This Pride month is bittersweet, with attacks on LGBTQ+ people coming from the highest levels of government. But we are bringing some shine to this month’s show with opera singer Anna Diemer sharing the magic behind the classic opera voice. Plus pleasure coach Whitni Miller teaches us about why lesbians don’t experience the “pleasure gap”, and photographer Russ Watkins demonstrates live photography physics so you can create your own beautiful portraits.
June 12th, 2025 doors 6pm, show 7pm at River Arts District Brewing Co.
Pre-sale tickets $10, door $15 (cash preferred, Venmo etc. available). Get your pre-sale tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/nerd-nite-asheville-june-2025
This month’s lineup:
Anna Diemer
Why the Heck Does Opera Sound Like That?
Have you ever wondered how opera singers perform without microphones and can still be heard, sometimes in a massive hall over the sound of an orchestra? Vocologist Anna Diemer gets nerdy about the voice science behind opera’s signature sound and how singers train for and create it. Be prepared to sing along!
Anna Diemer (they/them) is a voice teacher, Singing Voice Specialist, PAVA-Recognized Vocologist, and professional soprano based in Asheville, NC. They primarily work with singers who are in times of vocal transition, whether that’s maintaining singing throughout the lifespan or guiding a voice through a gender journey. When they aren’t in the studio, they’re singing opera in drag as Drag Dad of Asheville Milo Mawile. @diemervoicestudio on instagram Website: http://voicelessons.gay
Russ Watkins
The Physics of Portrait Photography
Let’s make photos, rather than take them, shall we? Russ will explain the foundational principles of modern portrait photography and demonstrate how the inverse square law can completely transform a portrait environment. We’ll travel back to the Dutch golden age of the 17th century and briefly visit 1930s Hollywood to reveal the origins of lighting patterns still used in modern portrait photography that help us create images that evoke emotion, drama and aesthetic appeal. Then the audience will use flashlights (provided for you) to recreate all of the lighting patterns in a hands-on, live demonstration using your phone to make your own outstanding portraits.
Russ is an Asheville-based Creative and Marketing Director that constantly tests the limits of his work in photography—learning, developing and defining a style that is truly unique. Although his role in the creative profession has changed much in the past 20 years, Russ admits that the greatest level of inspiration and drive come from his passion for photography. Last year, Russ challenged himself further by creating the 50/24 project where he photographed 50 people in 2024, each in their own unique way. This year, he’s focused on creating dark, bold and inquisitive images that tell a story. Website: rwphotographics.com IG: @rwphotographics
Whitni Miller
Lesbians Do It Better
Turns out the rumors are true—lesbians are having better sex. This talk breaks down the research on why queer women report higher sexual satisfaction and what all orientations can learn from their pleasure-positive, communication-forward approach. Get ready for a mix of sass, stats, and strategies you can take home to your own sex life.
Whitni Miller is a queer couples intimacy coach, sex educator, and founder of BDEmoves, LLC. She helps queer couples deepen connection and explore all facets of intimacy through pleasure-focused coaching and group programs. Whether she’s leading a workshop or posting spicy education on Instagram (@bdemoves), Whitni is on a mission to make authentic pleasure more accessible for everyone. www.bde-moves.com
With your host, Von
This month’s Star Trek mini feature: LGBTQ+ representation in Star Trek
By now it should come as no surprise that Star Trek made bold statements about LGBTQ+ topics for a set of primetime network series. While queer and trans representation wasn’t fully normalized in the main casts until recently, older series like The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine had groundbreaking episodes that explicitly denounced conversion therapy and other forms of anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry, plus gave us our first openly queer (and trans-coded) character in Jadzia Dax.
Von (they/them) is a local performer known for their radioactive style, political commentary, and inability to shut up about Star Trek. A lifelong nerd of both science and theater, they were an avid lover of Nerd Nite in Los Angeles before moving to Asheville and starting the local Nerd Nite Chapter.
Von claims this show for the Romulan Empire. (IG: @nerdniteAVL)