Divas, Ingénues & Vixens Podcast

The Art of Listening: Inside Sound Mandala

What if listening is more than hearing?
This week on Divas, Ingénues & Vixens, Amity explores the art of listening—how attention, curiosity, and presence shape the way we experience music, sound, and one another.
Inspired by Sound Mandala, an immersive sonic experience coming to Kansas City's Unicorn Theatre, this conversation with creator Tom Mardikes and collaborator Jacob Souders asks a deceptively simple question:
What happens when listening becomes the art form?
 
 
Tickets available at purchase.UnicornTheatre.org

What does music smell like V: Santiago

This week on Divas, Ingénues & Vixens, Amity journeys into the world of The Alchemist with Lauren and Taylor of Apothogothic for a sensory exploration of pilgrimage, intuition, flamenco, Andalusian music, and the fragrance Santiago.
Inspired by Paulo Coelho’s beloved novel and a fantastic playlist, this immersive episode blends literature, scent, music, memory, and storytelling into a journey about longing, destiny, and the search for meaning.
Featuring:✨ passages from The Alchemist✨ flamenco and Andalusian musical influences✨ a guided “Listen While You Smell” experience✨ reflections on pilgrimage and transformation✨ and the beginning of a mysterious summer arc still unfolding
The treasure was real.But so was the journey.

We are OLIVIA FOX: three women, one voice!

Three women.One band.A thousand harmonies between them.
Lauren Flynn, Tiffany Smith, and Aubrey Dykeman of OLIVIA FOX join Amity Bryson for a conversation about harmony, collaboration, women supporting women, and the courage to keep creating.
In this episode of Divas, Ingénues & Vixens, we explore the meaning behind “We Are OLIVIA FOX,” the beauty of collective artistry, songwriting, vulnerability, and the power of finding your voice inside a community.
Plus: a spotlight on the Lyrical Belles songwriter series at Knuckleheads in Kansas City.

Are you a TWO ... or a THREE?

It sounds simple—until you hear it.
In this Season Two premiere of Divas, Ingénues & Vixens, Amity Bryson invites you into a listening experience that goes beyond music theory and into something deeper: how rhythm shapes the way we move, decide, and feel.
Through a guided listening moment, the pulse of 2 and 3 becomes more than sound—it becomes identity.
Where do you crave certainty?
Where do you resist it?
And what happens when you finally hear the difference?
Framed through the lens of the Diva, the Ingénue, and the Vixen, this episode opens Season Two with a question that lingers long after the music stops.
And for those ready to go deeper…
the Velvet Circle is open.

She Was Never Meant to be Heard

She was never meant to be heard—until the music gave her a voice.
 
In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife exists at the edge of the story—unnamed, misunderstood, and often dismissed.
But in Carlisle Floyd’s operatic adaptation, something changes.
She sings.
In this episode, Amity explores what happens when a woman defined by silence is finally given a voice—through the music of Of Mice and Men and the deeply nuanced performance of soprano Sara Gartland.
This is not just a retelling of a familiar story.It’s an invitation to hear it differently.
 
OF MICE AND MEN in the Muriel Kauffman Theatre performed by the Lyric Opera of Kansas City May 1, 2 and 3, 2026 Get your tickets to see the show at www.kcopera.org 
 

Play from your HEART

Play from your heart . . . Everything else follows!
 
What does it mean to make music that is honest… grounded… and truly your own?
In this episode, Amity Bryson sits down with Amanda Fish to explore the journey from precision to presence—what happens when an artist stops chasing perfection and starts playing from the heart.
From the rich, experimental “laboratory” of the Kansas City music scene to the deeply personal process of songwriting, Amanda reflects on building a career rooted in authenticity, humility, and creative evolution.
But this conversation doesn’t stop with one artist.
Alongside Amanda is emerging musician Haley Burke, offering a powerful, real-time glimpse into mentorship, legacy, and what it means to pass artistry forward. In a genre built on lineage and lived experience, this episode asks: how do we honor tradition while still claiming our own voice?
This is a conversation about music.About leadership.And about making space—for yourself, and for the next artist to rise.

Three Voices Rising: Holly Crays, Leah Sproul and Damaris

Three voices. Three distinct paths. One unforgettable night.
In this episode, I sit down with Holly Crays, Leah Sproul, and Damaris—three artists bringing their own sound, story, and spirit to the Lyrical Belles stage at Knuckleheads on April 23.
Rooted in country and Americana but shaped by their own journeys, these are artists on the rise—each stepping onto a “bucket list” stage.
Come meet the voices… and then hear them live.
Tickets available at KnuckleheadsKC.com
 

Episode #50!!!

Episode 50.Fifty voices. One question: what makes a voice unforgettable?
In this special episode of Divas, Ingénues & Vixens, I take you through a curated list of 50 women whose artistry has shaped how I listen—across opera, Broadway, folk, pop, jazz, gospel, and the vibrant music community of Kansas City.
But this isn’t just a list.
It’s a game.A reveal.A conversation between voices across generations.
From icons to emerging artists, from global stages to local rooms, each voice offers a clue—until we arrive at the one who holds them all.
Listen closely. You might hear more than you expect.
 

What Remains: Sarah Tannehill Anderson

In this deeply personal episode, Amity Bryson sits down with soprano Sarah Tannehill Anderson to reflect on a career shaped not only by extraordinary singing, but by intention, collaboration, and quiet artistic force.
Through the archetypes of the Ingénue, the Vixen, and the Diva, Sarah revisits the moments that defined her journey—from early discovery to artistic risk to the spaces where everything aligned. The result is a conversation rich with memory, insight, and unmistakable joy.
As Sarah prepares for her final professional performance, we celebrate not an ending, but a voice that continues to evolve and echo.
Join her in the World Premiere of My Favorite Things, a joint production by Bach Aria Soloists and Kansas City Actors Theatre, on April 11 at 7:30 pm at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, KS.
Tickets are available at BachAriaSoloists.com or KCActors.org.

Join me for A Lyrical Life

What happens when Langston Hughes’ poetry moves from the page into the singing voice?
In this episode, soprano and director Alyson Cambridge shares the creative process behind Langston Hughes: A Lyrical Life, a new production with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City that weaves poetry, music, and storytelling into a 45-minute theatrical experience.
Amity is also joined by poet and professor Stanley Banks, who places Hughes within a larger cultural and historical context—revealing the rhythms, voices, and lived experiences that shaped his work.
From the Harlem Renaissance to Kansas City’s own musical and storytelling traditions, this episode explores Hughes as both a literary icon and a living influence.
Because when poetry is heard—really heard—it becomes something we carry forward.