Opera Box Score

[@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 al...

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...

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, i...

[@ 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 ‘Tw...

[@ 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 re...

[@ 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 scre...

[@ 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 throug...

[@ 2 min] t’s fall, time for  pumpkin-spice and football, and the OBS team shortlists what we want to see in the 2024-2025 opera season... [@ 21 min] And speaking of people you’ll want to hear this season, we have a Free Throw from Oliver’s super-crush Huw Montague Rendall as he gets set to make his house and role debut as Billy Budd in Vienna. [@ 28 min] Plus, we have a Philly-style sendoff for G...

[@ 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 t...

[@ 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...

[@ 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’…...

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 operaboxscor...

[@ 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......

[@ 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 Englan...

[@ 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 th...

[@ 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 th...

[@ 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...

[@ 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, ta...

[@ 5 min] This week…we are halfway through the Major League Baseball season! Which means it's time for us to swap some Trading Cards: American Composer Edition. And there are so many! Copland! Gershwin! Floyd!...(slowing) uh…Dominick Argento… (stammering) uh … Philip Glass? Plus, George sends us another postcard from abroad! What iconic Italian opera house will he call B-tier this time? [@ 47...

[@ 3 min] This week…Beyonce might have the most Grammys, but number two ain’t bad, especially if it comes with an OBS Hall of Fame nomination. Find out what Hungarian conductor has made the cut for our most prestigious award… [@ 42 min] Then…a field report from Julius Caesar at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, starring friends of the show Emily Pogorelc and Key’mon Murrah. [@ 48 min] In the ‘Two...

[@ 5 min] Alright, this week…we go inside the huddle with Mané Galoyan. The Armenian soprano, an alumna of Houston Grand Opera studio and prizewinner at Operalia, is set to make her Santa Fe Opera debut next month as Violetta in La Traviata. We’ll find out how her ‘Murican training prepared her to sing in the big 'Murican houses. [@ 31 min] The stats are in from the Met’s most experimental se...

[@ 4 min] This Sunday is Father’s Day, but unfortunately, George Cederquist is out of town, so our good dad role model can’t help us out this week. We’ll cover some bad dads in opera to learn what NOT to celebrate this weekend… [@ 29 min] A free throw from tenor Julian Prégardien, son of tenor Christoph Pregardien, who describes what its like having a famous father in the same fach. Faching father...

[@ 3 min] It’s an Opera Theater double-header! First we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with tenor Paul Groves who is set to sing the title role in Philip Glass’ "Galileo Galilei", the OG science-denial show (before everyone was doing it...) [@ 27 min] Listen for the final field report from PJ as the Met’s current season wraps… [@ 32 min] Then, Andrew Jorgensen is up to bat. The general director...

[@ 4 min and 39 min] We climb into the Wayback Machine for two ‘Inside the Huddle’ segments (taped in back-to-back weeks, no less) from August 2023... [@ 29 min] And then… The ‘Listener Mailbag’ overflows with new listeners and old friends... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore