared saw a major gap in the opera world: no one was talking about it with irreverence, humor, or the kind of honesty you’d expect at a bar after a show. They set out to change that.
As the podcast grew in popularity, they held firm to the belief that opera didn’t belong solely to the elite, it could be enjoyed and discussed by everyday people. What followed was a community built around making opera fun, accessible, and a little rowdy.
They introduced a yearly “March Madness” bracket, where listeners voted on their favorite operas, singers, or arias until one champion remained. They hosted quirky contests like designing the best opera-themed cocktail or drawing the finest treble clef. Mike and Jared even created some of the first viral opera memes, helping bring a bit of internet-age absurdity to an art form known for its tradition.
New Formats
Over the years, Mike and Jared pushed the boundaries of how opera could be experienced and shared. They experimented with new formats and themes, creating “Mini-Operas”, original, bite-sized operatic compositions designed for the fast pace of the social media era. They also launched the “Opera Power Hour,” a one-of-a-kind opera-based drinking game that blended classical music with party energy, making the art form feel fresh, unexpected, and fun.
Education
After five successful seasons and over 200 episodes, Mike and Jared shifted their focus toward outreach and education. They produced a short-form series titled SDAO Live at the Opera in collaboration with Staatstheater Darmstadt. The series offered behind-the-scenes insights into the inner workings of the theater, featuring interviews with staff, along with lighthearted skits and commentary, all filmed on the day of a live performance.
Building on that momentum, Mike and Jared launched a new initiative: OPERASCOUT. This project partners with industry professionals to guide emerging singers through the complexities of the modern opera world. OPERASCOUT provides practical support in areas like audition preparation, self-marketing, contract management, and achieving a healthy work-life balance.
Support SDAO
The Sex, Drugs, and Opera podcast continues to be downloaded thousands of times each month. We're committed to keeping this resource available for as long as possible. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, we’re able to keep the SDAO podcast online, and you can help too.
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