Behind The La Opera Curtain

LA Opera's Music Director, James Conlon, guides us through the musical moments of The Anonymous Lover (L'Amant Anonyme). This charming 1780 comic romance by pioneering Black composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges opens at LA Opera on Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 5pm (PT). The Anonymous Lover will be available to watch from Saturday, November 14, at 5pm (PT) through November 29 at 11:59pm (PT). Get your free ticket and more information here: https://www.laopera.org/performances/updated-2021-season/the-anonymous-lover/ This talk was recorded on Saturday, November 7, 2020 as a part of LA Opera Connects' Opera for Educators program.

In anticipation of LA Opera's production of The Anonymous Lover by Joseph Bologne, LA Opera is happy to present this conversation on History vs. Opera. This conversation was recorded on November 7, 2020, and features Muriel McClendon, Jennifer Palmer and Jeremy Frank. Muriel McClendon is Associate Professor of History at UCLA, where she teaches courses on medieval and early modern European History. Dr. McClendon is joined by Jennifer Palmer, a historian of early modern France and the Francophone world, teaching courses at the University of Georgia about Europe, the Atlantic world, women and gender, race, slavery and pirates. And they are joined by Jeremy Frank, Associate Chorus Master of LA Opera. Jeremy has worked on over 60 productions with the company and is also a part-time lecturer in opera and the vocal arts at USC. Please note: this conversation includes discussion of the historic slave trade between Europe and the Americas. The Anonymous Lover will be available to watch from Saturday, November 14,

Mysterious letters, secret admirers - The Anonymous Lover (L'Amant Anonyme)is a comedic delight but is rarely performed. So how did this charming opera, written by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges--a contemporary of Mozart and one of the first Black classical composers known to history, become neglected? Hear from director Bruce Lemon Jr., dramaturg Ariane Helou and bassoonist Andrew Brady about Bologne's fascinating life and learn what it takes to stage a multi-media, socially-distanced opera. The Anonymous Lover will be available to watch from Saturday, November 14, at 5pm through November 29 at 11:59pm (PST) - Get your free ticket and more information here: www.laopera.org/performances/upda…-anonymous-lover/

Some people have lives that simply cry out to be turned into books, movies, graphic novels, songs... maybe even operas. Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)—considered to be the "mother of computer science"—was one of them. This fall, Ada’s story will be told in operatic form in Edge of a Dream, a new work by composer Juhi Bansal and librettist Neil Aitken. It's LA Opera Connects’ newest Secondary In-School Opera, created to be rehearsed, assembled and performed online over a five-week period by students from ten local high schools.  As if that weren't cool enough, Ada Lovelace Day is today, October 13th. It is an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.M.), and we're joining in by releasing this conversation on Edge of a Dream with the creators (Bansal and Aitken) and the director, Eli Villanueva. Looking for more Ada content? You can read an interview with Bansal and Aiken about the project here: https://www.laopera.org/discover/la-opera-content/edge-

Verdi bent the rules and broke a few in the convention-pushing Il Trovatore.  LA Opera's Music Director James Conlon digs into this opera that he adores and helps to contextualize the work in its time and ours.  This discussion was recorded on Saturday, September 19, 2020 as a part of LA Opera Connects’ professional development series for teachers: Opera for Educators.

In this podcast discussing Il Trovatore, Dr. Naomi André explores - through letters between Giuseppe Verdi and librettist Salvadore Cammarano - the qualities of Azucena that make her one of the most complex characters in Verdi’s operas. Dr. André is a professor in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, Women’s studies, and the Residential College at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on opera and issues surrounding gender, voice, and race in the US, Europe, and South Africa. This discussion was recorded on Saturday, September 19, 2020 as a part of LA Opera Connects’ professional development series for teachers: Opera for Educators. (https://www.laopera.org/operaforeducators)

Dr. Muriel McClendon, Associate Professor for History at UCLA, joins Jeremy Frank, LA Opera's Associate Chorus Master, as the two dive into the historic fictions of opera, what they get right and wrong. More importantly they dig into what the opera reveals about the time in which it was created and how it relates to today. This podcast series launches with Il Trovatore, in which we learn: if you do become monarch, take care of that line of succession!

What happens when you put three passionate, articulate teenage opera lovers in a Zoom room together - and can La Traviata stand up to it? Listen and find out as LA Opera youth leaders and super-fans Maurissa Dawson, Christopher Gutierrez, and Clemence Yi share insights for the novice and aficionado alike, discussing which operas are the best "starter" operas, what keeps them intrigued, and where they think the art form is headed.

This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience following the February 8, 2020 performance of Eurydice, by Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl, and was part of the County-wide Eurydice Found festival. It features singers Danielle de Niese, Raehann Bryce-Davis and producer Beth Morrison being interviewed by musicologist Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano.

In this podcast, LA Opera's Sebastian Paul & Marybelle Musco President & CEO Christopher Koelsch speaks with writer and director James Gray. Mr. Gray was scheduled to have his LA Opera debut directing the production of The Marriage of Figaro, which was necessarily postponed due to COVID-19. Listen to this wide-ranging conversation, recorded in June 2020 from their respective homes, as the two discuss opera, cinema, literature and Mr. Gray's upcoming projects.

LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, James Conlon, explores the fourth opera of Wagner's Ring cycle: Götterdämmerung during LA Opera’s pre-performance lecture in June 2010. Maestro Conlon goes in depth on Götterdämmerung's characters, plot line, and musical themes. Listen to all four talks in preparation of LAO At Home's audio stream of Wagner's epic four-part Der Ring des Nibelungen, conducted by Music Director James Conlon. Commemorating the ten-year anniversary of the company's extraordinary first complete presentation in 2010, the Ring cycle will be featured in a marathon back-to-back audio stream of all four operas in one day, beginning at 8am PDT on July 25, 2020. (https://www.laopera.org/ring) Das Rheingold(www.laopera.org/podcasts) Die Walküre(www.laopera.org/podcasts) Siegfried(www.laopera.org/podcasts)

LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, James Conlon, explores the third opera of Wagner's Ring cycle: Siegfried during LA Opera’s pre-performance lecture in June 2010. Maestro Conlon goes in depth on characters, plot line, and musical themes in Siegfried. Listen to all four talks in preparation of LAO At Home's audio stream of Wagner's epic four-part Der Ring des Nibelungen, conducted by Music Director James Conlon. Commemorating the ten-year anniversary of the company's extraordinary first complete presentation in 2010, the Ring cycle will be featured in a marathon back-to-back audio stream of all four operas in one day, beginning at 8am PDT on July 25, 2020 (www.laopera.org/ring/) Das Rheingold(www.laopera.org/podcasts) Die Walküre (www.laopera.org/podcasts) Götterdämmerung (coming July 23)

LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, James Conlon, explores the second opera of Wagner's Ring cycle: Die Walküre during LA Opera’s pre-performance lecture in June 2010. Maestro Conlon goes in depth on Die Walküre's characters, plot line, and musical themes. Listen to all four talks in preparation of LAO At Home's audio stream of Wagner's epic four-part Der Ring des Nibelungen, conducted by Music Director James Conlon. Commemorating the ten-year anniversary of the company's extraordinary first complete presentation in 2010, the Ring cycle will be featured in a marathon back-to-back audio stream of all four operas in one day, beginning at 8am PDT on July 25, 2020 (https://www.laopera.org/ring/) Das Rheingold(www.laopera.org/podcasts) Siegfried (coming July 21) Götterdämmerung (coming July 23)

LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, James Conlon, explores the first opera of Wagner's Ring cycle: Das Rheingold during LA Opera’s pre-performance lecture in June 2010. Maestro Conlon goes in depth on Das Rheingold's characters, plot line, and musical themes. Listen to all four talks in preparation of LAO At Home's audio stream of Wagner's epic four-part Der Ring des Nibelungen, conducted by Music Director James Conlon. Commemorating the ten-year anniversary of the company's extraordinary first complete presentation in 2010, the Ring cycle will be featured in a marathon back-to-back audio stream of all four operas in one day, beginning at 8am PDT on July 25, 2020 (https://www.laopera.org/ring/) Die Walküre (https://www.laopera.org/podcasts) Siegfried (coming July 21) Götterdämmerung (coming July 23)

LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon sets the stage for the upcoming audio-stream of Richard Wagner's epic, four-part Ring cycle (Der Ring des Nibelungen) by reflecting on the philosophy of the German-language music drama. Commemorating the 10 year anniversary of the company's first complete presentation, the Ring cycle will be featured in a marathon, back-to-back audio stream of all four operas on Saturday, July 25. (Visit https://www.LAOpera.org/LAOatHome for more information.)

Join LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon as he concludes his exploration of French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, his beloved character Figaro, and the renowned operas that sprang from his plays (The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro and The Guilty Mother). In this episode, Maestro Conlon continues sharing the real-life stories of Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais that may have influenced the story of The Guilty Mother and the music in John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles. Visit LA Opera's podcast page for more related content: www.LAOpera.org/podcasts

Join LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon as he continues his exploration of French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, his beloved character Figaro, and the renowned operas that sprang from his plays (The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro and The Guilty Mother). In this episode, Maestro Conlon shares the real-life stories of Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais that may have influenced the story of The Guilty Mother and the music in John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles. Visit LA Opera's podcast page for more related content: www.LAOpera.org/podcasts

In this podcast, LA Opera's Sebastian Paul & Marybelle Musco President & CEO Christopher Koelsch speaks with renowned mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey. Ms. Lindsey was scheduled to appear as Mélisande in LA Opera's production of Pelléas and Mélisande, but it was necessarily cancelled due to COVID-19. Listen to this wide-ranging conversation, recorded in early May from their respective homes, as the two discuss several of her spell-binding performances, how she prepares and what might be on the horizon.

Join LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon as he delves into the history of French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, his beloved character Figaro, and the renowned operas that sprang from his plays (The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro and The Guilty Mother). In this third episode, Maestro Conlon continues his exploration of class struggle and the battle of the sexes that plays out in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. Visit LA Opera's podcast page for more related content: www.LAOpera.org/podcasts

Join LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon as he delves into the history of French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, his beloved character Figaro, and the renowned operas that sprang from his plays (The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro and The Guilty Mother). In this second episode, join Maestro Conlon continues his exploration of class struggle and the battle of the sexes that plays out in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. Visit LA Opera's podcast page for more related content: www.LAOpera.org/podcasts