Behind The La Opera Curtain

In this podcast, Dr. Mitchell Morris discusses Verdi, Verdi's operas and melodramma, and Il Trovatore. This recording was created as part of LA Opera Connects' professional development series for teachers, Opera for Educators.

In this podcast, mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis, who plays Azucena in LA Opera's 2021 production of Il Trovatore, takes us through a scene-by-scene description of Verdi's masterpiece, which opens September 18th.

In this podcast, mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis and assistant stage director Angela Saroglou discuss Il Trovatore behind the scenes and the pathways forward to bringing Verdi's work to life.

In this podcast, Dr. Mitchell Morris, Chair of Musicology as well as of LGBTQ studies at UCLA, discusses Il Trovatore, the career of Verdi, and the reception of Italian Opera. This recording was created as part of LA Opera Connects’ professional development series for teachers, Opera for Educators, in September of 2020.

In this podcast, Christopher Koelsch, President and CEO of LA Opera, speaks with world-renowned tenor, Russell Thomas, LA Opera's recently-appointed Artist in Residence. They discuss Mr. Thomas’s new role with LA Opera which includes his two newly created training programs for young singers, his journey discovering and sharing opera, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped the art form.

In this podcast, renowned mezzo soprano Suzanna Guzman chats with Khori Dastoor, an artist-turned administrative leader in the field of opera and the first woman to have the role of General Director and CEO of Houston Grand Opera. Joined by Eli Villanueva, the Resident Stage Director for LA Opera Connects, they discuss their journeys to discovering opera, careers, and plans for the future. This conversation was recorded as part of LA Opera Connects’ Opera Camp, a summer performance intensive for children ages 9 through 17.

Jeremy Frank, LA Opera's Associate Chorus Master, is actually a man of many talents: conductor, pianist, educator and mixologist? He is certainly the delightful host of LA Opera Connects' popular Opera Happy Hour web series. In this episode, Ashley Faatoalia joins Jeremy to help answer the age-old question: What’s the difference between musical theater and opera?

In this podcast, Dr. Muriel McClendon, Associate Professor of History at UCLA, and Dr. Teofilo Ruiz, a scholar of social and popular cultures of late medieval and early modern Spain, chat with LA Opera Associate Chorus Master Jeremy Frank about Mozart’s "Don Giovanni" — the fantasy and reality of the story, the meanings of Mozart’s music, and the complexity of the histories that centered this story in social roles and agency are discussed in a deep exploration of one of Mozart’s most well-known operas. This discussion, which was recorded as part of LA Opera Connects professional development series, Opera for Educators, covers some adult topics, and may not be suitable for listeners of all ages. Learn more about Opera for Educators at LAOpera.org/Connects.

In this podcast, Dr. Mitchell Morris discusses the complexity of opera post-1950. In his talk, titled “Modernism and the Sonically Complex: Styles and Philosophies of Opera Since the 1950s”, Dr. Morris invites us into the history of opera house repertory and a study of the effects of modernism. This recording was created as part of LA Opera Connects professional development series for teachers, Opera for Educators. Learn more about Opera for Educators at LAOpera.org/Connects.

Jeremy Frank, LA Opera's Associate Chorus Master, is actually a man of many talents: conductor, pianist, educator and mixologist? He is certainly the delightful host of LA Opera Connects' popular Opera Happy Hour web series. In this special summer episode, Jeremy takes us on a virtual trip around the world while we listen to some of our favorite operas.

In this podcast, Dr. Tiffany Kuo discusses the influence of cultural context, venues, and patronage in producing opera as she analyzes Francesca Caccini’s "La liberazione di Ruggiero dall'isola d'Alcina", which Dr. Kuo refers to as "The Rescue of Roger". This recording was created in May 2021 as part of LA Opera Connects professional development series for teachers, Opera for Educators. The subject for the entire day was "Expanding the Canon".  We asked scholars to consider If the operatic canon is made up those works that are most frequently performed, who are the composers and what are the works, new and old, that may be brilliant but are currently overlooked, and even more, should be performed more often.  Learn more about Opera for Educators at  LAOpera.org/Connects.

On June 26 at 10 am PT, LA Opera On Air will return to KUSC radio station with a broadcast of "Billy Budd." With an all-male cast of 25 solo roles, and vast choral and orchestral forces, all conducted by James Conlon, it’s the most grandly scaled of Britten’s many operas. Liam Bonner, Richard Croft and Greer Grimsley take the leading roles. And, of course, June is also Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month. Benjamin Britten, the composer, was an openly gay man in a time and place where homosexuality was illegal. In this Behind the Curtain conversation, LA Opera's Connects Vice President Stacy Brightman speaks with Dr. Mitchell Morris, UCLA's chair of Musicology and chair for LGBTQ Studies; Dr. Morris speaks about Britten, his work, and how or if this opera is relevant in relation to how far the LGBTQ community has come since the opera’s premiere in 1951. Please note, this frank conversation touches on adult themes and may not be appropriate for all listeners.

In anticipation of LA Opera's On Now streaming of "Oedipus Rex", Conductor and LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon delves into the one-act opera's mythic and musical power. Composer Igor Stravinsky and librettist Jean Cocteau based "Oedipus Rex" on the ancient Greek tragedy of the same name by Sophocles—yes, the one where Oedipus unknowingly kills his own father and marries his mother. The 1927 opera is a highly stylized and ritualistic work. The production will be available to watch beginning June 17, 2021. You can sign-up for free to access the video on LA Opera's website at www.LAOpera.org.

In this Behind the Curtain podcast, Andrea Fuentes, Associate Director for Programming with LA Opera Connects, speaks with composer Mariela Rodríguez and soprano Vanessa Becerra to discuss their work, artistry, and the importance of musical discovery in LA Opera's "After Hours: Latina Composers" recital, which is available at laopera.org.

In this Behind the Curtain conversation, musicologist Dr. Kristi Brown Montesano and Dr. Arianne Helou, a dramaturg and French studies scholar, discuss "Oedipus Rex," composed by Igor Stravinsky to a libretto by Jean Cocteau based on the ancient Greek tragedy of the same name by Sophocles. The 1927 opera is a highly stylized, ritualistic work set in the time of plague. On Sunday, June 6, 2021, LA Opera will present "Oedipus Rex" at our home in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. With a limited audience and safety protocols observed, it will be our first public, indoor performance since March 2020. Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon conducts a stellar cast led by tenor Russell Thomas, LA Opera's Artist in Residence, as Oedipus, the doomed king. Mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges returns as Jocasta, his queen (and mother). Legendary actor Stephen Fry will make his LA Opera debut (via audio recording) as the Narrator in this equally-legendary tale. A special online version of "Oedipus Rex" will be released on J

LA Opera artist in residence Russell Thomas has curated the digital recital "After Hours: Songs of Protest", honoring and celebrating some of the unforgettable music that has galvanized social justice. In this Behind The Curtain conversation, Dr. Shana Redmond, Professor of Musicology and African American Studies at UCLA, speaks with Russell Thomas, soprano Brandie Sutton and baritone Justin Austin about their journeys into and through music, and how they are approaching this repertory of powerful musical works. "After Hours: Songs of Protest" will be available to stream on LA Opera's website, www.laopera.org, beginning on Friday, June 11 at 5pm PST.

In this podcast, Dr. Tiffany Kuo, Professor of Music at Mount San Antonio College and Colburn Conservatory of Music, analyzes the importance of patronage in opera and the arts as she examines "Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine" by composer Tyshawn Sorey, whose digital short "DEATH" is currently streaming at laopera.org/death Tiffany Kuo’s discussion of "Perle Noire", a staged-song cycle conceived by Peter Sellars and sung by soprano Julia Bullock, helps us to explore and expand how we conceive of the operatic canon. This discussion was recorded in May 2021 as part of LA Opera Connects professional development series for teachers, Opera for Educators. Learn more about Opera for Educators at laopera.org/community.

Dr. Susan McClary discusses the ways in which the perception of Mozart’s works as “safe,” or otherwise perfect, affects our understanding of the deeper meanings and sense of beauty of his works, with a focus on Don Giovanni. This discussion was recorded as part of LA Opera Connects' professional development series for teachers, Opera for Educators, in February 2021. Dr. McClary is a professor of music and head of musicology at Case Western Reserve University. This podcast addresses mature topics, and may not be suitable for all audiences.

Jeremy Frank, LA Opera's Associate Chorus Master is a man of many talents: conductor, pianist, educator and mixologist? He is certainly the delightful host of LA Opera Connects' popular Opera Happy Hour web series. Put on your dancing shoes and get your cocktail shakers ready.⁣ In this episode, Jeremy's headed to the dance floor to explore dance and opera in The Marriage of Figaro, Salome, Aida and Orpheus and Eurydice.

As part of LA Opera's On Now digital offerings, we are thrilled to be sharing an audio performance of "Billy Budd" beginning Tuesday, April 27th at 5:00 p.m. PT. on LA Opera's website, Facebook and YouTube (links below). "Billy Budd" was composed by Benjamin Britten with a libretto by English novelist E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier, based on the short novel "Billy Budd" by Herman Melville. LA Opera's production, from February and March 2014, was conducted by James Conlon with Stage Direction by Francesca Zambello. In anticipation of the audio presentation, we are delighted to share, from the vaults, Mo. Conlon's pre-performance talk on this opera and composer he adores. LA Opera website: https://www.laopera.org/discover/la-opera-on-now/la-opera-on-now-all-events/from-the-vault-billy-budd-audio-stream/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LAOpera YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/laopera