Opera Box Score

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! (Sorry, UK listeners). The OBS team is going to celebrate by taking a week off from the news and offering our thanks to artists in our industry who have striven to make this world a better place. GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 2 min] This week, Frederica von Stade, a living legend, takes a Free Throw on the role of the Mother in Dead Man Walking and reveals the heartbreak of being a mother working in opera. [@ 16 min] Then…we go Inside the Huddle with tenor Gwilym Bowen, who is setting his voice to Christmas Oratorio and Messiah mode as we enter into the most magical season of all[@ . [@39 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Peter Gelb is jockeying for a cabinet position with a promise to make opera great again. GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@4 min] Later this month, Agnes Baltsa will celebrate her 80th birthday, and since her handlers won’t answer our interview request, we’ll offer you the next best thing and induct the grandiose Greek mezzo-soprano into the OBS hall of Fame. [@ 31 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…So far there’s only one thing to look forward to in 2025: GRAMMY season! We’ll walk you through the noms while we all collectively smile through the pain… GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

Alright, this week…it’s the first week in November in America and the election is the only thing we can think about. We have no idea if America will still be a thing by the time you hear this…but we will try to continue the conversation about politics…I mean opera. Then…a free throw from bass Kenneth Kellogg who is set to make his Chicago debut in his signature role, The Father in Jeanine Tesoriu and Tazewell Thompson’s BLUE. Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…we got one tenor chiding us and another tenor grousing about his picture not being included on the cover of a DVD and, I’m sorry, Democracy is at stake here, so forgive us if we don’t really care. GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

Alright, it’s Halloween, and we’re here to warn you about opera characters you don’t want to be alone with in the woods…and wouldn’t you know it, none of them are bears! Plus we have lots of listener mail, so we are going to do something extra horrifying and skip the Two Minute Drill. GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 1 min] It’s the return of TKO, when we pit two sopranos against each other, one American and one Italian, in the obstacle course that is Madama Butterfly… [@ 39 min] And then, Ermonela Jaho, one of the undisputed great Cio-Cio San’s of our time, takes a Free Throw on her signature role. [@ 55 min] And, in the listener mailbag, a field report on the Met’s production of Grounded. [@ 1 hr] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Harmonia Mundi sells its soul? I mean, I guess it is almost Halloween… GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] It’s a Tenor Double Header! We go inside the huddle with two singers making their North American debuts in lead roles. First up, Mexican-American tenor Galeano Salas, who is set to co-star in La Traviata in Detroit opposite FOS Emily Pogorelc. Then, we speak to baroque specialist Antonin Rondepierre, who sings a title role in Acis and Galatea at Opera Atelier. [@ 52 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Warning: Naked Nuns Roller Skating may induce nausea….And the New York Times critics may induce tantrums. GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] Sinéad Campbell Wallace goes Inside the Huddle! The Irish soprano shares how she began her career singing Handel and Mozart then took a long break to start a family and returned to singing as a Jugendliche dramatische Sopran. With a Salome and an Elsa already under her belt, she is making her American debut as Leonora in Washington National Opera’s Fidelio. [@ 42 min] And then…a field report on the Tales of Hoffmann from the Met, starring Friends of the Show Benjamin Bernheim and Erin Morley. [@ 49 min] What’s the playbook for keeping an opera company afloat in troubled times? Glyndebourne and Atlanta apparently have the secret sauce. GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 2 min] We go Inside the Huddle with Ricky Ian Gordon. The prolific American composer of operas such as "A Coffin in Egypt," "The Grapes of Wrath," and "Orpheus and Euridice" has another credit to add: author! Ricky will share anecdotes from his new memoir, Seeing Through: A Chronicle of Sex, Drugs, and Opera. [@ 35 min] And then…a field report from an advanced screening of Maria Callas biopic from the New York Film Festival. Will it be opera gloved thumbs down or opera gloved thumbs up? [@ 40 min] Dresden’s rolling in cash, Berlin’s broke, and Apple Classical has taken another tiny step towards world domination… GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] We go Inside the Huddle with Vanessa Becerra. The Peruvian and Mexican American soprano is set to make her Chicago Opera Theater debut in the title role of Ferdinando Paer’s Leonora. She joins OBS for a frank conversation about how she distinguished herself as an artist and how her Latina identity opened up new opportunities. [@ 37 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…can we get through the segment without naming the patron of Operalia? GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] It’s time to retire George's number. That’s right, it’s his final episode after nine years as a cohost on the OBS. The team say their goodbyes and reminisce about the good times (and a few of the bad...) [@ 25 min] Then… It’s a 'Free Throw' from Javier Camarena who is set to make his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as the Duke in "Rigoletto"... [@ 41 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… George would come back for one more episode as an encore, but Angela Gheorghiu might object... Season Ten of the OBS starts now! GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] It's a post-Labor Day weekend double header, as we go 'Inside the Huddle' with composer Missy Mazzoli, as she preps to open "The Listeners" at Opera Philadelphia... [@ 33 min] ...and then, for the first time ever, we host a designer on the OBS: it's lighting designer Christine Binder... Set your clocks! Season Ten of the OBS starts on Thursday, September 12... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 5 min] Next month, our Friends of the Show Opera Philadelphia will present the North American premiere of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s "The Listeners". We go 'Inside the Huddle' with the opera’s star, soprano Nicole Heaston... [@ 30 min] Then, in the final inning of OBS Season 9, we peek into 'Listener Mailbag'... [@ 40 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Angelina Jolie goes Method and swallows a tapeworm to prepare for her portrayal of La Divina... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

The DNC wreaks havoc on Chicago, and the OBS is not immune! Enjoy these spectacular 'Free Throws' from the OBS archives, with the likes of Isabel Leonard, Lise Davidsen, Julien Prégardien, Enrique Mazzola, Rolando Villazón, and Jonathan Cohen. We're back with an all-new episode next week... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 6 min] The 2024 Summer Olympics are in the books and the 2024 Santa Fe Opera season is winding down. We’ll recap our favorite moments of the games, and go 'Inside the Huddle' with soprano Liv Redpath and conductor Roberto Kalb... [@ 1 hour 9 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Yuval Sharon 'Ring' Cycle is announced, as the Lepage “Machine” goes in the recycling bin... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] It's an ‘Inside the Huddle’ double play! First, we welcome Roger Pines, one of Operaland’s most accomplished dramaturgs… [@ 21 min] ...and then we speak with baritone Zachary Nelson, currently stealing scenes as Faninal in the Santa Fe Opera production of "Der Rosenkavalier"... [@ 29 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Break out the glowsticks: opera meets rave in England... operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] Our team has Olympic fever! We’ll break down the best of operatic performances from the Paris Opening Ceremonies, as well as iconic past showings from previous Olympiads… Yeah, that’s right, we’re taking it wayyy back to Barcelona… [@ 38 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… He may have been the one to throw The Punch, but it looks like John Eliot Gardner is the one whose career is down for the count… GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 11 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with author Garth Greenwell whose acclaimed debut novel is to be produced as an opera with music by David T. Little and starring Karim Sulayman... [@ 3 min] But first, since we’re talking about books, if you're not the type of person who sits down to read, maybe you’d rather experience an opera version. We’ve got a summer listening list... [@ 47 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Zarzuela performances are selling out in Madrid and Juan Diego Flórez is recording a zarzuela album... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 5 min] We go 'Inside the Huddle' with Karen Slack, the lirico-spinto soprano who rose to prominence in prima donna roles like Butterfly, Tosca, and Aida, but more and more is in demand as a galvanizing voice for African-American artists working in opera and classical music... [@ 33 min] In the 'Listener Mailbag'... It's a scouting report on emerging artists to hear this summer… [@ 43 min] Plus, in the 'Two Minute Drill'... Laundry tips from Washington National Opera’s costume department and a lesson on how to say the 'F' word in Finnish... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] Alright, this week we go Inside the Huddle with Greer Grimsley. The American bass-baritone returns to Santa Fe Opera for Gregory Spears and Tracy K. Smith’s "The Righteous," which receives its world premiere on July 13! [@ 33 min] Then…speaking of July 13, this Saturday is the 100th birthday anniversary of Carlo Bergonzi. Musicologist Brad Sisk, a former student of Bergonzi, takes a Free Throw on what made the great Italian tenor a quintessential Verdian. [@ 46 min] There’s a Lot going on in France (and not all of it’s good), but something good is happening in England. GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore