Opera Box Score: Recent Episodes

Opera Box Score

America's Talk Radio Show About Opera. Period.

[@ 3 min] Alright, this week...we go Inside the Huddle with conductor Alan Pierson, whose band Alarm Will Sound collaborated on friend of the show David T. Little’s What Belongs to You, based on OTHER friend of the show Garth Greenwell’s novel of the same name! Alan joins the OBS to give a tour guide of the acclaimed opera, sampling the brand new recording which features yet a THIRD friend of the show, Karim Sulayman.[@ 32 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...more hard-to-read developments out of Interlochen, the RBO gets nervous about its finances, and Jonas Kaufmann hates AI almost as much as I do.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDStream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.comoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 3 min] Alright, this week...we go Inside the Huddle with Laurence Kilsby! The rising British tenor just performed in the BBC Proms with the Jupiter Ensemble and is currently starring as The Novice in Michael Grandage’s production of Billy Budd at Glyndebourne Festival. That’s two venues on Oliver Camacho’s bucket list! [@ 32 min] Plus, in Listener Mailbag...it's a Field Report on Eugene Onegin at Wolf Trap!GET YOUR VOICE HEARDStream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.comoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 5 min] Alright, this week...ahead of the premiere of Santa Fe Opera’s 'Rodelinda,' we go Inside the Huddle with director R.B. Schlather! Will our baroque purist creative consultant find common ground with Schlather’s “noir melodrama gangster” concept? Stay tuned to find out…[@ 36 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Congress is investigating the mismanagement of the Kennedy Center, and the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra asks if there’s any similarities between sports and classical music, a question that has never, EVER been explored before.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDStream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.comoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 4 min] Alright, this week...we get the full field report on the 2026 Des Moines Metro Opera Festival! First up, a Monday Evening Quarterback on Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men; then, ten, count 'em, TEN Free Throws from the Stars of Tomorrow apprentice program showcase. [@ 36 min] Then, we go Inside the Huddle with the star of Des Moines’s Tosca, soprano Laura Wilde. Finally, a recap on Oliver’s favorite King Roger costumes and a look ahead into the 2027 season.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDStream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.comoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 4 min] Alright, this week...we get the full field report on the 2026 Des Moines Metro Opera Festival! First up, a Monday Evening Quarterback on Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men; then, ten, count 'em, TEN Free Throws from the Stars of Tomorrow apprentice program showcase.

[@ 36 min] Then, we go Inside the Huddle with the star of Des Moines’s Tosca, soprano Laura Wilde. Finally, a recap on Oliver’s favorite King Roger costumes and a look ahead into the 2027 season.

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[@ 5 min] Alright, this week...we go Inside the Huddle with Suzanne Nance, the new Executive Director of Wexford Festival Opera! Find out how the career of this “Woman of Influence” went from onstage, to behind a mic, to the C-Suite...

[@ 39 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Friend of the Show Zachary James is Abraham Lincoln, and Friend of the Show Clay Hilley claps back at the critics!

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[@ 3 min] Alright, as America prepares to celebrate its semiquincentennial, this week in Chalk Talk…we’re breaking down the history of American vocal music by playing 250 of our favorite clips! Or maybe like 12 or so to keep the episode length reasonable. From American folk song, operetta, Music theater, opera and art song, we'll hear tons of music, performed by favorite American artists…and no, Milli Vanilli was not invited.

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[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…John Holiday goes Inside the Huddle! The American countertenor and 'The Voice' finalist is wrapping up a banner 25-26 season at the Munich Opera Festival. Next month, his solo album, 'Over My Head,' with pianist Kevin Miller, drops on the Pentatone label! John joins us from Munich where he co-stars with Jeanine De Bique and Julian Pregardien in Handel’s 'Alcina. '

[@ 43 min] Creatine Price is making herstory in France…and John Eliot Gardner comes out as a dendrophobe.

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[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…Early music specialist Jory Vinikour goes Inside the Huddle! The conductor and harpsichordist returns to his native Chicago to lead a production of a pretty gay tragedy…no, not Oliver’s mid-life bachelorhood, but Charpentier’s "David and Jonathan" for Haymarket Opera!

[@ 35 min] Then, in the Two Minute Drill…Audiences at La Scala are protesting ticket prices, an ousted music director is threatening to sue La Fenice, Washington National Opera is suing the Kennedy Center…but hey, at least we got a win this week in the form of one less president being named on that building...

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[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…Maestro James Conlon takes a Free Throw on his tenure as Music Director of LA Opera, a post he held for 20 years…and we’re rewarding him by letting him talk to Oliver? Poor guy!

[@ 23 min] Then, in Monday Evening Quarterback…The Tony Awards were last Sunday, but as many longtime listeners will attest, Weston doesn’t know anything about Broadway. Luckily, Ashlee Hardgrave is here to take him through a new segment she’s calling, ‘Tonys for Dummies!’

[@ 35 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...things are getting messy at Sarasota Opera, but marginally, slightly, a liiiiittle bit less messy at the Kennedy Center? Maybe?

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[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…tenor and author Ben Bliss goes Inside the Huddle to share his financial survival guide for singers and other freelancers in the performing arts. It’s all in his new book, 'Making it Work,' coming to a TedTalk near you!

[@ 35 min] Then, in Listener Mailbag...it’s a Field Report on Orfeo from Ars Lyrica Houston, starring friend of the show Karim Sulayman!

[@ 42 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...let me see here…it says here that…Donald Trump…did something…illegal??? gasp With the Kennedy Center??? WHAT??? That can’t be…no…yes??? Oh my god???

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Alright, this week…it’s a holiday week! Soooo we’re skipping the Two Minute Drill and dipping into the Inside the Huddle archives to replay a pair of recent interviews.

[@ 1 min] First up, conductor James Gaffigan tells us why the Komische Oper is a total party! He went Inside the Huddle shortly after being named Music Director of Houston Grand Opera last fall.

[@ 38 min] And then...Grammy Award-winning soprano Amanda Forsythe joins us from last summer’s Boston Early Music Festival, when she was a mere Grammy-hopeful. That’s the OBS Bump, folks. It’s powerful.

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[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…how DO you solve a problem like Jeff Bezos? How do you catch a donation and pin it down, in an era when the hills are NOT alive with the sound of donors? Is this bit working? We answer these questions, and more, in Chalk Talk…

[@ 18 min] And then...Santa Fe Opera General Director Robert K. Meya takes a Free Throw on the recently announced 2027 festival season, and picks where HE wants to go see opera this summer.

[@ 29 min] Shocking news from the Met. Yes, we’re sad, but we can confirm that Peter Gelb is….a workaholic. Frankly, we're astounded.

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[@ 1 min] Alright, this week…we continue with the OBS playbook for the upcoming Summer Opera Season. This time the team picks the most anticipated performances in the Western European League!

[@ 17 min] And then...soprano, stage director, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis artistic director Patricia Racette returns to take a Free Throw on performing MT at OTSL!

[@ 28 min] Lakmé gets cancelled, and the Met gets a visit from Typhoid Mimi...

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[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…Conductor David Neely goes Inside the Huddle to share highlights from Des Moines Metro Opera’s upcoming festival season!

[@ 22 min] And since we're already on the topic of the Summer opera season, in Chalk Talk, the team handicaps the opera festivals here in the US of A…

[@ 38 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Bard College’s Leo Botstein steps down, and Friend of the Show Eric Einhorn steps up!

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[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Dane Lam! Just in time for AAPI Heritage Month, the Australian-Chinese-Singaporean conductor shares his perspective on the state of opera in the Asia-Pacific, as well as collaborating with thee Sir Thomas Allen, the stage director of the Marriage of Figaro for Scottish Opera.

[@ 38 min] And then...the Listener Mailbag is full of Field Reports from the Giulio Gari Competition Finals AND the Yale Baroque Opera Project...

[@ 49 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…the Saudis ditch the Met, La Fenice ditches their music director, and Opera Philadelphia says “Let ‘em eat cake!”

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[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…Anthony Gregory goes Inside the Huddle. The British tenor is currently starring in the title role of 'Glaucus and Scylla' at Opernhaus Zürich, under the baton of Emmanuelle Haïm. This summer, he makes his US debut at Santa Fe Opera, but you can and SHOULD follow him on Instagram right now!

[@ 32 min] And then... a Field Report from American Symphony Orchestra’s Der Freischütz, reimagined.

[@ 40 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… an embezzlement scandal rocks Teatro San Carlo, sponsors withdraw from the Salzburg Festival, and the Atlantic reveals an inside look at the chaos at the Kennedy Center.

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[@ 12 min] Alright, this week…Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced their 26/27 season, and we break down the stats, report who’s active on the roster, and ask the all-important question…will Luck Be a Lady at the Lyric next year?

[@ 30 min] And then...Friend of the Show Randall Scotting returns to the OBS to take a free throw on Nicolò Grimaldi, the castrato who conquered the opera world under the stage name Nicolini. His latest album, 'Divine Impresario' is now available to conquer your earholes...

[@ 42 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Timothée Chalamet may have been doing the Royal Ballet and Opera a favor, and Jackie Chan takes a shot at the OBS Hall of Fame...

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[@ 6 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Adam Smith! The British tenor made his Met debut in Madame Butterfly last month and continues his breakout season, starring in the Spring run of the Zeffirelli Boheme production beginning this weekend. We’ve been tipped off that he compares the pressures of being a leading tenor to playing tennis, so brace yourselves for Oliver’s gloating...

[@ 2 min] And then...it's a Field report from opening night(!) of Kaija Saariaho’s 'Innocence'...

[@ 42 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… the 2027 Federal budget proposal will eviscerate the arts--and we’re all going to write an open letter.

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[@ 6 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Marshall Pynkowski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, co-artistic directors of Opera Atelier, the company that built its reputation of lavish productions of operas from the French Baroque, and is now set to present…Pelléas and Melisande!?!

[@ 42 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Violinist Lara St. John settles a lawsuit, and preservationists SUE to protect the Kennedy Center...

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[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…it’s a very important Hall of Fame induction for the late, great Jose Van Dam! The legendary Belgian bass-baritone finally breaks our streak of inductees that are either sopranos, tenors, or Georg Solti…

[@ 44 min] And then…Oliver Camacho’s in the Big Apple to give us a field report from the Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition! Who won, who lost, and who’s clamoring to be the next guest here on the OBS? Stay tuned to find out the answer to at least two of these questions…

[@ 51 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… the Met probably should not try applying for a loan any time soon...

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[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…Alright, this week…We go Inside the Huddle with Rosa Feola! The Italian lyric soprano joins us from Naples, where she is singing the title role of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Tomorrow, her album of rare Donizetti Songs with Carlo Rizzi drops on the Opera Rara label. Find out WHO taught her how to be a Donizetti boss...

[@ 22 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Lise Davidsen says singing “has been my world, my everything. And now it’s not.” And Ric Grenell used to be the head of the Kennedy Center, and now HE'S not.

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[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…Susanne Burgess goes Inside the Huddle! The British-American soprano is about to compete in the quadrathlon known as The Tales of Hoffman, singing the Four Heroines at Florentine Opera this weekend! Find out how she’s training so she doesn’t 'fach' up her voice.

[@ 34 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Met’s financial woes are made embarrassingly public ,and Timothée Chalamet galvanizes the global performing arts community...against him.

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[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…Countertenor Hugh Cutting takes a Free Throw! The OBS artist-to-watch is set to perform with the Irish Baroque Orchestra in Manhattan later this month ,and joins us from England with dodgy audio...but we’re thrilled to have him, at any rate.

[@ 17 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Yuja Wang makes sure that disc is fully slipped...

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[@ 7 min] Alright, this week…Just back from his trip to Milan, composer-conductor Christopher Tin takes a Free Throw on his collaboration with men’s figure skating silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama….and we’ll tack on our final thoughts on the 2026 Winter Olympics, including the victory of American women.

[@ 37 min] Then...in Chalk Talk, we unpack recent announcements from the Met on next year's season offerings, ticket revenues from the current season, and even news about their 2030 season!

[@ 52 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Bruno de Sa may be too gay for Turkey, and we say farewell to one of the greats.

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[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Cecilia Molinari! Last Sunday, the Italian mezzo-soprano wrapped her US debut at Lyric Opera of Chicago, just in time to return home for the closing ceremonies in her hometown and the start of the Paralympic games.

[@ 31 min] And while the Olympics continue, we’ll Chalk Talk on Christopher Tin’s Turandot remix, elder millennial olympians, and…cheating Canadian curlers?

[@ 47 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… lifechanging funds in Detroit, Zambello’s foreshadowing at The Guardian, and at this point, it may be better to list who’s not in the Epstein files.

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[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…Andrzej Filończyk goes Inside the Huddle as he is set to return to the Met for the limited bonus run of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay beginning next week. Can the Polish baritone think like The Escapist when it comes to unwanted advances from Oliver?

[@ 37 min] Then, it's the return of the 90’s divas starring Mariah Carey, Cecilia Bartoli, and … Ricky Martin! That’s right, we’re talking about the intersection of music and sports in Sportzando, the Olympics - Bowl edition.

[@ 54 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Oper Leipzig is broke, everyone’s fired at the Washington Post, and Olga Neuwirth’s probably not going to be allowed to visit the US any time soon…

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[@ 6 min] Alright, this week…we handicap the Big Game between New England and Seattle, the best way we know how: OPERA COMPANY cage match! Benjamin Sokol, a member of the Ryan Opera Center, joins us to fill in the considerable gaps in Weston's and Oliver's football knowledge...

[@ 18 min] Then, Denyce Graves takes a Free Throw on portraying opera’s strongest and most powerful women while being a vulnerable human being with a tender heart...

[@ 31 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Roberto Alagna seems to have lost more than his wives, and the Kennedy Center is just…losing.

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[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…as the national 10th anniversary tour of the trailblazing opera 'Fellow Travelers' is set to launch next month, one of the stars of the tour, baritone Joseph Lattanzi, goes Inside the Huddle to talk Tennis, Hawkins Fuller, and his upcoming role debut as another gay mid-20th century American: Van Cliburn!

[@ 36 min] Then, JOYCE DIDONATO, the Queen D herself, takes a Free Throw on how to make the most impact in one of her public masterclasses.

[@ 41 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Renee Fleming says she has to wash her hair, Denyce Graves says peace out, and Roberot Alagna says, "Who's my wIfe?"

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[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Christopher Sokoloski! The American Heldentenor had a breakout year in 2025, coming to international attention singing Captain Vere in the Story of Billy Budd at Aix-en-Provence, followed by an unscheduled role debut as Parsifal at Flanders Opera. Listen for the exact moment when Oliver falls in love…I promise you can hear Oliver’s heart break wide open, and its strange because we know he doesn’t even like Wagner operas.

[@ 34 min] Then, tenor Zachary Wilder takes a Free Throw on being an American in the elite realm of historical performance practice in France! The baroque specialist has a brand new album that weaves together Klezmer, musical theater, jazz, opera, and art song called 'Brooklyn Suite.'

[@ 48 min] And to complete our tenor three-pointer, Anthony Leon returns to take a Free Throw on singing Mozart! León makes his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in 'Cosi fan tutte' next month.

[@ 59 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…was there any way to know that the Saudi Arabian government can’t be trusted? If you’re Peter Gelb, the answer to that question is apparently, “no…”

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[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…In addition to everything else that’s happening in the world, there’s a War On Opera! We go Inside the Huddle with librettist (and war correspondent) Caitlin Vincent, author of 'Opera Wars: Inside the World of Opera and the Battle for its Future.'

[@ 39 min] Then, in Listener Mailbag, an OBS fan asks us if Caleb Williams is the Pavarotti of football? Glad Ashlee is here to help us answer that one.

[@ 44 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…WNO has officially abandoned the sinking ship that is the Kennedy Center, and a Heritage Foundation flunkie is set to lead the NEA.

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[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…we tip off 2026 with a Free Throw from WIll Liverman. The baritone, composer and pianist has a shot at winning TWO Grammys next month! He’ll share a story on the making of his grammy-nominated album, 'The Dunbar-Moore Sessions.'

[@ 18 min] Then, it’s the first episode of the year, which means new resolutions....and an update on our resolutions from last year. Oliver, did you ever get around to listening to an entire Meyerbeer opera?

[@ 45 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Denyce Graves sings her final role, and Yuval Sharon is being forced to edit his LinkedIn profile.

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Happy New Year! This week, enjoy a Replay of some of our favorite segments of 2025!

[@ 2 min] First up, from August, a 'Chalk Talk' on the history of Grammy winning operas and singers...If you had to guess who had more nominations, would you say Leontyne Price or Kathleen Battle?

[@ 32 min] Then, we go Inside the Huddle with Michael Spyres! When he joined us in February, the latest volume of Opera Rara’s Donizetti Song Project had just dropped. Now we are looking forward to his Tristan, opposite Friend of the Show (and mother of twins!) Lise Davidsen.

[@ 47 min] Plus, in a segment that was supposed to be about what makes opera high art vs. audience-friendly fare, the team comes to the defense of operas we enjoy listening to...regardless of their reputation amongst serious opera fans.

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[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…it’s the best of OBS, Holiday Edition! The team recommends their favorite performances by opera singers singin’ Christmas…

[@ 11 min] Plus, Ashlee Hardgrave gives us a roundup of the most important remixes of Handel’s Messiah, including A Soulful Celebration and Blue Claw Philharmonic…and since we don’t want any news to spoil the fun, we’ll skip the ‘Two Minute Drill.’

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[@ 5 min] Alright, this week…a field report from the New Opera Dialogues convention with free throws from some of this year’s panelists, including composer Kevin Puts, librettist Mark Campbell, and singer-composer Diana Syrse, and more…

[@ 31 min] And then…as 2025 reaches its final inning, the Team drafts their own BEST OF lists in what will go down in history as one hell of a year…in opera, that is.

[@ 54 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...Christine Goerke takes flight, Riccardo Chailly takes a break, and Jose Cura takes a stand.

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[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…Gregory Spears goes Inside the Huddle! The American composer is in the middle of a banner season, which includes the 10th anniversary of his opera, Fellow Travelers. Find out about his new opera, Sleepers Awake, a reimagining of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, which gets its world premiere this spring...

[@ 35 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...a protestor apologizes for disrupting a performance at the Met, and WE apologize for clowning on Rienzi at Bayreuth…

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[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…Soula Parassidis goes Inside the Huddle! Find out how the Greek-Canadian soprano amassed a loyal Instagram fan base by poking fun at the opera industry, and then pivoted to create a platform to address all the real issues for those who want to enter into this career.

[@ 34 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...it’s curtains for the Royal ballet and Opera, plus more studies show how listening to opera can improve your life, AND the economy...

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[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…It’s Thanksgiving! There are so many ways to find, experience, and learn about opera in the 21st century, and we at Opera Box Score are feeling grateful for all of them. And, hey, if you’re feeling grateful for opera content, I can suggest at least one donation link on operaboxscore.com that you can use to prove it…

[@ 28 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...protestors breach security at the Met, and a study shows that listening to opera at the gym can, like, totally help you get sick gains, bro.

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[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…James Gaffigan goes Inside the Huddle! The American conductor, who was recently named Music Director of Houston Grand Opera, is set to conduct Salome at the Komishe Oper, which opens this Saturday in Berlin. Gaffigan shares his perspective on making music in Germany, and what Americans always bring to the table...

[@ 41 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...The Hymens, I mean, the International Opera Awards, have been handed out and we’re demanding a recount, as somehow Huw Monague Rendall did NOT win Male Singer of the Year.

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[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…Victor Ryan Robertson goes Inside the Huddle! The genre-defying tenor is wrapping up performances of La Traviata with Louisville Opera and is set to star in a double-bill of two rarely performed American works: William Grant Still’s 'Highway 1,' and Kurt Weill’s 'Down in the Valley 'with Detroit Opera. AND it turns out that he gave up a career in tennis to pursue singing. Uh-oh. Weston's outnumbered.

[@ 36 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...Grammy nominations are in, and Washington National Opera looks for a way out...

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[@ 10 min] Alright, this week…Jeanine De Bique goes Inside the Huddle! The Trinidadian soprano is on her way to the US for a recital tour, including stops in New York and Chicago before making her subscription series debut with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Orchestra in Mozart’s Requiem!

[@ 35 min] And then…we reach into the Listener Mailbag for a report on the Met’s 'Don Giovanni' from our good friend PJ...

[@ 39 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...saluting the American flag is now compulsory at the Kennedy Center, and Opera America is Great Again after naming its new president.

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[@ 6 min] Alright, this week…it’s our Halloween Spooktacular! This year, we ask what the scariest moments in opera are…if you’re performing in one. It’s the showiest moments that bring delight to the audience, but dread to the tenor. Listen … if you dare!

[@ 30 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...Katie Mitchelll quits opera, and Francesca Zambello asks everyone else not to.

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[@ 13 min] Alright, this week…Carlo Rizzi goes Inside the Huddle. One of the world’s foremost opera conductors and Artistic Director of Opera Rara, the latest volume of his Donizetti Song Project (featuring Friend of the Show soprano Ermonela Jaho) just dropped, as the Maestro concludes a run ofTurandot at the Met. The Italian conductor joins OBS to share his passion for Puccini and to offer a few choice words about the situation at La Fenice.

[@ 35 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...Rabblerouser and warrior of the resistance Kathryn Needleman is profiled in WashPo, and engaged-to-be married baritone Huw Montague Rendall wins a Gram..…..ophone.

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[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…Annie Burridge goes Inside the Huddle. General Director of Austin Opera, Annie Burridge is marking her 10th anniversary with the company that is also kicking off its 40th birthday season with a Spectacular Birthday Concert. 40 is the new 30…so that makes Oliver…what, 60?

[@ 36 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...Performances of Wozzeck have been cancelled at La Fenice. Okay, NOW it's getting personal.

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[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…Joshua Collier, artistic director of Opera Vermont, goes Inside the Huddle to share his company’s vision for presenting a multi-year cycle of the operas of William Grant Still.[@ 33 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...is classical music criticism dead, or is it just in charge of the obituary section at the New York Times?GET YOUR VOICE HEARDStream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.comoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…Sun-Ly Pierce goes Inside the Huddle. Currently starring in the Met’s premiere production of the Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, the Chinese American mezzo-soprano looks back at her break-out season, which included a leading role at Des Moines Metro Opera, being an Operalia finalist, and jumping into her Met debut.[@ 40 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...Grace Bumbry gets the posthumous PBS bump, and everyone hates the new music director at La Fenice. GET YOUR VOICE HEARDStream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.comoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…Matthew Polenzani goes Inside the Huddle! The internationally acclaimed, Evanston, Illinois-native superstar tenor returns to his home stadium as Giasone in Medea.[@ 19 min] Then…What’s YOUR favorite season? We’ll break down the nominations for the International Opera Awards, and put a thumb on the scale for the audience choice Reader’s Award….you know there’s gotta be some advantage to being a friend of the show.[@ 38 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...opera for Veterans, Dr. Cristina Yang makes her Met debut, and some good news in Philly and the UK! GET YOUR VOICE HEARDStream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.comoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…a listener encourages us to give you our picks for operas around the US this fall. INCLUDING San Francisco, dear listener...[@ 23 min] Then…Musicologist, conductor, and vocal coach Will Crutchfield takes a Free Throw on ornamenting Bellini![@ 34 min] Plus, a friend of the show shares her story about the stigma of vocal injury.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDStream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.comoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…OBS Season Eleven starts with a kickoff return touchdown! The legendary German countertenor Andreas Scholl goes Inside the Huddle to share advice for a long career, and to tell the story of making THAT recording. You’ll know which one.[@ 31 min] Plus, we add a few extra minutes to the Two Minute Drill to catch you up on all the stories you missed, including the Met…in Saudi Arabia?GET YOUR VOICE HEARDStream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.comoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 1 min] Alright, this week…as the team gears up for OBS Season 11, we bring you some of the best of season 10, starting with a Free Throw from Sondra Radvanovsky on singing one of her quote unquote “EASIEST” roles.[@ 12 min] Then, it’s George’s pick for his favorite interview of 2025. We go Inside the Huddle with stage director, author, and Detroit Opera Artistic Director Yuval Sharon.[@ 32 min] And to round-out this All-Replays episode, we revisit our conversation with tenor Jordan Pitts, the creator of drag diva Creatine Price.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDStream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.comoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…Friend of the Show Kerriann Otaño goes Inside the Huddle...again! Vice President of Engagement for Opera Delaware, Otaño returns to share news about Delaware’s revolutionary studio artists program.[@ 32 min] And as it’s our season finale, we’ll take a break from the Two-Minute Drill as all the news seems to be men behaving badly, or MAN bickering with a Russian soprano. Instead, we've brought back THE George Cederquist to mercilessly criticize OBS Season Ten.[@ 45 min] Plus…we continue the classic OBS callback streak with a Listener Mailbag from Anthony. You know, Anthony. From the Bronx.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 5 min] Alright, this week…music critic Anne Midgette goes Inside the Huddle. As the co-author of the article that launched Classical Music’s #metoo movement in 2018 AND as the former music critic of the Washington Post, today’s guest is uniquely qualified to comment on just about everything we care about on this podcast. Next month, Anne Midgette is a guest speaker for the Jussi Bjorling Society’s webinar “The Myth of Park and Bark,” so in addition to asking her about the Kennedy Center and what we should do with all of our Domingo recordings, we’ll talk about acting for singers too![@ 47 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Tom Cruise has to wash his hair, Ben Folds is not really into North Korea vibes, and we warned you, Peter Gelb. GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…Grammy-winning tenor Nicholas Phan takes a Free Throw on finally winning that Grammy on his fifth nomination, for his performance in OBS Hall of Famer Kaija Saariaho’s 'Adriana Mater.'[@ 15 min] ...which gets us thinking about Grammy winning opera recordings. In Chalk Talk, we take a look at the history of the only Grammys category that matters, Best Opera Recordings. Which winners have stood the test of time and which recordings are the equivalent of Oscar winners like Crash or Green Book? [@ 44 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Renee Fleming calls out conservatories for predatory pricing, and the PR disaster surrounding the New York Philharmonic sex abuse scandal continues.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 6 min] Alright, this week…it’s a Santa Fe Spectacular! First, we go Inside the Huddle with THEIR hometown hero, Kevin Burdette. The American bass, dubbed the “Robin Williams of Opera,” recently gave his 100th performance at Santa Fe Opera in his 15th role for the company.[@ 43 min] And then…Florian Sempey takes a Free Throw on his time at Santa Fe Opera. The French baritone is wrapping up his American debut in one of his signature roles: Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro.[@ 58 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…aa fake philanthropist swindles the Met; Melania, the Opera, is set to premiere in September; and our own George Cederquist pays tribute to the late Robert WIlson.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…Maestro Enrique Mazzola goes Inside the Huddle! The Italian conductor just wrapped up performances of Massenet’s "Werther" in Berlin, but his summer season continues stateside with debuts at the Grand Teton and Aspen Music Festivals before returning to Chicago for his other little gig.[@ 28 min] And then…in 'Listener Mailbag,' a vocal coach and a sound tech walk into a bar…I mean opera. Let’s see what happens as someone experiences their first opera EVER at Santa Fe! [@ 41 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Peter Gelb puts his foot in his mouth (legally speaking), and a famous soprano’s foundation is being evicted for not paying rent...you have to wait for the drill to find out which soprano. Or scrub through the episode if you’re impatient, I’m not your dad. GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 6 min] Alright, this week…We go Inside the Huddle with Elizabeth DeShong, who has entered the She Can Sing Anything stage of her career. Set to return to Chicago next month for Alcina, Haymarket Opera’s debut at Ravinia Festival, the American mezzo and bel canto boss reveals The Role She is Dying to Sing.[@ 25 min] And then…they say We Had No Idea…which, to us, means they haven’t been listening to Opera Box Score. Yes, Classical Music DOES have a sexual abuse problem, and in other news, Serena Williams is good at tennis. [@ 34 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Zachary Woolfe’s being booted from the classical music section at the New York Times. And, I mean, we DO need another co-host…GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…We go Inside the Huddle with Joshua Winograde, one of opera’s leading administrators and now-director of opera studies at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music. Is this the interview that finally lands the OBS team a tenure track position in Opera Bantering?[@ 35 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…sweating employment at the Kennedy Center, sweating a conductor at Caserta, and straight up sweating and fainting in Verona. GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 5 min] Alright, this week…Jacquelyn Stucker goes Inside the Huddle. The American soprano joins us from Santa Fe Opera where she is set to make her role debut as the Governess in The Turn of the Screw. Will the Governess overcome her biggest fear? (having to withstand being questioned by Oliver Camacho?) Stay tuned to find out![@ 35 min] And then..a message in the Listener Mailbag gets us thinking about what we should call our OBS fans...[@ 39 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…are opera singers are being force fed Ozempic like a goose gavage? Also...no shirt, no shoes, no Scala! 'La' Scala, that is…GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…live (on tape) from Opera Theatre of St Louis, Anthony León goes Inside the Huddle to tell the story of his career acceleration after winning Operalia in 2022. The American born Cuban-Columbian tenor makes his debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago this season.[@ 38 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Bavarian State Opera joins the streaming community, and our friends at OperaWire join the podcast community. GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 2 min] Alright, this week...former countertenor, now baritone and stage director Drew Minter goes Inside the Huddle to preview Haymarket Opera’s upcoming production of Vinci’s Artaserse.[@ 30 min] And then…in 'Chalk Talk,' new data suggests that the problem with opera attendance isn’t actually price after all! Nobody tell Anthony Roth Costanzo.[@ 46 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…is it possible to have ethical AI usage in the arts? Opera Baltimore is on the case...GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 3 min] Alright, this week, it's Monday Evening Quarterback on the 2025 Boston Early Music Festival, and we’ll be joined by Amanda Forsythe with a scoop on the 2027 centerpiece opera! We promise this is the only opera podcast talking Telemann.[@ 21 min] And then...the centenary of Dietrich Fischer Dieskau’s birth was last month, and we have a Free Throw from one of his last pupils, Benjamin Appl. Considered to be one of the all-time great Lieder interpreters, WE will consider Dieskau’s notable opera roles.[@ 43 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…a decline in tourism coupled with the rise in deportations may be adversely affecting ticket sales at the Met...but that’s not stopping the Laffont competition from scouting in South America.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 5 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Julia Bullock (!!!). The distinctive soprano and muse of John Adams just wrapped the Met premiere production of Antony and Cleopatra and is sticking around Lincoln Center with her collaborators at American Modern Opera Company for the upcoming Run AMOC Festival. Somehow, she agreed to spend her only 30 minutes of downtime with us! [@ 29 min] And then, in “Home Team,” we bring you a second exclusive interview with Elijah McCormack. The male soprano, who is set to star in Haymarket Opera’s production of Artaserse, helps us celebrate Pride Month and the totally queer excesses of Italian opera seria during the high Baroque! [@ 52 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Donald Trump earns rave reviews in a Cantonese Opera, but his ticket sales at home are tanking at the Kennedy Center…GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…it’s an Inside the Huddle double header! First, we'll speak with tenor Josh Lovell, who will be playing Jupiter in Atlanta Opera’s production of Semele. [@ 27 min] We’ll also talk to Castle of our Skins cofounder Ashleigh Gordon, who’s bringing Frederick Douglass to life with the help of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project![@ 47 min] Plus, in the Two-Minute Drill, WT actual F is going on at the Kennedy Center, and WT literal F is going on with male leaders in classical music? Plus, Chicago Symphony Chorus gets a new director, Opera in the Ozarks gets new digs, and a Good Call for being mic'd Up.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@1 min] Alright, this week…Our regular recording day is Monday. Since that’s Memorial Day, the team is taking a patriotic time-out and we bring you two Inside the Huddle features with great American artists: Ricky Ian Gordon and Sylvia McNair!GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@2 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang! Later this month will be the world premiere recording of their first collaboration, An American Soldier will be released, just in time for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.[@37 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Santa Fe Opera announces their new season where friends of the show abound, Houston Grand Opera is teaming up with an English orchestra, and Eurovision gets in on the AAPI celebration.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@2 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Patricia Racette! The newly appointed Artistic Director of Opera Theatre of St Louis returns to the OBS to share her strategy for storytelling and shaping the future of her new home company.[@41 min] And then...a Field Report from The Met’s Barber of Seville, described by our on-the-ground correspondent as a Money Machine...[@43 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Opera Philadelphia’s $11 dollar tickets are back and the 2025 Richard Tucker Award winner is announced. It’s a great time for opera in America. No obstacles or challenges for artists at all….GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@3 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Gemma New. Having already achieved operatic glory in Opera Theater St Louis’s acclaimed production of Susannah, find out how the Kiwi conductor is preparing for her upcoming debut at Santa Fe Opera![@17 min] Then...in Monday Evening Quarterback, we give you the play by play of the US premiere of a new orchestration of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha- which gets us thinking, what are the best operas never to be seen by their composers?[@42 min] Opera Theatre names Patricia Racette as its new Artistic Director, and Sonya Yoncheva wants to teach your children about classical music..first lesson, Tosca!GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@4 min] Alright, this week…THE Klaus Mäkelä takes a Free Throw. That’s right folks. We’re the only opera podcast to get an exclusive with the phenom Finnish conductor – for a whole 45 seconds![@9 min] And since we’re taking a dip into the symphonic world with our new friend of the show Klaus Makela, stick around for the return of Spring Training for Your Ears: Symphonic Repertoire![@40 min] Then, a field report on the Met’s Marriage of Figaro conducted by Joana Mallwitz (yo-AN-na MAHL-vits) with a very special Barbarina.[@43 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Detroit Opera risks being deported and Sir Bryn Terfel says, EF it, I’m going to Mexico.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@4 min] Alright, this week...friend of the show Andrew Jorgensen returns to take a Free Throw on the upcoming Opera Theatre of St Louis festival season. You’ll be shocked to find out which of the four productions he is looking forward to the most...[@16 min] And then…we exercise our opera snob muscles and discuss what makes an opera high art, like Wagner’s Ring Cycle, or pop garbage, like Charpentier’s Louise.[@32 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Jacksonville University decides that the arts aren’t important, Carolina Opera gets sued, but at least Kennedy Center believes in the red, white, and blue…GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@1 min] Alright, this week...we go Inside the Huddle with Timothy Murray. The American baritone is having a breakout season which includes his debut at the Met and singing a title role at Opera Omaha this spring! Later this month, he brings his celebrated Don Giovanni to Opera Philadelphia...[@25 min] Then, we review the recording career of an artist who holds the record for Classical Grammy wins…and if you’re thinking of The Crossing, not yet…Keep listening to find out who.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@4 min] Alright, this week...we go Inside the Huddle with Timothy Murray. The American baritone is having a breakout season which includes his debut at the Met and singing a title role at Opera Omaha this spring! Later this month, he brings his celebrated Don Giovanni to Opera Philadelphia...[@29 min] And then…as classically trained church singers head into the busiest week of the year, a galvanizing essay makes us all wonder if our acceptance of the status quo makes us are part of the problem.[@41 min] Plus, in the "Two Minute Drill"…bouncing back from his loss at the Oscars, Ralph Fiennes goes after an International Opera Award, and Anita Rachvelishvili takes Peter Gelb to court, and we’re not talking tennis here.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@4 min] Alright, this week...it’s the Final Four of our March Madness Summer Festival bracket! Who wins when England, France, and Germany dare to go against the US?[@33 min] Plus, in the "Two Minute Drill"…Breaking news as we record, season announcements, and the Kennedy Center…is still there. GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@2 min] Alright, this week...we narrow our March Madness of Summer Festivals down to the Final Four! Who can challenge Glyndebourne in the UK quarter?[@21 min] Plus, in the "Two Minute Drill"…Opera Theater St Louis is getting an extreme makeover, opera edition, and Brooklyn Academy of Music may be broke, but they’ve got Barrie Kosky!GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1operaboxscore.bsky.social

[@3 min] Alright, this week...we go Inside the Huddle with Yuval Sharon! The stage director, author, and administrator, who is famous for the parking lot Gotterdammerung and Backwards Boheme(™), is currently exploring artificial intelligence in his new concept for Cosi fan tutte. Sharon joins us to preview that upcoming production for Detroit Opera AND to answer the age-old question: Is there any opera in the standard canon that is fine just the way it is?[@25 min] And then…it’s our annual March Madness bracket. Find out which summer opera festivals made it to the Sweet Sixteen, and we put the call out to you to help pick the Elite Eight.[@33 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…the Laffont competition crowns five singers, and JD Vance gets booed at the Kennedy Center - that’s good news for most of us. GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1bsky @operaboxscore

[@3 min] Alright, this week...we go Inside the Huddle with Nathan Granner! The American tenor is set to star in a revised version of Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell’s "The Shining" at Portland Opera, but we had to ask him about the opera "Balls."[@33 min] And then…In Home Team, Lyric Opera of Chicago announces their next season, which includes performances by former creative consultant Renee Fleming and…the Smashing Pumpkins?….but, sadly, not on the same concert.[@46 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…In 2025, conductor Marin Alsop says she is not looking forward to the 30’s, and by that, she means the return of the 1930s.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1bsky @operaboxscore

[@3 min] Alright, this week...we go Inside the Huddle with Dr. Lucy Caplan, author of a recently published history of a Golden Age in American classical music called "Dreaming in Ensemble: How Black Artists Transformed America Opera." In addition to tantalizing us with all the operas by American composers that have never been heard in modern times, Lucy Caplan also has ideas about what we should do instead of performing Aida in blackface.[@31 min] And then…soprano Joelle Harvey takes a Free Throw on the female voice and how experiences only women have affect the instrument. Thank goodness we have Ashlee on hand for that one...[@52 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Portland Opera is moving out of its mother’s basement and into its own loft downtown, and, breaking news, no one likes America anymore!GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1bsky @operaboxscore

[@2 min] Alright, this week...THE Iestyn Davies takes a Free Throw on one of his signature role, Didymus in Handel’s Theodora. A role, incidentally, which will mark his debut with Chicago’s Music of the Baroque this weekend. And since Oliver loves Iestyn so much, we’ll revisit a favorite Inside the Huddle with the British countertenor from the OBS archives. [@44 min] And then, in the 'Two Minute Drill'…America will FINALLY celebrate Christ at Christmas. And it’s supposed to be BARBER of Seville, not CHEESEMONGER of Seville...GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1bsky @operaboxscore

[@3 min] Alright, this week...Pene Pati takes a Free Throw on Rodolfo, the role which marks the star Samoan tenor’s debut at Lyric Opera of Chicago next month. As Rodolfo and Mimi are top two on the call sheet for La Boheme, we’ll handicap some of the commercial recordings of Puccini’s perennial people pleasing masterpiece.[@39 min] And then…Meridian Prall goes Inside the Huddle. Named an OBS artist to watch in 2025, so we are going to check in with the American mezzo-soprano in advance of her debut in Washington Concert Opera’s La clemenza di Tito.[@65 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…speaking of Washington..well, we’d rather not, but at least we can talk about the new Met season if America is still a thing in the fall.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1bsky @operaboxscore

[@5 min] Alright...This week, we go Inside the Huddle with Elena Villalón! The Cuban-American soprano returns to OBS 6 years after she first joined after winning the Met Council auditions. Later this month, she makes her Detroit Opera debut in Handel’s "Rinaldo."[@36 min] And then…a Listener Mailbag on a song recital! Oliver, is this your doing? This is Opera Box Score, not Lieder Anzeigetafel![@42 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…will a certain podcast be designated as an enemy of the state for not showing blind allegiance to the chairman? Stay tuned and find out..unless we’ve already been scrubbed from the internet.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1bsky @operaboxscore

[@4 min] This week, baritenor Michael Spyres goes Inside the Huddle to discuss his unique fach, but it’s 2025 and Beyonce won a grammy for best country album, so what even is fach? We’ll discuss a brief history of the baritenor, bel canto edition.[@32 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Friend of the Show Karen Slack wins best vocal solo ,and it’s an unhappy ending for almost-friend-of-the-show-but-thankfully-it-never-worked-out baritone Justin Tucker.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1bsky @operaboxscore

[@6 min] Alright, this week…in advance of "The Puccini Heroines," an all-Puccini arias concert at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Sondra Radvanovsky takes a Free Throw on the singing the role of Turandot. Compared to Norma and Aida, you may be surprised to hear that it's one of her easiest roles.[@18 min] And then…in Listener Mailbag, we have field reports on all the vocal activity at Carnegie Hall including Song Studio, Friend of the Show Ying Fang with the Orchestra of St Luke’s, and Friend of the Show Ryan Speedo Green in recital with pianist Adam Nielsen.[@27 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…there is good news for 2025. Soprano Lise Davidsen has announced she is having twins! And if they are fraternal twins who inherit their mom’s voice, maybe in 2055 we will have a future dream team Sieglinde and Siegmund!GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1bsky @operaboxscore

Alright, this week…we're recording on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, so we're going Inside the Huddle with two Black divas...[@ 1 min] First up, it’s soprano Symone Harcum, the star of Opera Philadelphia’s upcoming production of The Anonymous Lover by Joseph Bologne. [@ 26 min] Then, Jordan Pitts, the creator of New York City and Paris Grand Opera’s Diva Creatine Price, goes Inside the Huddle to share his experience as a finalist in France’s Got Talent.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1bsky @operaboxscore

[@3 min] Alright, this week…New Year, New OBS! There’s a lot to look forward to in the coming months and we have all your 2025 recommendations, resolutions, and redshirts.[@36 min] And then…legendary French conductor Marc Minkowski takes a free throw on the career of one of his longtime collaborators and favorite singers. You’ll have to stay tuned to find out who, but we can give you a hint: it rhymes with Schmagdalena Kožená.[@46 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…say it isn’t so! Sir Bryn Terfel is retiring his Scarpia, and conductor Daniel Harding loves taking risks in the pit, but hopefully not the cockpit.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 5 min] This week…we go inside the huddle with Givonna Joseph, the founder of Opera Creole, and soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams, the star of that company's upcoming world premiere of Edmond Dede’s "Morgiane," a collaboration with friend of the show Opera Lafayette.[@ 32 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…the prima of the Met’s new Aida was an event that won’t be forgotten any time soon, and is Paris Hilton the solution to opera’s Millennial problem?GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

Alright, this week…It’s the OBS year in review! From Beyoncé showing off her Italian Baroque chops to Arts Council England continuing to be the enemy of opera, to friend of the show Anthony Roth Costanzo being tapped as Opera Philadelphia’s new GD, to other friend of the show Benjamin Bernheim getting the ultimate OBS bump, 2024 certainly was…something. The team breaks it down for you…GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 1 min] This week…for our annual Christmas episode, we’re going INSIDE THE CAROL. Taking a break from opera news, the OBS team wants to save you from tears, and give your heart away to someone special…[@ 23 min] Plus, keeping with the theme of magical births, a field report on the Met’s “Die Frau Ohne Schatten.”GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 2 min] This week…we go inside the huddle with Key’mon Murrah. In advance of his upcoming Washington National Opera Marian Anderson Vocal Award recital, we catch up with the in-demand countertenor almost four years after he first became a Friend of the Show. [@ 26 min] Then, we take a break from the opera to discuss the CSO in this week’s listener mailbag…[@ 31 min] After that…Puccini died a century ago, and his operas are still performed all over the world. Matt and I are here to settle the question once and for all: was Giacomo the GOAT? Or GioAT, if you will?[@ 59 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…is Bayreuth’s budget going bust? Will bad business bring about bankruptcy? We boys break down this baffling botheration…GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 2 min] This week, we’re recording on December 2nd, the 101st anniversary of the birth of Maria Callas. And to celebrate, we’ll go Inside the Huddle with Sophia Lambton, author of the new biography, "The Callas Imprint."[@ 30 min] Then, it’s a Monday Evening Quarterback on “Maria,” the film now in select theaters and coming to Netflix this month![@ 38 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…we may be celebrating Callas’ birthday on the show today, but Puccini’s birthday was nearly ruined at La Scala…GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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…

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[@ 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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...

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[@ 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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...

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[@ 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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...

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[@ 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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…

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[@ 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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...

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[@ 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG 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.

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[@ 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 min] Then…we go Inside the Huddle with Sir Emanuele Andrizzi. The Italian conductor, recently bestowed the rank of Officer of the Knights of the Order of the Star of Italy, is betting on Gian Carlo Menotti as he is set to conduct the Medium for Opera Festival of Chicago.[@ 1h 5 min] Certain artists from a certain country are not having a good news cycle.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 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 min] Then…we go Inside the Huddle with Sir Emanuele Andrizzi. The Italian conductor, recently bestowed the rank of Officer of the Knights of the Order of the Star of Italy, is betting on Gian Carlo Menotti as he is set to conduct the Medium for Opera Festival of Chicago.

[@ 1h 5 min] Certain artists from a certain country are not having a good news cycle.

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[@ 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 Minute Drill’…Ron De Santis gives Florida the Arts Council England treatment, but worse. So much worse.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 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 season yet! We crunch those numbers...[@ 49 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’…the opera world mourns the untimely death of Belgian soprano Jodie Devos.GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 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 season yet! We crunch those numbers...

[@ 49 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’…the opera world mourns the untimely death of Belgian soprano Jodie Devos.

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[@ 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 fathers, I tell you.[@ 43 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’…what time is it? Yannick Nezet-Seguin knows…GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 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 of Opera Theater of Saint Louis returns to OBS five years after he last stepped into the batter’s box. We’ll find out if our top draft pick from 2018 is still a wide-eyed optimist about the state of the industry, and we’ll get an overview of the season which has already begun...[@ 51 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Just in time for Ashlee’s return to the panel, it’s the news about Men Behaving Badly...GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 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 of Opera Theater of Saint Louis returns to OBS five years after he last stepped into the batter’s box. We’ll find out if our top draft pick from 2018 is still a wide-eyed optimist about the state of the industry, and we’ll get an overview of the season which has already begun...

[@ 51 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Just in time for Ashlee’s return to the panel, it’s the news about Men Behaving Badly...

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[@ 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 HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 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...

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[@ 2 min] The second ever World Opera Forum is set to kick off early next month in Los Angeles. To preview this global gathering, (this United Nations of Opera, if you will), we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with an American delegate, Houston Grand Opera general director and CEO Khori Dastoor...[@ 37 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… the Royal news continues, and only two boos for a new Ring Cycle: the crowd loved it...!GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 2 min] The second ever World Opera Forum is set to kick off early next month in Los Angeles. To preview this global gathering, (this United Nations of Opera, if you will), we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with an American delegate, Houston Grand Opera general director and CEO Khori Dastoor...

[@ 37 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… the Royal news continues, and only two boos for a new Ring Cycle: the crowd loved it...!

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[@ 2 min] FOS Francesca Zambello and composer Christopher Tin recently changed the ending of "Turandot" at the Kennedy Center. We’re taking a page from their book to see what problematic productions might also be in need of a refreshed finale...[@ 20 min] And then... PJ files two ecstatic field reports from the Met: one is a rock concert and the other is all about the Boy...[@ 24 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… stories about Beethoven’s hair and Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s heart...GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] This week, 'Hometown Team' Chicago Opera Theater announced its new season. Lawrence Edelson joins us to unpack the first full season he programmed as the company’s recently appointed General Director...[@ 38 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… We have the latest Royal news. Not Kate and William, or Meghan and Harry; it’s the newly-named Royal Ballet and Opera...GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] This week, 'Hometown Team' Chicago Opera Theater announced its new season. Lawrence Edelson joins us to unpack the first full season he programmed as the company’s recently appointed General Director...

[@ 38 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… We have the latest Royal news. Not Kate and William, or Meghan and Harry; it’s the newly-named Royal Ballet and Opera...

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[@ 4 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with the newly-minted general director of Opera Philadelphia: it’s the return of Friend of the Show Anthony Roth Costanzo, reaping the benefits of the OBS bump...[@ 27 min] We dip into the ‘Listener Mailbag’ on your reactions to our recent interview with Extinction Rebellion and the results of our Sweet Sixteen Schools of Singing showdown...[@ 32 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Friend of the Show Huw Montague Rendall will sing Billy Budd in Vienna. If you’ve ever wanted to meet Oliver Camacho in person, he will be sleeping outside the Staatsoper for the entire run...GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with the newly-minted general director of Opera Philadelphia: it’s the return of Friend of the Show Anthony Roth Costanzo, reaping the benefits of the OBS bump...

[@ 27 min] We dip into the ‘Listener Mailbag’ on your reactions to our recent interview with Extinction Rebellion and the results of our Sweet Sixteen Schools of Singing showdown...

[@ 32 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Friend of the Show Huw Montague Rendall will sing Billy Budd in Vienna. If you’ve ever wanted to meet Oliver Camacho in person, he will be sleeping outside the Staatsoper for the entire run...

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[@ 2 min] The opera world says goodbye to the legendary Sir Andrew Davis...[@ 25 min] We go 'Inside the Huddle' with John Mark Rozendaal, a musician and Extinction Rebellion activist who disrupted the Met’s “Tannhäuser” last winter... [@ 47 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’: all aboard the Caballé Express...!GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 2 min] The opera world says goodbye to the legendary Sir Andrew Davis...

[@ 25 min] We go 'Inside the Huddle' with John Mark Rozendaal, a musician and Extinction Rebellion activist who disrupted the Met’s “Tannhäuser” last winter...

[@ 47 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’: all aboard the Caballé Express...!

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[@ 5 min] Harry Bicket, music director of Santa Fe Opera, takes a ‘Free Throw’ on being pigeonholed as an Early Music specialist. This summer, Maestro Bicket conducts "Don Giovanni"; we ask him to weigh in on his favorite act of a Mozart opera…

[@ 19 min] In 'Chalk Talk'... It’s all very well for us to bust a bracket finding the Best School of Music voice program. But what are those departments actually teaching, and how does that relate to what a modern freelance performer actually needs to know…?

[@ 39 min] It’s a bonus ‘Free Throw’ from tenor Jonathan Tetelman, making a double debut at the Met, starting this Saturday in "La Rondine"…

[@ 49 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… major awards, a scandal (or not) at the NY Phil, budget cuts in Paris, and all hail the Tempo Police...

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[@ 3 min] The Final Four bracket for the Best School for Singing is here. Will a top seed prevail...?

[@ 26 min] In 'Listener Mailbag,' PJ and Donald give us a preview of “La Rondine” at the Met, which features the house debut of Friend of the Show Emily Pogorelc...

[@ 31 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill,’ we ignore opera completely and talk about the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for once...!

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[@ 4 min] It’s the East and West regions of the Best School of Music bracket. Who will join IU and UNT in the Final Four?

[@ 25 min] We go 'Inside the Huddle' with baritone Reginald Smith Jr. with the 2021 Cardiff Singer of the World contestant wrapping up his MVP season at Lyric Opera of Chicago as star of Terence Blanchard’s "Champion" and Amonasro in "Aida"...

[@ 52 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Voice majors feel seen by Beyoncé...

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[@ 3 min] March Madness is here! In 'Chalk Talk', we work through a bracket of our own to pick the top school of music in the country…

[@ 26 min] Baritone Lucas Meachem returns to OBS to take a 'Free Throw' on developing young voices and how to decide on where one should get their undergraduate degree if they want to make it to the pros…

[@ 37 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Malfunctions at the Met lead to making lemonade out of lemons…

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[@ 4 min] We go 'Inside the Huddle' with Hera Hyesang Park. The South Korean soprano’s sophomore album was just released and she tells us about how she was photographed for the album cover...

[@ 29 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Swifties got the "Eras" tour and the Beehive got the "Renaissance" tour. Lookout, opera fans: Kathleen Battle is back with the "Battle Fatigue" tour...

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[@ 3 min] We go 'Inside the Huddle' with an icon of American opera, early music… and cabaret? It’s soprano Sylvia McNair...

[@ 28 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, we unpack Lyric Opera of Chicago’s hot-off-the-presses '24-'25 season announcement, and catch you up on the latest open letters to Arts Council England...

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We kick off Women’s History Month with a replay of three our of favorite interviews with female artists...

[@ 2 min] Francesca Zambello shares her philosophy on how to make an opera company an attractive place to work...

[@ 27 min] Kathryn Lewek talks about singing the Queen of the Night...

[@ 69 min] Isabel Leonard takes the OBS's first ever 'Free Throw'...

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[@ 3 min] 2024 being a leap year not only means it’s an Olympiad, but also a Rossini birthday year. To celebrate his 56th (!) birthday, we’ll do some 'Spring Training' on the bel canto master’s career highlights...

[@ 33 min] Maestro Enrique Mazzola takes a 'Free Throw' on the aria “Celeste Aida”, which he considers to be a written in the bel canto style, albeit for a heroic Verdi tenor...

[@ 38 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… It's Season Announcement Season. We’ll unpack the upcoming offerings from the Met, including Christina Nilsson as Aida...

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[@ 2 min] Ashlee couldn’t get an interview with Kermit the Frog, but she does have a segment all about the intersection between the Muppets and opera! (Hot take: all the cool opera singers hang with Miss Piggy...)

[@ 24min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Like the finale to "Dialogues of the Carmelites", ENO musicians get their redundancy notices and sing all the way to the guillotine....

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[@ 3 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with children’s book author Carolyn Sloan whose new picture book “Welcome to the Opera”, much to our surprise, does NOT use the story of Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk to introduce opera to the newest audiences...

[@ 20 min] Then… We notch six more items from our Callas100 countdown, take a peek in the 'Listener Mailbag', and recap the music of Super Bowl LVIII...

[@ 38 min] Plus… Is Sir Punch Slapiot Grabbeber ready to return to the stage? Find out in the Two Minute Drill...

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[@ 2 min] The Met has now staged two operas, in working-class middle America, to “mixed” reviews. Were these bold artistic choices a bid to shake up elite opera audiences, or did someone in the props department just have access to a trailer...?

[@ 23 min] Then, countertenor Reginald Mobley takes a 'Free Throw' on being a prominent Black artist in Early Music...

[@ 39 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… the Grammy winners are in! Did the OBS bump have any effect...?

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[@ 5 min] We go 'Inside the Huddle' with composer Melissa Dunphy to excavate 250 years of Philadelphia history, discovering broken pottery, the music of ghosts, and why cricket isn’t actually a boring sport…

[@ 29min] Plus, PJ files a field report from Carnegie Hall’s Song Studio in the 'Listener Mailbag'...

[@ 31 min] In the 'Two Minute Drill'… you know that meme? The one with the dog in the house on fire saying “This is fine?” Maybe don’t send that one to Peter Gelb right now

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[@ 4 min] Can’t wait to find out who’ll win the AFC and NFC conferences? In 'Chalk Talk', we pick the Super Bowl contenders with our patented opera prediction method…

[@ 24 min] Jonathan Cohen takes a 'Free Throw' on the different national approaches of performance practice in early music. The cellist, harpsichordist, and conductor nerds out with Oliver on Baroque stuff in advance of his debut with Chicago’s MOB…

[@ 36 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Will the English National Opera chorus finally go on strike…?

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[@ 5 min] Tenor Jack Swanson goes ‘Inside the Huddle’. The young American bel canto specialist has already debuted at the Rossini Festival in Pesaro, and won Oliver’s heart as Almaviva at Santa Fe Opera Festival. Now he's in Chicago set to make his house debut in another signature Rossini part: Prince Ramiro in "Cinderella"...

[@ 39 min] And then… Jack Swanson’s co-star, the legendary Italian baritone Alessandro Corbelli takes a ‘Free Throw’ on singing Mozart, bel canto buffo parts, and contributes to our Callas100 celebration...

[@ 53 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… We’re still waiting for our check from the estate of Lois Kirschenbaum…

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[@ 5 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Briana Hunter. The American mezzo-soprano is accomplished stage actress and a champion of new works, making her a stage director’s dream...

[@ 32 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… a Gilbert & Sullivan manuscript has been missing for over a century. If you know where it is, please return it to its rightful owner (George)...

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Happy New Year from the OBS Team! We'll be back with an all-new episode on Thursday, January 11, 2024...

Please enjoy this replay of three of our favorite interviews from 2023: OperaDelaware's Kerriann Otaño [@ 3 min], and stage directors Marcus Shields [@ 24 min] and David Alden [@ 55 min]...

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It’s a full house for our last new episode of 2023! We wrap things up with the best and worst from Operaland over the past year, including trends, performances, and passings, plus we vote for the inaugural OBS Person of the Year…

[@ 4 min] Canadian-American bass John Relyea goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with us from Rome where he just completed a run in the title role of Boito’s "Mefistofele". Little did he know that he would be bargaining with his OWN soul when he agreed to be interviewed...

[@ 24 min] It's a field report from PJ and pals on the Met’s "Tannhäuser", and the #Callas100 countdown continues…

[@ 37 min] Tributes are flooding in for the late Marlena Malas. We share some with you in the ‘Two Minute Drill’...

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[@ 5 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Maya Kherani. In addition to being a rare example of a soprano of South Asian descent who has gained traction in the largely white world of Early Music, Maya is also establishing herself as an advocate for mothers in opera...

[@ 30 min] We've finally arrived at the centenary of Maria Callas’ birth; over the course of the year, we'll countdown 'The Callas 100'…

[@ 42 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… It’s another climate protest, this time during "Tannhäuser" at the Met...

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[@ 4 min] Legendary stage director and Intendantin Francesca Zambello goes 'Inside the Huddle' to share her philosophy on how to make an opera company an attractive place to work, and she previews her current project at Chicago Opera Theater: Shostakovich's "The Nose"...

[@ 30 min] It's a field report from PJ on The Met’s new "Florencia en el Amazonas"…

[@ 33 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… a British student stumbles upon an old Salieri manuscript thought to be lost. Was it SABOTAGE by Mozart...?

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It’s a special, all-clips, holiday episode for you, dear listener. Whether you’re stuffing a turkey or waiting in baggage claim, find out which moments in opera make our team think of family and togetherness. Like "Elektra"...

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[@ 3 min] It’s awards season! Grammy nominations are in; so are the International Opera Awards winners. Find out who’s cashing in on the OBS bump this year… Plus, Matt and Ashlee play 'Monday Evening Quarterback' from coast to coast to... well, third coast…

[@ 51 min] Friends of the Show Boston Early Music Festival are set to present "The Dragon of Wantley" as their Thanksgiving weekend chamber opera. Their star tenor Aaron Sheehan takes a 'Free Throw' on what it’s like to be in one of BEMF’s lavish, historically informed productions...

[@ 57 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Met plans to celebrate Stephen Schwartz. Could a staging of "Wicked" starring Lise Davidsen and Nina Stemme be far away...?

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[@ 5 min] As Lidiya Yankovskaya prepares to step down as Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater, we take a look at some of the ‘Swings and Misses’ of her tenure, including being a three-time Inside the Huddle guest on the OBS...

[@ 30 min] And then… PJ files a report on “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” from the Met, and Lise Davidsen joins us for a ‘Free Throw’ on Janacek’s "Jenůfa"…

[@ 42 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… France is the big winner in the World Cup of Opera, and an opera company in Dallas attempts to show the relationship between opera and sports...

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[@ 2 min] After an injury sidelined Alex DeSocio from a college football career, the baritone turned to the most logical alternative: opera. His young career has already taken him to Pensacola Opera, Opera Birmingham, Fort Worth Opera, and now the world premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s “Intelligence” at Houston Grand Opera…

[@ 25 min] And then… it’s the return of Friend of the Show Ryan Speedo Green. Speedo takes a ‘Free Throw’ on how he scored the role of Emile Griffith in the high-profile Met debut of Terence Blanchard’s “Champion”...

[@ 35 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… If you cancel yourself, does that count as Cancel Culture…?

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[@ 3 min] It’s the annual Hallowe’en Spooktacular, the scary and shocking moments of opera that will have you lose your head…

[@ 46 min] In the ‘Listener Mailbag’... A field report from Donald and PJ, and a review of Opera Arizona’s "Frankenstein"...

[@ 53 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The scariest thing about opera? We’d have to say: the sexism…

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[@ 3 min] It’s a Band Geek Edition of 'Sportzando!' Say. No. More.

[@ 31 min] And then... I don’t know how we pulled it off, but we have a 'Free Throw' with tenor, author, stage director, clown, radio host, and television personality Rolando Villazón...

[@ 40 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Well, at least Martyn Brabbins didn’t punch anyone when things got ugly at English National Opera…

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[@ 5 min] It's an ‘Inside the Huddle’ is a double-header! First up, in the middle of rehearsals for “The Barber of Seville” at LA Opera, it’s the dreamy Italian bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni...

[@ 34 min] For the second interview of theTwi-night, it’s the young Heldentenor Robert Watson, who just completed his Lyric Opera debut as Erik in “The Flying Dutchman"...

[@ 55 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… We say farewell to one of the true digital originals: James Jorden…

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[@ 4 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with John Brancy in London, where he's reprising his role as the Artisan & Collector in George Benjamin’s “Picture a Day Like This”. He tells us how that role was customized to his freakish abilities and why we shouldn’t limit ourselves to just one way of singing…

[@ 35 min] And then… Lisette Oropesa, who makes her Lyric Opera debut next month in “Daughter of the Regiment”, takes a ‘Free Throw’ on the other Donizetti role that brought her career to international attention…

[@ 45 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… What year is it? According to a North Carolina classical radio station, it’s 1950...

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[@ 4 min] In our new segment, ‘Swings & Misses’, we look at the best and worst decisions from Operaland, starting with the home runs and strikeouts of Anthony Freud’s tenure at Lyric Opera of Chicago…

[@ 25 min] He was in Fantasy Football enemy territory, but did he enjoy Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O23? Oliver tells all in ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’…

[@ 36 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… How would you look if you were naked onstage and 4.9 billion years old...?

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We go 'Inside the Huddle' with soprano Amanda Majeski. The tap-dancing Mozart 'n' Strauss diva is from Illinois and lives in Wisconsin. You'll be shocked when you find out where her sports allegiance lies...

Plus, in the 'Two Minute Drill'… Where are all the gay white male opera administrators going? Starting their own super opera company in P-town...?

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[@ 7 min] Season 9 of the OBS begins with a mixed doubles ‘Inside the Huddle’ when FOUR artists join us to preview Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O23...

[@ 57 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… It’s Ying Fang. YING. FANG. Not WANG FAN...

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We dive into the OBS archives for a highlight from Season 6 when we went ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Ying Fang…We’re back with an all-new show on Thursday, September 14th, when we kick off Season 9 of the OBS with a preview of Festival O23 at Opera Philadelphia… Join us!GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

We dive into the OBS archives for a highlight from Season 6 when we went ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Ying Fang…

We’re back with an all-new show on Thursday, September 14th, when we kick off Season 9 of the OBS with a preview of Festival O23 at Opera Philadelphia… Join us!

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[@ 3 min] It’s transition season in sports and on the OBS… We let you know what’s new on this season’s college football gridiron, we handicap the men’s draw of the US Open, and we recap our favorite Season 8 OBS highlights…[@ 22 min] And then… Before we take our Labor Day break, we get into those Listener Mailbag submissions from both regulars and a first-time caller, long-time listener…[@ 31 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… It’s the slap heard around the world. No, not at the Oscars, at France’s Berlioz Festival…We’re back with an all-new show on Thursday, September 14, when we kick off Season 9 of the OBS with a preview of the 2023 O Festival from Philadelphia… Join us!SHOW NOTEShttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/24/john-eliot-gardiner-pulls-out-of-bbc-proms-after-reports-he-punched-bass-singerGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] It’s transition season in sports and on the OBS… We let you know what’s new on this season’s college football gridiron, we handicap the men’s draw of the US Open, and we recap our favorite Season 8 OBS highlights…

[@ 22 min] And then… Before we take our Labor Day break, we get into those Listener Mailbag submissions from both regulars and a first-time caller, long-time listener…

[@ 31 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… It’s the slap heard around the world. No, not at the Oscars, at France’s Berlioz Festival…

We’re back with an all-new show on Thursday, September 14, when we kick off Season 9 of the OBS with a preview of the 2023 O Festival from Philadelphia… Join us!

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[@ 4 min] She was More Than a Diva, and now she enters the OBS Hall of Fame. It’s our tribute to the late, great Renata Scotto…

[@ 36 min] In a blow to American opera cognoscenti, the Metropolitan Opera Guild will cease publication of ‘Opera News’. That means all you PR agents out there? The OBS is all you’ve got left...

[@ 48 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… As we predicted, Spain won the Women’s World Cup, but Australian women can’t even get a break in their own opera houses…

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[@ 4 min] The Women’s World Cup is down to its final four teams, and we’re here to pick a winner, based on a head-to-head clash between each country’s greatest female singer…

[@ 32 min] And then… We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with baritone Huw Montague Rendall, who’s starring in the current production of “Pelléas et Mélisande” at the Santa Fe Opera. Find out which team he’s betting on to win the World Cup, along with his pick for the best act of a Mozart opera...

[@ 1 h 1 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Which conductor would you like to see with nothing but his, er, baton…?

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[@ 3 min] It’s a double-header on Oktavian when we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Samantha Hankey, star of the Met’s recent production of “Der Rosenkavalier”… and then we’re joined by the Oktavian of her generation… Susan Graham! Plus you’ll get color commentary from Matt Cummings about why it’s one of the best mezzo roles in Operaland…

[@ 1 h 1 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… it’s the Opera Legal Roundup! David Daniels takes a plea deal, and the Met is getting sued. The plaintiff will shock you… (or not…)

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[@ 3 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis, whose electrifying sense of fearlessness shines whether she’s onstage or being recorded by a cheap USB mic on Oliver’s vacation in Santa Fe…

[@ 25 min] And then… It’s the 3rd period of the Mozart vs. Mozart vs. Mozart ‘TKO’ clash! Which single act of a Mozart opera will triumph as the G.O.A.T….?

[@ 1 h 13 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Antonio Pappano loves opera and football. Maybe it’s time for a new host here on OBS? Watch your back, Weston…

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[@ 3 min] Hot off the presses, Patrick Dupré Quigley has been named Artistic Director Designate of D.C.’s Opera Lafayette, with his first obstacle going ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Team OBS...

[@ 31 min] And then, in ‘TKO’... Mozart vs Mozart vs Mozart enters the 2nd period, when another soubrette is thrown into the rink with Susanna and Despina. Find out which opera Oliver backs in the best-act-ever showdown…

[@ 43 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Katharina Wagner warned you several times about raising your prices, and now you’re not sold out…

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[@ 3 min] It’s an epic three-act ‘TKO’… the OBS team takes to the ice to settle, once and for all, that eternal question: what IS the best single act of a Mozart opera…?

[@ 39 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Jonas calls a time-out: is he still butt-hurt from being Fass-bendered…?

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[@ 3 min] You may know Morris Robinson as the former-All-American-college-defensive-lineman-turned-bass, but when he goes ‘Inside the Huddle’, you’ll learn he’s recently been cast as a basketball “Big Man”…

[@ 36 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Taking a cue from Megan Rapinoe’s announcement, will Chautauqua Opera also retire after this season…?

We're back with an all-new show next week, when it’s Mozart vs. Mozart vs. Mozart... Join us!

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As Team OBS takes the week off for the Fourth, enjoy a rerun of our Independence Day show from last year, when we launched 'Singer Trading Cards', a look at the American League and some great artists of the recent past you’ll want to add to your collection...

We're back with an all-new show on Thursday, July 13, when bass Morris Robinson goes 'Inside the Huddle' to talk football, opera, and football. Join us!

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[3 min] The Santa Fe Opera’s current season starts this weekend, and we get a field report, but not from PJ...

[9 min] It’s bonus content from Oliver’s recent trip to the Boston Early Music Festival, when German soprano Dorothee Mields takes a 'Free Throw' on the subject of… birds?

[@ 24 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Friend of the Show Christine Goerke is cheering us ALL on; especially you, Tulsa Opera...

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[@ 3 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Olivier-award winning stage director David Alden, who is creating a new production of “The Flying Dutchman” for the Santa Fe Opera. George is in New Mexico with his OBS poncho, bolo tie, and handheld recorder to get the scoop…

[21 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… ticket sales are inching upward at the Met whilst glitter rains down at Glyndebourne…

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[@ 4 min] Live from the Boston Early Music Festival, Oliver goes 'Inside the Huddle' with Jonathan Woody. The bass-baritone and composer just wrapped up performances of the Festival’s centerpiece opera "Circé" as one of only two Black artists in the cast of dozens, but he’s not calling for the cancelation of Baroque music altogether (like some people we know...)

[@ 32 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… the plot of "Die Frau ohne Schatten" explained at last...

SHOW NOTES
https://bemf.org/
https://apnews.com/article/strauss-opera-die-frau-sopranos-san-francisco-d160124af7959cfcbf064ca26ccb29b8

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[@ 4 min] We induct the latest-departed great composer into the OBS HOF…

[@ 38 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill”... Dude, where’s our Music Director?

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[@ 2 min] We revisit our (virtual) Summer 2021 opera road trip when we stopped in Knoxville for a special ‘Hall of Fame’...[@ 34 min] PJ is back with a ‘Listener Mailbag’ report from “The Flying Dutchman” at the Met…[@ 38 min] It’s a blast from the past with Oliver’s Summer 2022 trip to Santa Fe to get Ryan Speedo Green ‘Inside the Huddle’…We’re back with an all-new show on Thursday, June 8th… Join us!GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 2 min] We revisit our (virtual) Summer 2021 opera road trip when we stopped in Knoxville for a special ‘Hall of Fame’...

[@ 34 min] PJ is back with a ‘Listener Mailbag’ report from “The Flying Dutchman” at the Met…

[@ 38 min] It’s a blast from the past with Oliver’s Summer 2022 trip to Santa Fe to get Ryan Speedo Green ‘Inside the Huddle’…

We’re back with an all-new show on Thursday, June 8th… Join us!

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[@ 4 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Whitney Morrison, the Chicago native who created the role of Yasmine Miller in Daniel Bernard Roumain and Anna Deveare Smith’s “The Walkers” at Lyric Opera of Chicago, where Whitney is the company’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence…[@ 28 min] It’s not a field report from our friend PJ!, but from George at the 2023 Opera America conference in Pittsburgh. See if he can find out the consensus from his peers on how many operas Handel wrote…[@ 45 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Breaking News: Met Orchestra Not Bored…SHOW NOTEShttps://www.athloneartists.com/artists/whitney-morrison/https://web.cvent.com/event/4923e5a9-e47e-4b61-ab89-5486007df183/summaryhttps://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-orchestra-fires-back-at-nathalie-stutzmann-comment-in-new-york-times/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/16/turbocharge-philanthropy-conga-to-beethoven-ditch-the-ukeleles-10-ways-to-save-classical-musicGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with American bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, who will reprise his role as Joseph De Rocher when “Dead Man Walking” finally makes its Met debut next season. Oliver talks to Ryan about that Jake Heggie opera, as well the Heggie piece he’ll tour with “Music of Remembrance”…[@ 27 min] In ‘Free Throw’… Apple Classical. Weston. ‘Nuff said…[@ 35 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Is LA Opera finally rid of the nightmare that is Plácido Domingo…?We’re back with an all-new show next week when George reports back from the 2023 Opera America conference in Pittsburgh. Join us…!SHOW NOTEShttps://ryanmckinny.com/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/arts/music/los-angeles-opera-placido-domingo.htmlGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 2 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’, Matt and Weston make you grateful that - whatever your issues are with your mother - at least she isn’t Clytemnestra…[@ 34 min] Then, ‘Listener Mailbag’ entries abound from NYC…[@ 38 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… “Can we live without the phone for just one damn hour?”…We’re back with an all-new show next week when we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with baritone Ryan McKinny, part of the US tour of Jake Heggie’s “Music of Remembrance”. Join us…!SHOW NOTEShttps://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/classical/yannick-nezet-seguin-ryan-speedo-green-kimmel-center-20230507.htmlGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] Imagine the best sports contest ever. Now imagine that turned into an opera. In our ‘Sportzando!' segment, we reveal what we’re imagining…[@ 26 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… it’s Ladies Night at the BBC Proms…We’re off next week for the annual OBS Office Retreat and Team Building Exercises (yikes!) but we’re back on Thursday, May 11 with an all-new show. Join us…SHOW NOTEShttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/apr/20/female-conductors-to-open-and-close-bbc-proms-for-first-timeGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] Imagine the best sports contest ever. Now imagine that turned into an opera. In our ‘Sportzando!' segment, we reveal what we’re imagining…

[@ 26 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… it’s Ladies Night at the BBC Proms…

We’re off next week for the annual OBS Office Retreat and Team Building Exercises (yikes!) but we’re back on Thursday, May 11 with an all-new show. Join us…

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[@ 3 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with stage director, cinematographer, and Friend of the Show Marcus Shields to get a peek behind the curtain of Ivo van Hove’s new-to-the-Met production of “Don Giovanni”…[@ 35 min] And then, from the ‘Listener Mailbag’… PJ gives his ringside report on the Met’s production of Terence Blanchard’s “Champion”...[@ 38 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Did Angela Gheorghiu actually have COVID or was she poisoned by a double agent…We’re back with an all-new show next week when we reveal which sports stories would make great operas. Join us…SHOW NOTEShttp://www.marcusshields.com/https://www.metopera.org/season/2022-23-season/don-giovanni/https://www.metopera.org/season/2022-23-season/champion/https://operawire.com/documents-report-angela-gheorghiu-signed-commitment-to-romanias-securitate-in-1987/GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with stage director, cinematographer, and Friend of the Show Marcus Shields to get a peek behind the curtain of Ivo van Hove’s new-to-the-Met production of “Don Giovanni”…

[@ 35 min] And then, from the ‘Listener Mailbag’… PJ gives his ringside report on the Met’s production of Terence Blanchard’s “Champion”...

[@ 38 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Did Angela Gheorghiu actually have COVID or was she poisoned by a double agent…

We’re back with an all-new show next week when we reveal which sports stories would make great operas. Join us…

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[@ 8 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Matthew Principe, Director of Innovation at Detroit Opera and Director of Livestreams at Boston Baroque, to talk about the Mets! No, not that Met. And no, not the museum, either…[@ 32 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Opera Wrocław celebrates Mariusz Kwiecien’s birthday…SHOW NOTESwww.detroitopera.org/www.baroque.boston/about-uswww.operawire.com/mariusz-kwiecien-resigns-from-opera-wroclawska/www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/36135621/champion-opera-emile-griffithGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 8 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Matthew Principe, Director of Innovation at Detroit Opera and Director of Livestreams at Boston Baroque, to talk about the Mets! No, not that Met. And no, not the museum, either…

[@ 32 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Opera Wrocław celebrates Mariusz Kwiecien’s birthday…

SHOW NOTES
www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/36135621/champion-opera-emile-griffith

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[@ 4 min] In an act of true sportsmanship, we introduce you to a rival podcaster: Daniel Gundlach, host and producer of Countermelody. He may be our foe, but he deserves your compassion, all Ted Lasso-like…[@ 29 min] And then… PJ checks in from NYC, having taken his son to “Lohengrin”. Man, that guy has guts…[@ 37 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Ring Cycle is going down under. Find out if Fasolt and Fafner will find gold inside their bloomin’ onion…We’re back with an all-new show next week when we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Matthew Principe, Director of Livestreams at Boston Baroque...SHOW NOTEShttp://countermelodypodcast.com/https://www.metopera.org/season/2022-23-season/lohengrin/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/mar/30/an-epic-opera-in-bendigo-wagners-monumental-ring-cycle-takes-over-a-regional-townhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-forgotten-history-of-tsianina-redfeather-the-beloved-american-indian-opera-singer-180981902/GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] In an act of true sportsmanship, we introduce you to a rival podcaster: Daniel Gundlach, host and producer of Countermelody. He may be our foe, but he deserves your compassion, all Ted Lasso-like…

[@ 29 min] And then… PJ checks in from NYC, having taken his son to “Lohengrin”. Man, that guy has guts…

[@ 37 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Ring Cycle is going down under. Find out if Fasolt and Fafner will find gold inside their bloomin’ onion…

We’re back with an all-new show next week when we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Matthew Principe, Director of Livestreams at Boston Baroque...

SHOW NOTES
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-forgotten-history-of-tsianina-redfeather-the-beloved-american-indian-opera-singer-180981902/

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[@ 4 min] Baseball’s Opening Day is here already, and the games will be shorter. We ‘Crunch the Numbers’ on how the MLB and the MET are responding to audiences with less time to spare and shorter attention spans…[@ 22 min] And then… We predict the winner of the Men’s NCAA Final Four the OBS way. You’re gonna do some spelling and you’re gonna feel mighty nice…[@ 35 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Yoncheva drama reaches its natural conclusion: she murders her phone and cancels ‘Norma'…SHOWNOTEShttps://2021.https/www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2022/10/14/23403018/pitch-clock-2023-average-mlb-game-time-down-2022https://theopera101.com/operaabc/runningtimes/https://youtu.be/aH7NaAzcqLQhttps://twitter.com/sonyayoncheva/status/1640383779142348800?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EtweetGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] Baseball’s Opening Day is here already, and the games will be shorter. We ‘Crunch the Numbers’ on how the MLB and the MET are responding to audiences with less time to spare and shorter attention spans…

[@ 22 min] And then… We predict the winner of the Men’s NCAA Final Four the OBS way. You’re gonna do some spelling and you’re gonna feel mighty nice…

[@ 35 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Yoncheva drama reaches its natural conclusion: she murders her phone and cancels ‘Norma'…

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[@ 12 min] The English Choral Tradition: is it Misogynist? Is it Harmful? Is it Ageist? Countertenor, choral director, and Friend of the Show Christopher Lowrey has a surprising and galvanizing take in ‘Free Throw’…[@ 25 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Don’t bully Norma or she’ll do something terrible to your kids. Find out who else is PO’d and how much it’s going to cost the Met…We’re back with an all-new show next week when we celebrate baseball’s Opening Day the opera way… Join us!SHOW NOTESearlymusicamerica.org/web-articles/lets-talk-about-the-english-choral-tradition/operawire.com/sonya-yoncheva-condemns-online-bullying-suggests-reviews-deterring-singers-from-metropolitan-opera/nytimes.com/2023/03/17/arts/music/met-opera-anna-netrebko.htmlarchdaily.com/997882/finalists-announced-for-opera-house-of-the-future-competition-in-dusseldorf-including-snohetta-henning-larsen-and-hpp-architectsGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 5 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with composer Justine Chen, whose “The Life and Deaths of Alan Turing”, with a libretto by David Simpatico, gets its world premiere in Chicago…[@ 28 min] And then… Apple Music takes a bite out of the classical market…[@ 38 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The BBC is rolling out its "irreversible, catastrophically damaging plans" for classical music. (Otherwise, things are OK…)SHOW NOTESwww.justinefchen.com/www.chicagooperatheater.org/season/turingwww.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/apple-music-classical-gets-its-own-app-on-march-28/www.theguardian.com/media/2023/mar/09/conductors-condemn-shortsighted-plans-to-disband-bbc-singerswww.nytimes.com/2023/03/09/nyregion/phantom-opera-orchestra.htmlGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 5 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with composer Justine Chen, whose “The Life and Deaths of Alan Turing”, with a libretto by David Simpatico, gets its world premiere in Chicago…

[@ 28 min] And then… Apple Music takes a bite out of the classical market…

[@ 38 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The BBC is rolling out its "irreversible, catastrophically damaging plans" for classical music. (Otherwise, things are OK…)

SHOW NOTES
www.nytimes.com/2023/03/09/nyregion/phantom-opera-orchestra.html

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[@ 4 min] It’s that time of year, already… ‘Spring Training for Your Ears’ gets you back in shape with a slate of singers, composers and directors to level up your listening and viewing…[@ 40 min] And then… We open the ‘Listener Mailbag’ for the latest from “official” correspondent PJ…[@ 45 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… You’ll never guess which fan favorite Barrie Kosky takes on next (and Munich wins the coin toss for the debut)…GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with countertenor beefcake Randall Scotting to talk about Senesino, Lute Song, and weightlifting…[@ 30 min] The Met’s '23-'24 season is out. There’s at least one name missing from the roster and it rhymes with Schmildar Schmadbrazakov…[@ 47 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… yeah, yeah, we didn't forget Opera Philadelphia and their season announcement, too…SHOW NOTEShttps://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/light-show-meets-opera-new-turandot-seeks-lure-people-back-theatre-2023-02-24/GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] We induct a diva from Harlem - who is indisputably the quickest wit in opera - into the OBS ‘Hall of Fame’…[@ 42 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’… The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill has reached all the way to the concert hall. Welcome to the Free State of Florida, folks…[@ 50 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… When was the last time you slept in an opera box…?We’re back with an all-new show next week when we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with countertenor Randall Scotting… Join us!SHOW NOTESoperawire.com/the-kings-singers-florida-concert-canceled-due-to-homophobia/cnn.com/travel/article/the-phantom-of-the-opera-airbnb-trnd/index.htmlnytimes.com/2023/02/15/arts/music/russia-today-opera-eugene-birman.htmlGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 5 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with tenor Andrew Morstein, who is set to star in Odyssey Opera’s upcoming production of “Awakenings”. The opera is by Tobias Picker, and Andrew reveals that he and Tobias are both members of a very exclusive club…[@ 38 min] It’s another ‘Listener Mailbag’ field report from PJ, who has a pro tip on how YOU can change your world…[@ 46 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… the shirt hits the fan in Hanover, and the Sydney Opera House turns 50…SHOW NOTESandrewmorsteintenor.comodysseyopera.orgcarnegiehall.org/Education/Programs/Workshops/Song-Studionytimes.com/2023/02/13/arts/dance/marco-goecke-dog-poop.htmlnationalpost.com/opinion/sydneys-signature-opera-house-sails-into-its-50th-anniversaryGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] Hurts. Mahomes. Lanza. Ramey. We handicap Super Bowl LVII teams Philly and KC based on their hustle on the opera stage…[@ 21 min] The gold paint is still wet on Sunday night’s trophies. Viola Davis is EGOT-ed and Beyoncé has finally won more Grammys than Sir Georg Solti… [@ 31 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… George would do anything for the Villa Verdi, but he won’t do THAT...We’re back with an all-new show next week when tenor Andrew Morstein goes ‘Inside the Huddle’… Join us!SHOW NOTESGrammys: www.grammy.com/news/2023-grammy-nominations-complete-winners-nominees-listVilla Verdi: www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/05/italian-opera-houses-plan-verdi-shows-to-help-government-buy-composers-homeGood Call: www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/opera/that-rossini-company-opera-southwest/article_3bac8022-99bf-11ed-9a38-bf297f7261c9.htmlGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 6 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Kerriann Otaño, VP of Engagement at Opera Delaware, about getting shushed in her own opera house…[@ 30 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’… It’s the most underwhelming event in sports: the NFL Pro Bowl. Let’s see if the OBS crew can liven things up a bit…[@ 38 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden is in the news… Wiesbaden? More like Wies-BAD-en…We’re back with an all-new show next week when we get you ready for Super Bowl LVII… Join us!SHOW NOTESKerriann Otaño: www.operade.org/odblog/kerriannHSW: www.operawire.com/wiesbaden-orchestra-director-resigns-due-to-antisemitism/Weston's Good/Bad Call: www.nytimes.com/2023/01/24/arts/music/paris-opera-garnier.htmlGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with conductor Gil Rose, founder of Odyssey Opera and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. The companies just completed the second run of John Corigliano’s “Lord of Cries” and are preparing the East Coast premiere of the Oliver Sacks opera “Awakenings”…[@ 34 min] In the ‘Listener Mailbag’… A field report on the American Opera Initiative…[@ 37 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Who blinked in the game of opera chicken between English National Opera and Arts Council England…?We’re back with an all-new show next week when we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Kerriann Otaño, Opera Delaware’s VP of Engagement… Join us!SHOW NOTESGil Rose: https://www.gilroseconductor.com/biographyOdyssey Opera: http://www.odysseyopera.org/BMOP: http://www.bmop.org/AWAKENINGS: https://tobiaspicker.com/opera/awakeningsAOI: https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/opportunities-for-artists/competitions-and-commissions/american-opera-initiative/ENO: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64305759GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] Boom… ‘Sportzando!’ returns with a round-up of the most iconic stadium anthems and why sports fans love ‘em…[@ 31 min] And then… Everyone’s a critic. Our ‘Listener Mailbag’ reveals a tween’s take on opera…[@ 38 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Sigh. Plácido Domingo faces new accusations of misconduct…We’re back with an all-new show next week when we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Grammy Award winning conductor Gil Rose… Join us!SHOW NOTESreuters.com/world/europe/opera-star-placido-domingo-faces-new-accusations-misconduct-2023-01-15/GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] The Metropolitan Opera is reducing performances and dipping into its endowment to survive. We ‘Crunch the Numbers’ to see if these tactics will swell the coffers…[@ 26 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’, it's our predictions for Operaland in 2023. (You know, we’ve got a good track record for predictions…)[@ 37 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Met and Glyndebourne might be in trouble, but the Verdi Festival is doing just fine…We’re back with an all-new show next week… Join us!SHOW NOTESwww.nytimes.com/2022/12/26/arts/music/metropolitan-opera-endowment-contemporary.htmlGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 5 min] We go 'Inside the Huddle' with Heinz Field and PPG Paints Arena anthem singer Graham Fandrei to talk all things opera as part of his Postcard from Pittsburgh…[@ 27 min] And then… John Brancy returns to the OBS to take a ‘Free Throw’ on a shameful industry norm for our operatic athletes during their away games…[@ 45 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Limmie Pulliam makes history and breaks the limestone ceiling…We’re back with a slate of all-new shows starting Thursday January 12… Join us!GET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’... It’s the OBS’s patented method for predicting the winner of the Men’s FIFA World Cup. Have we ever led you wrong…?[@ 28 min] And then… We intercept a letter from slate.com’s Agony Aunt “Dear Prudence” and respond to how you shut up an opera singer who is trying to turn your wedding into a gig…{@ 33 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Paint splashed on La Scala and the Met gets hacked… Who says opera audiences aren’t engaged…?We’re back with an all-new show next week: we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with baritone Graham Fandrei, whose credits include singing the national anthem for Pittsburgh’s pro teams… Join us!SHOW NOTESDear Prudence...https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/10/mother-in-law-opera-dear-prudence-advice.htmlVAN Magazine...https://van-magazine.com/mag/juilliard-sexual-harassment/Performing at the Met...https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/07/arts/music/met-opera-aida-actors.htmlRick Morrissey in the Chicago Sun-Times...https://chicago.suntimes.com/soccer/2022/12/11/23504341/world-cup-is-opera-for-people-soccer-cristiano-ronaldo-christian-pulisic-neymar-brazil-usmntGET YOUR VOICE HEARDoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 2 min] It’s our new segment ‘View from the Pit’, when we roll up our sleeves and get down and dirty with the best grinders in the business: instrumentalists playing in opera house orchestra pits. We chat with Metropolitan Opera Principal Trumpet David Krauss about the Triumphal March from “Aida”, and about his own podcast “Speaking Soundly”...[@ 24 min] Then, in ‘Chalk Talk’… It’s our recap of the 2022 International Opera Awards: who triumphed last week at the ceremony in Madrid…?[@ 39 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Can you imagine the Vienna State Opera without a music director? The house’s general director Bogdan Roscic can…We’re back with an all-new show next week when we pick the winner of the 2022 Men’s World Cup with our patented Opera Prediction™ method… Join us!SHOW NOTESwww.artfulnarrativesmedia.com/speaking-soundly-podcastCONNECT WITH USoperaboxscore.comfacebook.com/obschi1@operaboxscoreIG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ to catch up with director librettist Amy Stebbins and composer Hauke Berheide - a team who haven’t been on the OBS since the Before Times - to find out how they used the pandemic as inspiration for new opera forms in Germany…

[@ 25 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Grammy Noms are in and, continuing with the decline of opera recordings, our category is the Video Awards…

We’re back next week with an all-new show when give you a “View from the Pit”: our new segment featuring players in opera orchestras, starting with Metropolitan Opera principal trumpet David Krauss… Join us!

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[@ 3 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ to catch up with director librettist Amy Stebbins and composer Hauke Berheide - a team who haven’t been on the OBS since the Before Times - to find out how they used the pandemic as inspiration for new opera forms in Germany…

[@ 25 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Grammy Noms are in and, continuing with the decline of opera recordings, our category is the Video Awards…

We’re back next week with an all-new show when give you a “View from the Pit”: our new segment featuring players in opera orchestras, starting with Metropolitan Opera principal trumpet David Krauss… Join us!

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[@ 2 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Megan Gillis, the co-founder and executive director of City Lyric Opera in New York City, to talk about “Uncovered”, the company’s current world premiere production…

[@ 19 min] And then… it’s another 'Listener Mailbag' (but not from the Bronx): intermission at the Met’s “Don Carlo”…

[@ 24 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Hooligans and hecklers are not just for the stadium. Opera has reached a new low as some jackhole at the Royal Opera House boos the performance of a child…

We’re off next week for Thanksgiving, then back with an all-new show on Thursday, December 1…

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[@ 6 min] George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ for a double header with two of the team behind “Gods of the Game”, the football opera that opened at Grange Park Opera in England. The discussion kicks off with company’s founder and chief executive Wasfi Kani and concludes with cast member Milly Forrest…

[@ 33 min] Friend of the Show Larry Brownlee takes a ‘Free Throw’ on the comic-tragic role of Rameau’s Platée, the star bel canto tenor’s first French Baroque role…

[@ 40 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… With government funding for British opera houses in turmoil, English National Opera may put the company’s home court advantage at risk….

Next week, we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Megan Gillis... Join us!

SHOW NOTES Lawrence Brownlee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUfgrHrEs1g

Good Call: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/11/06/1127221864/when-she-left-ukraine-an-opera-singer-made-room-for-a-most-precious-possession

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[@ 6 min] George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ for a double header with two of the team behind “Gods of the Game”, the football opera that opened at Grange Park Opera in England. The discussion kicks off with company’s founder and chief executive Wasfi Kani and concludes with cast member Milly Forrest…

[@ 33 min] Friend of the Show Larry Brownlee takes a ‘Free Throw’ on the comic-tragic role of Rameau’s Platée, the star bel canto tenor’s first French Baroque role…

[@ 40 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… With government funding for British opera houses in turmoil, English National Opera may put the company’s home court advantage at risk….

Next week, we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Megan Gillis... Join us!

SHOW NOTES
Good Call: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/11/06/1127221864/when-she-left-ukraine-an-opera-singer-made-room-for-a-most-precious-possession

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[@ 3 min] On 10/30, opera’s biggest competition crowned this year’s winners. On 10/31, Classical Singer Forum replaced the face of the competition’s creator with that of Harvey Weinstein, congratulating “opera Institutions who remain complicit with sexual predators.” Will you, our beloved and woke OBS listeners, now also be complicit for learning the results of Operalia 2022…?

[@ 24 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… FOS Afton Battle is moving on from Fort Worth Opera and asks, “What part of that do you not understand…?”

Next week, we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with the team behind “Gods of the Game”, the football opera that opened last month at Grange Park Opera... Join us!

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[@ 3 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Eric Einhorn, Artistic Director of On Site Opera - America’s leading presenter of site-specific operas in non-traditional venues - which just celebrated its 10th anniversary. We’ll find out how they plan to use all of the aluminum gifts they’ve received in their upcoming production of “Il Tabarro”…

[@ 24 min] And then… It’s the annual Hallowe’en Spooktacular! What is your worst onstage nightmare? We share some opera tales from the crypt…

[@ 40 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The shameful tradition of Blackface is back in the news…

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[@ 5 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Opera Southwest Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Anthony Barrese to look behind the mask of the company’s upcoming world premiere of Héctor Armienta’s opera “Zorro”...

[@ 25 min] What’s the best NFL intro ever? On ‘Sportzando!’, we figure out which TV station has the most pee-your-pants-exciting pre-game NFL theme…

[@ 44 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… “Animals are not a supposed audience attraction.” Whoever said that apparently hasn’t been to the Berlin State Opera…

We’re back with an all-new show next week, when On Site Opera Artistic and General Director Eric Einhorn joins us to talk about the company’s tenth anniversary celebrations, and it's our annual Hallowe'en Spooktacular... Join us!

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[@ 3 min] Oliver and Ashlee go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with the queen of the "Queen of the Night", Kathryn Lewek. The American soprano is about to embark on a six-city season, including a stop in Chicago...

[@ 46 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Maria Manetti Schrem GM Peter Gelb is "left on read" by Christian Thieleman, and "fantastiche" news from Diana Damrau...

We’re back with an all-new show next week, when Opera Southwest Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Anthony Barrese joins us to talk about a world premiere... Join us!

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[@ 3 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’… Ashlee looks past your Patricks Mahomes and your Toms Brady to spotlight some of opera’s linemen, and how those unsung heroes are the key to winning the game…

[@ 30 min] And then… A field report from the O Festival at Opera Philadelphia, and the return of ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ on “Fiddler on the Roof” at Lyric Opera of Chicago...

[@ 42 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Has Spotify fouled out of the streaming game?

SHOWNOTES https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/sep/27/theres-endless-choice-but-youre-not-listening-fans-quitting-spotify-to-save-their-love-of-music

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[@ 3 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’… Ashlee looks past your Patricks Mahomes and your Toms Brady to spotlight some of opera’s linemen, and how those unsung heroes are the key to winning the game…

[@ 30 min] And then… A field report from the O Festival at Opera Philadelphia, and the return of ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ on “Fiddler on the Roof” at Lyric Opera of Chicago...

[@ 42 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Has Spotify fouled out of the streaming game?

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[@ 3 min] Season Eight is a season of firsts. Last week, we had an administrator from the Marketing Suite on the show. This week, we induct the first bass into the OBS ‘Hall of Fame’…

[@ 42 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… A PR storm surrounds Sondra Radvanovsky just as she is set to sing the stormy Medea to kick-off the Met’s season. Also: apparently nobody can afford tickets to anything…

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[@ 3 min] Season Eight is a season of firsts. Last week, we had an administrator from the Marketing Suite on the show. This week, we induct the first bass into the OBS ‘Hall of Fame’…

[@ 42 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… A PR storm surrounds Sondra Radvanovsky just as she is set to sing the stormy Medea to kick-off the Met’s season. Also: apparently nobody can afford tickets to anything…

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[@ 2 min] Festival O22 has arrived, and it has nothing to do with Oprah. We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Opera Philadelphia’s Frank Luzi for a play-by-play on one of the season’s biggest events…

[@ 33 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… it's Richard Tucker Gala season. What will Timothée Chalamet be wearing this time?

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[@ 5 min] Season Eight of the OBS kicks off with the return of Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, our first three-peat ‘Inside the Huddle’ champ…

[@ 33 min] Then, Baylor Bear countertenor Michael Skarke takes a few ‘Free Throws’ on Monteverdi, “The Coronation of Poppea”, and the sad sack role of Ottone, which he sings with Haymarket Opera later this month…

[@ 47 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Just when you thought a certain yoga sex cult client was out of the news cycle, Plácido Domingo makes a fool of himself in Verona…

And we’re back on September 22 as we preview Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O22… Join us!

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[@ 5 min] It’s the Season 7 finale of the OBS, with another double-play from Oliver’s trip to Santa Fe Opera. He goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Ryan Speedo Green to talk about the bass-baritone’s debut at the festival on the heels of recovering from Covid…

[@ 46 min] And Oliver also gets mezzo-soprano Isobel Leonard to take a few ‘Free Throws’ in our brand-new, short-form segment…

[@ 58 min] And then… The OBS team hit the ups and downs of Season 7…

[@ 1 h 6 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… “Live performance is back, but audiences have been slow to return”, says the New York Times. We crunch the numbers…

We’re off next week as we celebrate Labor Day, but we’re back on September 15 for the home opener of Season 8… Join us!

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[@ 7 min] It’s a double-play from Oliver’s trip to Santa Fe… First up, soprano Alexandra LoBianco goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ to talk about what you should do while waiting for your dramatic voice to ripen, and all the good vibrations we feel when we sing…

[@ 38 min] And then, it’s our new segment: ‘Free Throw’… (It’s so new, Norm is still practicing how to announce it.) Composer Huang Ruo fires back at critics who say his new opera “M. Butterfly” doesn’t sound Chinese enough…

[@ 43 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Plácido Domingo breaks his silence on the yoga sex cult scandal, saying he is "very sad and feels used"…

We’re back with an all-new show next week, when Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Isabel Leonard and Ryan Speedo Green… Join us!

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This week… Oliver comes back from Santa Fe with four fabulous interviews. And Covid. So those highlights are gonna have to wait till next week…

Instead, the OBS crew gets seriously sports-talk-radio on this episode and hits the ‘Two Minute Drill’ hard, talking about nothing but news, stats, and stars. And Grace Bumbry…

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[@ 4 min] This week… in the OBS ‘Hall of Fame’, we dive into the career and legacy of the greatest dramatic soprano born in 20th century Sweden (whose name doesn’t rhyme with “Schmear-git Hilsson”)…

[@ 48 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… A different Swedish soprano is inducted into a German Hall of Fame, a place less exclusive than the OBS ‘HOF’…

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[@ 4 min] Librettist Lila Palmer and stage director Chloe Treat go ‘Inside the Huddle to talk about the world premiere of a secular opera (with music by Damian Geter) about a biblical event: the Annunciation. The show just opened at the Glimmerglass Festival and couldn’t have come at a better time, because, you know, it’s about a woman consenting to give birth...

[@ 41 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Angela Gheorghiu warns, if you didn't study in Romania, be careful...

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[@ 3 min] It’s a 2-point conversion when the OBS scores an interview with MacArthur “Don’t-say-the-G-word” Fellow Matthew Aucoin. The composer, conductor, and author goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Oliver to talk about his breakthrough opera “Eurydice”, and to come to the defense of that dreadful ballet sequence in “La Traviata”...

[@ 39 min] And then… Should all seats be created equal in the opera house? An article in ‘The New Yorker’ argues about the inequality of how we watch live performances…

[@ 46 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Opera America apologizes for its first apology, and a certain Sondra is back on the market…

MATT'S GOOD CALL
Mostly... Mostly Mozart?

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[@ 4 min] This week… We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Opera Festival of Chicago’s Emanuele Andrizzi, to talk about a work that has paid a steep price for having been written just before Verdi’s more famous operas, despite having some of the best music he ever wrote…

[@ 27 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Angel Blue has withdrawn from her debut at Arena di Verona. We suspect that if she were still a young artist, she might also have been called “more narcissistic and entitled than ever” by THE PEOPLE WE ARE PAYING TO LEAD US…

SHOW LINKS
Matt's Good Call

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[@ 4 min] This week… George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Scott Stroman, artistic director of Highbury Opera Theatre and composer of “Fever Pitch,” an opera about football. And by football, we mean soccer…

[@ 26 min] And then… It’s the return of ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’, when George reviews Covent Garden’s “Così fan tutte” and “Alcina” at Glyndebourne…

[@ 37 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Rene Papé is either a fully functioning alcoholic or a homophobe. Or possibly both. Stay tuned as we wade through this PR nightmare…

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The OBS team was off for Independence Day, but manages to bring back two stellar ‘Inside the Huddle’ segments from past episodes…

[@ 1 min] It’s an interview with heart-throb American bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen from November 2021...

[@ 32 min] The OBS re-confirms that they did, in fact, interview composer Jake Heggie last March…

The OBS is back with an all-new show on Thursday, July 14…!

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[@ 3 min] This week, the OBS geniuses launch a new segment called 'Singer Trading Cards'! They start with the American League and swap some great artists of the recent past that you’ll want to add to your collection, too...

[@ 45 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’... Jonas Kaufmann will bite off an ear for love, but he won’t do that...

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[@ 5 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Joyce El-Khoury, currently starring under the baton of Riccardo Muti in “Un Ballo in Maschera” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. And that’s just days after being named the Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year by Dallas Opera…

[@ 33 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Both the San Antonio Symphony and Simon Estes are throwing in the towel, Bogdan Roscic is not throwing in the towel, and Barrie Kosky is kinda throwing in the towel…

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[@ 3 min] It’s the return of the beloved ‘Spring Training for Your Ears’ segment… Sound like a pro when you talk about the three operas that a real opera fan should know, but that no one has time to listen to…

[@ 57 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Key’mon Murrah continues to benefit from the OBS bump, and Brigitte Fassbaender reveals the love of her life…

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[@ 3 min] In ‘Crunching the Numbers’… You’ve always known opera is gay. Nicklausse and Hoffman. Octavian and the Marschallin. But it’s Pride Month, and the OBS family are celebrating those operas that are explicitly gay using a score card to determine which is the gayest opera of all…

[@ 36 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Turns out French tenor Roberto Alagna is not a fan of iconic Italian auteur Pier Paolo Pasolini, while the first stills from the Leonard Bernstein biopic might get the film canceled before its release…

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This week… We wrap up a fabulous run on TDO Network with a video-only episode. The OBS Fab Five play an opera-themed version of HORSE on the basketball court… with a surprising victor…

Watch the madness: https://www.thedallasopera.tv/opera-box-score/season:1/videos/the-free-throw-finale

The team is off for Memorial Day, and then back with an all-new show released on Thursday June 9 at 9 pm CT… Join us!

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[@ 3 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’… Just as summer baseball starts to heat up, a bullpen full of opera summer festival seasons steps up to the plate. We’ll give you the lineups of each team and tell you which balls to keep your eyes on…

[@ 43 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… ARC is going to CAI and Will Liverman is the next Beverly Sills…

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[@ 2 min] This week… It’s one of those ‘Best-of…’, podcast-only, shows! The OBS wrecking crew revisit Oliver’s ‘Inside the Huddle’ segment with tenor Charles Castronovo: an interview that was so good, Oliver forgot what they talked about…

[@ 29 min] And then… It’s a replay of the very first ‘Sportzando!’ segment, one that was so good, the OBS name-droppers didn’t even have a name for it…

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[@ 2 min] This week… The OBS skeleton crew go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with guest co-host and stage director Amy Hutchison to find out how she and her career survived when COVID hit Operaland…

[@ 12 min] And then… Amy and George go head to head in an epic, five-round ‘TKO’ with two deep rosters of stage directors battling it out for best production...

[@ 42 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Uh oh, the hammer - or is that the sickle? - falls on another Russian soprano at the Met…

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[@ 4 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with tenor Ian Koziara to talk about performing “Fidelio” for the deaf, and about having a darker, lower tenor voice that works well in German repertoire… without saying the world “Held_______”...

[@ 34 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Met’s “Lucia” is a flop, but director Simon Stone has already been rehired…

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[@ 4 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with tenor Ian Koziara to talk about performing “Fidelio” for the deaf, and about having a darker, lower tenor voice that works well in German repertoire… without saying the world “Held_______”...

[@ 34 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Met’s “Lucia” is a flop, but director Simon Stone has already been rehired…

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[@ 3 min] This week… In ‘Sportzando!’, Ashlee draws a straight line from opera houses to ESPN, via baseball. Trust the OBS bullpen: it works.

[@ 17 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Valery Gergiev is in the news again? More like Valery Grifter-giev.

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[@ 3 min] This week… In ‘Sportzando!’, Ashlee draws a straight line from opera houses to ESPN, via baseball. Trust the OBS bullpen: it works.

[@ 17 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Valery Gergiev is in the news again? More like Valery Grifter-giev.

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[@ 2 min] This week, a personal hero of Oliver’s is inducted into the OBS Hall of Fame. A few hints: he’s one of his generation’s pioneering Rossini singers, he’s from Queens, and Sir Georg Solti once told him that he has Mozart and Verdi in his throat…

[@ 35 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… COVID is over… in Atlanta, so you are now free to move to Georgia and vote in their gubernatorial election…

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[@ 2 min] This week, a personal hero of Oliver’s is inducted into the OBS Hall of Fame. A few hints: he’s one of his generation’s pioneering Rossini singers, he’s from Queens, and Sir Georg Solti once told him that he has Mozart and Verdi in his throat…

[@ 35 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… COVID is over… in Atlanta, so you are now free to move to Georgia and vote in their gubernatorial election…

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[@ 3 min] This week in ‘Chalk Talk’… The season announcements are coming in faster than Anna Netrebko’s separation from Putin, and harder than Will Smith at an awards ceremony. The OBS Crazies talk you through all the season details you need to know…

[@ 32 min] And then… “Fire Shut Up In My Bones” is, well, on fire. The OBS QBs play ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ and review the recent PBS screening…

[@ 47 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Anna, Anna, Anna, what have you done this time?

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[@ 3 min] This week in ‘Chalk Talk’… The season announcements are coming in faster than Anna Netrebko’s separation from Putin, and harder than Will Smith at an awards ceremony. The OBS Crazies talk you through all the season details you need to know…

[@ 32 min] And then… “Fire Shut Up In My Bones” is, well, on fire. The OBS QBs play ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ and review the recent PBS screening…

[@ 47 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Anna, Anna, Anna, what have you done this time?

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[@ 4 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’… It’s still March and the OBS ballers are still mad like Lucia, as they crown the OBS’s 2022 Winningest Composer of the last three hundred years…

[@ 41 min] And then… From the ‘Listener Mailbag’, you get the skinny on Jakub Józef Orlinski. Was he nude in Covent Garden’s ‘Theodora’, or was it false advertising…?

[@ 45 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The boycott of the boycotting of boycotted artists has begun! That means you, Ildar Abdrazakov…

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[@ 4 min] This week… One of the original ‘Inside the Huddle’ guests returns. And this time the OBS team has proof! It’s Jake Heggie. For real. Jake Heggie. (Oliver, please make sure you are recording…)

[@ 26 min] Then, in ‘Chalk Talk’… It’s Week Two of March Madness 2022 when Ashlee and Weston fill out their portions of the bracket for the winningest composer of the past 400 years (minus Mozart, Verdi and Puccini…)

[@ 41 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Don’t ever, EVER heckle one of the OBS's ‘Inside the Huddle’ guests. EV-ER…

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[@ 3 min] This week, in ‘Chalk Talk’... Is it that time of year already? With the Men’s NCAA March Madness tourney set, the OBS b-ballers create their own bracket to pick the winningest opera composer of the last 300 years…

[@ 15 min] And then… Opera Philadelphia has just announced its ‘22-’23 season featuring friends of the show Larry Brownlee and David T. Little, and titles including ‘The Backwards Bohème’ and ‘The Other Otello’…

[@ 24 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Artists continue to raise their voices in support of Ukraine while Universal gets out of Russia…

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[@ 3 min] This week in ‘Chalk Talk’… The OBS critics take a look at the Metropolitan Opera’s recently announced ‘22-‘23 season, including 5 David McVicar shows, 4 new productions, 3 ‘Traviata’ casts, 2 Yoncheva role debuts, and a partridge in a pear tree…

[@ 29 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… There is definitely one artist who won’t be appearing onstage at Lincoln Center this year…

SHOW NOTES & LINKS What did Jonas Kaufmann mean? https://operawire.com/tenor-wolfgang-ablinger-sperrhacke-fires-back-at-jonas-kaufmann-over-statement-on-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/

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There’s really only one thing on our collective minds right now. To give you some relief from the horrific news coming out of Ukraine, the OBS-ers talk about politics in opera. ‘Cause those two things go together like peanuts and Crackerjacks…

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There’s really only one thing on our collective minds right now. To give you some relief from the horrific news coming out of Ukraine, the OBS-ers talk about politics in opera. ‘Cause those two things go together like peanuts and Crackerjacks…

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[@ 5 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Daniela Candillari who was just named principal conductor of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. She talks about her very recent conducting debut at the Met on Aucoin’s “Eurydice” and geeks out with Oliver on... a Mozart piano concerto...?!

[@ 30 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Cancel culture kills Katherina’s classic co-production, and Central City celebrates a stylish CEO. (Try saying that after three Gin Slings...)

SHOW NOTES & LINKS www.danielacandillari.com

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[@ 5 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Daniela Candillari who was just named principal conductor of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. She talks about her very recent conducting debut at the Met on Aucoin’s “Eurydice” and geeks out with Oliver on... a Mozart piano concerto...?!

[@ 30 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Cancel culture kills Katherina’s classic co-production, and Central City celebrates a stylish CEO. (Try saying that after three Gin Slings...)

SHOW NOTES & LINKS
danielacandillari.com

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[@ 6 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Mathilda Edge. The rising American lyric-dramatic soprano has already accepted a tenure-track position at Oberlin, just as her singing career is set to launch…

[@ 52 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’... Friends of the show abound in the '22-'23 season at Lyric Opera of Chicago, but which one of them will be starring in the Barrie Kosky production of "Fiddler on the Roof"…?

SHOW NOTES & LINKS www.mathildaedge.com

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[@ 6 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Mathilda Edge. The rising American lyric-dramatic soprano has already accepted a tenure-track position at Oberlin, just as her singing career is set to launch…

[@ 52 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’... Friends of the show abound in the '22-'23 season at Lyric Opera of Chicago, but which one of them will be starring in the Barrie Kosky production of "Fiddler on the Roof"…?

SHOW NOTES & LINKS
www.mathildaedge.com

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[@ 4 min] Get ready for Super Bowl LVI happening this Sunday in L.A.! Tenor Scott Ramsay goes 'Inside the Huddle' with the OBS Pack-haters to talk about the highs and lows of singing the national anthem on the gridiron…

[@ 25 min] Then, in the ‘Listener Mailbag’... When is an opera not an opera…?

[@ 32 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Stage director Hans Neuenfels has died. Don’t remember the name? You’ll definitely remember his production of Wagner’s “Lohengrin”...

SHOW LINKS Scott Ramsay: www.scottramsay.net

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[@ 4 min] Get ready for Super Bowl LVI happening this Sunday in L.A.! Tenor Scott Ramsay goes 'Inside the Huddle' with the OBS Pack-haters to talk about the highs and lows of singing the national anthem on the gridiron…

[@ 25 min] Then, in the ‘Listener Mailbag’... When is an opera not an opera…?

[@ 32 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Stage director Hans Neuenfels has died. Don’t remember the name? You’ll definitely remember his production of Wagner’s “Lohengrin”...

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[@ 4 min] The OBS polyrhythmics induct a birthday boy into the OBS "Hall of Fame"… Here’s a hint:

He’s an American ComPOser. He’s an American ComPOser. He’s an American Opera ComPOser. He’e an American ComPOser.

[@ 34 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Zubin Mehta unloads some of his shares of Tesla stock so that the Zubin Mehta Hall can have an endowment...

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[@ 4 min] Ashlee kicks off a new segment about the stories behind the musical moments that punctuate sports history…

[@ 22 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Never before has a world premiere opera been so on brand for the OBS: “Gods of the Game: a Football Opera”…

SHOW NOTES & LINKS John Tesh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_h7Lm7C9Nk SNL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-uSWAJd9GE Italia '90 opening...: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqzz7B7V2IE ...and closing credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sffX9Wrbw9w HGO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOM8IjHWxWI

WHAT'S YOUR HOT TAKE? operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] The Australian Open kicks off and in the early rounds a lot of Australian qualifiers will be eliminated. The OBS brings back its brutal ‘TKO’ segment and offers you an all-Australian match-up...

[@ 39 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Mozart’s birthday is coming up and his gayest opera is getting funding...

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[@3 min] In 'Chalk Talk'... Opera America asks "What would you put in an opera time capsule?" We answer, "You mean, in addition to pork scratchings?”

[@ 24 min] The star of Opera Sarasota’s upcoming production of "Tosca" - American soprano Ann Toomey - goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Oliver…

[@ 54 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Tenor Nicky Spence breaks both of his legs. Was it Putin’s GRU...?!

SHOW NOTES https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/53056

https://www.sarasotaopera.org/event/tosca

https://www.anntoomey.com

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[@ 4 min] In 'Chalk Talk'... 2021 is in the record books. We take a look back at the most impactful stories of last year…

[@ 28 min] In the ‘Listener Mailbag’... Just how DO you explain opera to the layperson...?

[@ 37 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Gonzalez-Granados, Lyniv and Yankovskaya all just took steps to becoming opera-house-hold names…

SHOW NOTES & LINKS operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2021/12/Features/The_Prototype_Festival_at_10.html

gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/lincoln-center-reckoning-its-racist-history/

limelightmagazine.com.au/features/mariusz-kwiecien-back-on-track/

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With the OBS crew enjoying a much-earned fortnight off, George shares some of the team's favorite segments from 2021, including going 'Inside the Huddle' with Barbara Hannigan and Will Liverman, and the return of that controversial Euro 2020 of Opera competition...

Wherever you are, however you're celebrating the new year... thanks for making opera, and the OBS, part of your listening life!

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

With the OBS crew enjoying a much-earned fortnight off, George shares some of the team's favorite segments from 2021, including going 'Inside the Huddle' with Duke Kim and Key'mon Murrah, and the return of that controversial Opera March Madness competition...

Wherever you are, however you're celebrating... thanks for making opera, and the OBS, part of your listening life!

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] This week… Fresh from conducting Opera NexGen’s “Night Trip”, Donald Lee III goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Oliver to talk about the show’s virtual world premiere and about being the inaugural conductor for the Ryan Opera Center…

[@ 22 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… It’s a Drill double header. Everything you need to know from Operaland in the past two weeks, plus George and Weston's hot takes on those stories…

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This week, in ‘Chalk Talk’… Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim died at home in Roxbury, CT, on the day after Thanksgiving. He was 91. The OBS company put together an awards show to celebrate Sondheim’s life and work. No ‘Two Minute Drill’, no ‘Inside the Huddle’, just the first - and last - Sondhy Awards…

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[@ 3 min] This week... The OBS boomers go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Kyle Ketelsen. The heart-throb American bass-baritone is currently in Austria. Oliver asked him what’s going on with the lockdown and why they’re still rehearsing, but his conversation ended up covering much more...

[@ 35 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’... Friends of the OBS are achieving major accomplishments like getting Grammy nominations and winning the Marian Anderson Vocal award. If you want to take the next step in your career, better get in touch. (Talkin' to you, Yannick…)

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

If you’re a diehard OBS fan, you’re probably listening to this show on Friday morning… as you nurse your gravy hangover. This week, we skip the divisive opera news, and the A-list singers and quarterbacks behaving badly. Instead, we celebrate feasts and family the OBS way, serving up a buffet of works where food and music go together like peas and carrots...

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[@ 3 min] This week… Chicago is on the clock. It’s the return of the ‘Fantasy Fachball’ segment, as the OBS crew do a real-time, opera singer mock draft to cast the perfect quartet for “Aida”...

[Don’t forget to put together your own ‘Fantasy Fachball’ team for “Aida” and, of course, give it a dreadful pun-ny name. Let us know what you’re thinking at operaboxscore@gmail.com, and get an OBS beer coaster and an OBS lapel pin…]

[@ 30 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Tommasini is finally hanging up his cleats and the Met is turning the page on the Lepage ring cycle…

Next week… We celebrate feasts in opera…

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[@ 8 min] This week… The OBS cheeseheads go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Kathryn Henry, the soprano who went from standby to stardom in the world premiere of “The Lord of Cries” at the Santa Fe Opera...

[@ 48 min] Then… Well, the OBS team finally saw it: the Barrie Kosky production of "TheMagic Flute”. And that also means the return of Monday Evening Quarterback…

[@ 57 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Elina Garanča announces that she has grown neither horns nor wings, and we get to the bottom of why exactly opera singers don’t deafen each other onstage…

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[@ 3 min] This week… A heroic coloratura soprano is inducted posthumously into the OBS Hall of Fame. (Sorry, Gruberova fans. We thought we had so much time left with this legendary artist…)

[@ 36 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… While the Drill took a break for the Hallowe’en Spooktacular, both Operalia and a Trade-News-apalooza happened…

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This week... It's our annual Halloween Spooktacular… No 'Two Minute Drill', no hot takes: just some old-fashioned, vengeful hunchbacks, some riddling ice princesses, and some real phantoms of the opera...

Next week... We induct (posthumously, with tears in our eyes) a brilliant soprano into the OBS Hall of Fame...

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[@ 4 min] Fall is for falling in love, and Oliver just barely contains himself when he goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with dreamy tenor Charles Castronovo…

[@ 33 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… First, a secret relationship with your girlfriend’s sister; then, the three of you plot to kill their mother. It’s not a verismo opera plot, it’s real life, and the villain is a countertenor...

Plus… We’re back with an all-new show next week with our annual Hallowe’en Spooktacular. Join us… if you dare!

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[@ 4 min] This week… We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with stage director Keturah Stickann. She brought ‘The Barber of Seville’ to San Diego Opera’s drive-in COVID season; she’s also bringing opera librettists into the conversation with her podcast “Words First”…

[@ 26 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… If you’re dumb enough to take your phone out and film Jonas Kaufmann while he’s singing, prepare to be shamed in a German accent…

We’re back with an all-new show next week when we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with tenor Charles Castronovo…

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[@ 6 min] The OBS yokels induct another seminal composer into the OBS Hall of Fame. Hint? Think Susannah. With an H...

[@ 34 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Who can afford to study opera anyway? According to Hollywood, it’s wealthy white women. And they’re not wrong.

The OBS back with an all-new show next week, going ‘Inside the Huddle’ with stage director Keturah Stickann, who's also host of the podcast "Words First: Talking Text in Opera"…

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[@ 4 min] The OBS placekickers go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with director Rose Freeman and soprano Angela Born, whose collective work is in a double bill production at Third Eye Theatre Ensemble in Chicago...

[@ 29 min] In Chalk Talk… While this the show was taped, Terence Blanchard’s opera “Fire Shut Up In My Bones” opened the season at the Metropolitan Opera. The OBS team talk about the plethora of ways this is a truly monumental occasion...

[@ 42 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… There's red cards and yellow cards; this time there might have to be a green flag…

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[@ 4 min] Pianist and vocal coach Irina Meachem, and her baritone husband Lucas, go ‘Inside the Huddle’ to preview their upcoming album “Shall We Gather” which comes out this month...

[@ 29 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Can’t we just keep the drama on the stage and out of the wings… and out of the fly tower...?

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[@ 25 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with star soprano Erin Morley, who seems like a circus performer with all the high-flying, high-pressure roles she sings. Hear her compare singing Lucia to giving birth, as we launch Season Seven of the OBS…

[@ 52 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… We repeat the mantra yet again: “NO KIDS AT THE OPERA!” Nope, not even if they’re onstage...

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Well, Team OBS might be wrapping up their summer vacations, but they've still got a show for you...

[@ 4 min] Oliver and Matt revisit going 'Inside the Huddle' with tenor Benjamin Bernheim…

[@ 32 min] Then, Matt and Oliver rejoin tenor Lawrence Brownlee 'Inside the Huddle'...

Next week, on Wednesday, September 15, the OBS returns for Season Seven - count ‘em! - at 9 pm CT on TDO Network…

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

Well, Team OBS might be wrapping up their summer vacations, but they've still got a show for you...

[@ 2 min] Oliver and Ashlee revisit going 'Inside the Huddle' with Fort Worth Opera General Director Afton Battle...

[@ 28 min] Then, Ashlee and Oliver rejoin soprano Christine Goerke 'Inside the Huddle'...

Our best-of, podcast-only, summer listening series continues next week with a tag team of tenors...

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[@ 3 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Ying Fang. They talk about singing Mozart, and why you should be more like Susanna…

[@ 28 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Save the drama for your mama, ‘cause there’s lots of it this week...

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[@ 1 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’, the summer road trip goes into its fourth round, as Oliver files a field report from Sante Fe Opera...

[@ 18 min] Then, Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Duke Kim. Find out how Oliver’s new tenor crush used the pandemic to work on his 3-pointers...

[@ 41 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, another opera company joins the vaxx vox populi...

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[@ 4 min] The OBS bikers continue our summer opera road trip - having visited Dallas and Kansas City - by stopping in Knoxville, TN, with a special inductee into the ‘OBS Hall of Fame’...

[@ 36 min] And then… They reach into the Listener Mailbag and pull out an S-E-C-ya-later question…

[@ 41 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… No kids at the opera? Father-of-two George thinks that’s a marvellous idea...

Next week... Oliver files a field report from Santa Fe Opera...

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Call it Olympic Fever… We had some technical difficulties this week which meant postponing our show…

But the OBS team are back at it on Wednesday, August 11, when they complete their summer city trifecta of episodes: Dallas, Kansas City, and now Knoxville, Tennessee, with a special three-part ‘OBS Hall of Fame’…

And then… The OBS diggers dig into the ‘Listener Mailbag’ for something that Ashlee can really dig her teeth into...

Plus…. In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… NO KIDS AT THE OPERA…!

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[@ 6 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’… Tenor Aaron Short joins the show as a guest, along with some hack called Tobias Wright. The reunited crew look at 2021’s biggest sports stories and imagine their opera parallels...

[@ 34 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… What do Joni Mitchell, Bette Midler, and bass-baritone Justino Diaz have in common?

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[@ 3 min] Oliver and George go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Eric Smith and Miguel Cantú from the American Baroque Opera Company to find out what is the only human endeavor more expensive than war…

[@ 34 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… if you plan on going to the Met, you better plan on having your proof of vaccination (in addition to your ascot and opera glasses, obvs)…

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’… Novak Djokovic won this year’s men’s Wimbledon finals, giving him a total of twenty Grand Slam titles, tying both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in big wins. We take a look at three baritones who are tied in greatness, but bring very different qualities to their game...

[@ 37 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Black Opera Alliance hands out a red card to Tulsa Opera, and we hand one out to Opera Australia...

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] In ‘Chalk Talk”… The European Football Championships are down to just four teams. The OBS players, along with special guest maestro Anthony Barrese, pick winners based on the opera prowess of the remaining four countries...

[@ 33 min] And then, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Good news from New York: the Prototype Festival is coming back. And, oh yeah, so is the Met…

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 5 min] The OBS blazers get ready for Independence Day by lighting up some vocal fireworks in the Great American Coloratura Competition...

[@ 46 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Things not so pretty in France… or New Zealand…

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 2 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’… An NFL player just came out as gay, while the OBS DEs celebrate PRIDE with a look at gayness in opera. (Wait, isn’t that redundant?)

[@ 43 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The OBS team talks about winners in Cardiff and France, but not in Scotland…

Next week, June 30, we work through the Euro2020 bracket, predicting winners based on countries' opera prowess…

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[@ 3 min] It’s the end of an era as you know it… Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Magda Krance, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s veteran Director of Media Relations, who retired her jersey last week after thirty years of promoting vocal fireworks… and putting out fires…

[@ 41 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Would you want to be quarantined in a hotel with the Singers of the World? And just how would you stage an opera without anyone touching…?

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[@ 5min] In ‘Chalk Talk’… Zoom operas ushered in a new era of pandemic entertainment. But how has the art form of opera-as-film changed over the last year, and how will it change opera altogether? The OBS critics screen a few recent examples of this evolving musico-dramatic language to find out what the present looks like and what the future might hold...

[@ 46 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Move over QAnon Shaman, there’s a new set of Brünnhilde horns at the Capitol...

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As they recover from Memorial Day weekend, the OBS boozers put aside the yellow cards, the red cards, and the AGMA negotiations. You can sit back and enjoy a holiday-length one-on-one with mezzo-soprano (and deluxe trouser role specialist) Kate Lindsey…

Next week, the OBSers take a deep dive into opera-as/in/on-film…

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[@ 4 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’, it’s the second part of a doubleheader on opera’s rebound from the pandemic. Your OBS team picks four season announcements that just might be the pacecar for other opera houses this fall...

[@ 32 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, it’s Madame Butterfly Cancel Culture. Yeah, the OBS-ers are just going to say “cancel culture”, until it doesn't mean anything anymore…

Next week, OBS goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with American mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey…

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[@ 3 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’… The OBS team asks just if, when, and how, exactly, opera will bounce back, post-pandemic. What needs to happen now in order to build back opera better?

[@ 29 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Met actually made an agreement with a union!

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[@ 3 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’, the OBS team commemorates Asian Heritage Month by spotlighting some of the biggest players on the scene today, with a bespoke playlist here...

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh8CWvrqTi1XP2Jk5yD_lYi1FEf2Lxccx

[@ 45 min] Then, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’, the finalists for the Met National Council auditions are named, the Black Opera Alliance gathers signatories for its pledge, and the 2020 International Opera Awards are handed out... virtually…

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[@ 4 min] Barbara Hannigan goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ to give Weston and Oliver the post-pandemic singer’s playbook, to introduce her young artist initiative called Momentum, and to argue why streaming is here to stay...

[@ 48 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, the starting lineup is announced for the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. Will Kosovo be this year’s front runner…?

And the OBS is back with an all-new show on May 12 when the team spotlights Asian artists you should know…

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A bonus episode featuring Amanda Forsythe who went 'Inside the Huddle' with Oliver to discuss holding an audience’s attention during a set change, singing super fast coloratura, and favoring being an entertainer over being historically accurate. This interview originally aired on WFMT 98.7 in Chicago.

Playlist

George Frideric Handel: Almira, HWV 1 Act II, "Der Himmel wird straffen dein falsches Gemüht" Act III, "Quillt, ihr überhäuften Zähren" Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs, directors from Boston Early Music Festival's complete recording of Almira CPO 555205-2

Agostino Steffani: "Occhi belli, non più" with Colin Balzer, tenor Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs, directors from Boston Early Music Festival's Agostino Steffani: Duets of Love and Passion CPO 555135-2

Johann Gottlieb Graun: "O Dio, Fileno" Opera Prima Cristiano Contadin, viola da gamba and direction from Opera Prima's J. G. Graun: Cantatas & Viola da Gamba Concerto CPO 555 284-2

Handel: Giulio Cesare Act III, "Da tempeste" Apollo's Fire Jeannette Sorrell, director from The Power of Love: Arias from Handel Operas Avie AV-2350

amandaforsythe.com operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] Get your Copland fanfare ready! The OBS crew induct - posthumously, this time - a mezzo-soprano into the hallowed corridors of the OBS Hall of Fame...

[@ 34 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’: the New York Public Library gets a huge opera donation...

Team OBS is back with an all-new show next week featuring soprano-conductor Barbara Hannigan ‘Inside the Huddle’…

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] Verdi baritone and gentle giant Quinn Kelsey goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Ashlee and Oliver to talk about singing traditional Hawai’ian music for an operatic kanikapila and preparing for Scarpia at Opera Philadelphia...

[@ 30 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’…. One year into the pandemic, the OBS team look at some of the most striking innovations in opera, including new media, do-it-yourself music-making, alternative, pandemic-resistant venues, and… trucks…?

[@ 37 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Dude goes to conduct in Paris, and the city of Madrid awards its Medal of Gold to an opera administrator...

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] Maestro Enrico Lopez-Yañez goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Weston and Oliver. The Mexican-American conductor is slated to conduct Chicago Opera Theater’s season finale, but is also the star of his own space pirate web series...

[@ 30 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, big money lands in L.A., while Jonathan Dove’s opera ‘Flight’ takes off in Seattle...

The OBS back with an all-new show next week when baritone Quinn Kelsey goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ to talk Verdi, Hawai’i and other things ending in the letter “i”, plus you get more opera headlines, more hot takes and the return of Ashlee Hardgrave!

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] By the time you get this episode, one of opera’s most powerful gatekeepers will be managing a publicity crisis thanks to our pal Zach Finkelstein and another one of his highly researched investigative articles for MiddleClassArtist.com…

[@ 26 min] By the time you get this episode, the men’s NCAA champ will be crowned. Here on the OBS, we’re working our way through the Final Four of the Operaland bracket to pick one dark horse opera to become part of the standard rep... (And a playlist here: https://bit.ly/3dGwYBs)

[@ 56 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’: Opera Australia takes a page out the Met’s union negotiation playbook...

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] For the last episode in Women’s History Month, the OBS has an exclusive interview with the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Opera Center. Carrie-Ann Matheson goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Matt and Oliver to lay out the gameplan for her young Merolini and Adler charges…

[@ 27 min] The OBS soothsayers play through the Operaland March Madness bracket to the Final Four. Did your pick go the distance...?

[@ 52 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’: the OBS bump helps out yet again…

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] The OBS ballers dribble you through the other two regions of the Operaland March Madness bracket - Classical and Romantic - all leading up to the grand finale next week...

[@ 26 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’: exit stage right James Levine, plus Tulsa Opera cancels a commission by a Black composer written to commemorate the Tulsa Massacre...

Plus, next week, San Francisco Opera Center’s new Artistic Director Carrie-Ann Matheson joins us ‘Inside the Huddle’...!

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] The musical highlight of awards season, the 2021 Grammys were handed out last Sunday. In 'MEQ', the OBSers recap the winners from Operaland...

[@ 12 min] Also last Sunday, teams for the NCAA Men’s and Women’s basketball tournaments were chosen. Over the next three shows, the OBS pundits put together a bracket for you. Who made the cut into the Operaland playoffs...?

[@ 32 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’... At long last, someone’s invented an effective mask for opera singers that ISN’T attractive...

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[@ 3 min] Soprano Mireille Asselin goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Oliver Camacho, as they nerd out on baroque opera, ornamentation, and gesture, as well as dive into Mireille’s upcoming show for Tapestry Opera that's 50% recital, 50% story-telling, and 100% Canadian...

[@ 37 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’... What’s giving Ashlee nightmares this week? It’s not the imminent success of Season 3 of OBS rival podcast Aria Code... or is it...?!

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[@ 3 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with pianist Chris Reynolds who reveals how he plans to be a change agent within the GWM opera mafia... (And check out Chris’ opera playlist at bit.ly/309NzqV…)

[@ 54 min] ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ returns when the OBS Jedis review an animated version of “The Magic Flute” featuring a particularly… Force-ful… Tamino...

[@ 1 hour 3 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’... Hey, let’s commit to producing a full “Ring” cycle in the middle of a pandemic...

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[@ 5 min] The OBS skaters go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Key’mon Murrah. The countertenor is on a fast rise to stardom after participating in a public masterclass with Joyce DiDonato and winning a series of competitions. Oliver asks about the viral video he made with his twin brother, and for the first time on OBS, a guest curates a playlist [bit.ly/2P4SHud] for y'all, the fans...

[@ 48 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Sonya Yoncheva receives The Keys to The City! Find out which one...

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 5 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with conductor Alexandra Enyart as she discusses her new role on the Artistic Advisory Council of the American Opera Project, serves as the go-to conductor for Laura Kaminsky’s opera “As One”, and explains the Great Banjo Wars of 2020...

[@ 26 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’, the jig is up for German music critic Andreas Laska. Middle Class Artist.com has blown the case wide open. Is the pokey next for Laska…?

[@ 36 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Zachary James is the newest star of TDO Network. Will he take the tiara from the Fab Five of OBS…?

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 6 min] It’s Valentine’s Day this week, and your panel of OBS hunks advises you on what operatic love music you should be listening to in order to get into that romantic mood. Don’t worry, we’re not talking about “Tristan und Isolde”. The OBS heartthrobs dig a little deeper to curate the perfect soundtrack (which you can listen to here: https://bit.ly/3a5515H) for however you plan to spend the night…

[@ 39 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill”… the union drama at the Met continues, and a different kind of drama unfolds at Opera Australia with… Nicole Kidman…?

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[@ 2 min] This week… The OBS Hall of Fame is back, but this time it’s the Hall of Shame. Weston and Matt induct a singer who’s one of the greatest of all time. But can a neutered goat still be called a G.O.A.T.?

[@ 12 min] But first… With the Chiefs and Bucs set to collide in Super Bowl LV, the OBS bruisers tackle the Big Game through opera glasses, and offer a few betting tips...

[@ 48 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’... As proof that the OBS bump really works, Friends of the Show Brenda Rae and Anthony Roth Costanzo have won this year’s Beverly Sills Artist Award...

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[@ 5 min] It’s a tag team interview with the composer and the star of a new film version of “Soldier Songs” at Opera Philadelphia, as the OBS platoon go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with David T. Little and baritone Johnathan McCullough…

[@ 43 min] Did you have a nice inauguration? Did you enjoy the singing? In ‘Chalk Talk”, the OBS quorum chimes in about what music they’d like to have after one of them runs for president…

[@ 1 h 11 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’... Middle Class Artist dot com? More like Middle Class Artist dot bomb! Zach Finkelstein investigates a predatory online voice competition...

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[@ 4 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’… BIPOC artists are challenging NYIOP’s application fees - on the grounds of racial and socio-economic inequity - through an open letter on Middle Class Artist.com...

[@ 18 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with America’s favorite baritone Will Liverman. The Met’s first Black Papageno will be profiled in the February issue of Opera News...

[@ 46 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’... It's a new regular mini-feature called ‘Red Card, Yellow Card’, recapping which houses are closed or open for business…

NEXT WEEK: Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with composer David T. Little and baritone/director Johnathan McCullough of Opera Philadelphia’s film version of Little’s opera ‘Soldier Songs’…

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[@ 7 min] Friend-of-the-show Zachary James posted a wake-up call on social media saying “Let’s immediately stop doing business like we are still in the old world." The OBS goobers take his advice to heart and talk business about the future of opera in 2021...

[@ 25 min] Oliver and George go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Joachim Schamberger, Director of Opera at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, and the director / video editor of the web-series “Orfeo Remote”...

[@ 50 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Dr. Fauci predicts the return of theater this fall, but said nothing about opera. Is there a vaccine for patrons who sit in the front row...?

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[@ 2 min] Spurred on by Becky Hammon becoming the first woman to act as a head coach in a regular season NBA game, the OBS ballers shout out some of the women who took over leadership roles in the second half of 2020...

{@ 22 min] In an article for MiddleClassArtist.com, Cindy Sadler argues that weight bias in opera is the last socially acceptable form of discrimination. The contralto, stage director, administrator, author, and advocate goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Oliver and Ashlee...

[@ 48 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Roberto is an Officer of the Legion d'honneur and Jane is a dame...

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The OBS is back on TDO Network on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at 9 pm CT!

The OBS team is podcast-only this week, as they re-share three of their favorite segments from 2020. And from 2019, because... 2020.

[@ 3 min] Matt inducts Shirley Verrett into the OBS 'HOF'...

[@ 24 min] Oliver goes 'Inside the Huddle' with James Darrah before James Darrah was James Darrah...

[@ 45 min] Ashlee recaps her chat with seven women artists and administrators who navigated partnership at parenting while at the top of their operatic game...

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

The OBS is podcast-only this week and the week of December 28. The team returns to TDO Network on Wednesday, January 6, with an all-new videocast as they say good riddance to 2020...

The NBA tips-off its new season as LeBron, Steph, and Yannis - the current gods of the court - are expected to return. Just like the MESSIAH is expected to return. The OBS-ers have an unorthodox lineup of Handel's "Messiah" to introduce you (plus a Spotify playlist on operaboxscore.com)...

Plus, Matt and Oliver reveal their favorite opera singers’ Christmas albums. But will Jonas' contribution make the cut...?

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Wanna know what the OBS team looks like? Check out the video version of our show on The Dallas Opera Network…

[@ 3 min] This week… Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with baritone Kenneth Overton, the creator of Black Opera Live. Find out not only how history was made when the Met inadvertently featured four Black sopranos in leading roles in one performance of “The Marriage of Figaro”, but also which of those sopranos is Kenneth Overton’s tennis buddy…

[@ 38 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’... even Kanye West is having a hard time paying his opera performers and crew, and he can’t blame Peter Gelb for it…

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Wanna know what the OBS team looks like? Check out the video version of our show on The Dallas Opera Network…

[@ 4 min] Maestro Keri-Lynn Wilson goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Oliver and guest panelist conductor Anthony Barrese. Find out what score the Canadian conductor carries around as leisure reading while she prepares to be part of the re-opening of performances at the Opéra Bastille in Paris...

[@ 39 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’... Fresh off his triumph as an interview guest on the OBS, Lawrence Brownlee wins the 16th Annual Opera News Awards...

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Wanna know what the OBS team looks like? Check out the video version of our show on The Dallas Opera Network…

[@ 4 min] Weston tackles on an overlooked opera and encourages the team to, er, branch out in a new-ish segment called ‘Under Further Review’...

[@ 41 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Renée Fleming volunteers to get an MRI for the sake of science...

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[@ 2 min] The OBS side reaches into the Listener Mailbag for notes on their Gilbert and Sullivan episode...

[@ 11 min] During 'Chalk Talk', it’s Turkey Lurkey Time. Find out what each of the OBS team is thankful for this year...

[@ 33 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill': pandemic be damned, Melbourne Opera is going forward with a new Ring cycle. Will it be a Ride of the Vaccines or an Audience-Dämmerung...?

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Wanna know what the OBS team looks like? Check out the video version of our show on The Dallas Opera Network…

[@ 3 min] It’s a classic NFC East match-up. Suiting up for Philadelphia, tenor Lawrence Brownlee meets your Dallas Opera Network team, to talk about singing the hardest music ever written, being an ambassador for opera to the Black community, and maybe a little Fantasy Football...

[@ 40 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’... Middle Class Artist throws a flag on YouTube auditions, while Jonas Kaufmann wants YOU for Christmas...

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Wanna know what the OBS team looks like? Check out the video version of our show on The Dallas Opera Network…

[@ 3 min] This week, in ‘Chalk Talk’… Some of us could use something on the lighter side… like good ol’ Gilbert and Sullivan. George patters about the best of G&S and fends off a little list questions from his colleagues, including why G&S still matters. (To some of us, anyway…)

[@ 30 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’... Tragedy in Vienna, impostors in Brooklyn, and racists on Facebook…

operaboxscore.com dallasopera.org/tdo_network_show/opera-box-score facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

Wanna know what the OBS team looks like? Check out the video version of our show on The Dallas Opera Network…

[@ 3 min] Firstly, the OBS team taped this week’s show on Monday November 2; secondly, they don’t talk politics. Kind of. Ashlee takes a page out of You-Know-Who’s playbook and sounds off about some Nasty Women in opera…

[@ 29 min] It’s one of OBS’ biggest scores... When this helden soprano found out the OBS crew were doing an episode about Nasty Women, she said “Hold My Beer”. Christine Goerke goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Oliver and Ashlee to talk about her friendship with the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg and on singing Brünnhilde in a Mustang...

[@ 59 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, the European opera houses shut down and everyone is writing angry letters about it…

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Wanna know what the OBS team looks like? Check out the video version of our show on The Dallas Opera Network…

[@ 4 min] It’s our annual Hallowe’en Spooktacular this week… We talk terrifying operas, and watch some nightmarish scenes...

[@ 18 min] And then… Oliver and Matt go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with the tall and talented tenor Benjamin Bernheim…

[@ 46 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’... If you have to wear a mask to go to the opera, can it be a Hallowe’en mask…?

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Wanna know what the OBS team looks like? Check out the video version of our show on The Dallas Opera Network...

[@ 3 min] On the show this week… Opera. Sports. Sports. Opera. Not as far apart as you might think. The OBS team tells you why...

[@ 18 min] And then… co-host Matt Cummings revisits the induction of a beloved mezzo-soprano into the OBS Hall of Fame. Find out whose portrait gets to line the hallowed halls of the Operaland’s HQ...

[@35 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’... More season announcements in one week than you’ve heard in the last six months...

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Starting tonight, Wednesday, October 21st, Opera Box Score is joining The Dallas Opera Network. OBS? TDO? WTF? Alright, TDO Network brings a mixture of programming that educates, questions, and furthers classical music and the power of opera. With a diverse group of content creators from the opera industry, each series uniquely engages with its community in ways that go further than the just the typical live performance experience.

What does that mean for you? Here’s how it works. Team OBS tapes a video - yes, video - version of the show that is released exclusively on The Dallas Opera Network on Wednesdays at 9 pm CT. A podcast version of the same show can be found on Fridays wherever you get your pods, and a terrestrial radio version is broadcast on WNUR 89.3 FM Chicago on Monday nights.

Now, don’t panic. You still get exclusive interviews with opera artists, insights into the opera art form and all your opera headlines with our team’s hot takes, plus a healthy dose of sports talk and fifth grade humor.

So, you get three chances to hear the OBS during the week, each week, every week. Hey, the show called America’s Talk Radio Show About Opera for a reason. Then again, George has been told he has a face for radio for a reason, too.

It all starts tonight, Wednesday, October 21st, on TDO Network at 9 pm CT. All the OBS team will be there, and hope you will too.

Visit dallasopera.org/tdo_network_episodes/ to check it out.

[@ 4 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’, George, Oliver and Matt talk GOATs. (You know... Greatest. Of. All. Time.) In the aftermath of tennis GOAT Rafael Nadal’s victory in the French Open, we throw down on opera’s GOATs...

[@ 20 min] One of the first Black women to lead an American opera company, Afton Battle goes 'Inside the Huddle' with Ashlee and Oliver. The singer turned administrator pledges to eradicate inequalities and spotlight the talents and skills of people of color both on the stage and behind the scenes at Fort Worth Opera...

[@ 51 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, could a painting save Covent Garden…?

[Listener Alert!] Starting October 21st, Opera Box Score is joining The Dallas Opera Network. Check it out at: dallasopera.org/tdo_network_episodes/

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[@ 4 min] The OBS syndicate tackle a recent article in the 'Guardian' which argues that opera companies have been essential in making the return of live entertainment possible in the UK. How far might that assessment apply to opera in the US…?

[@ 17 min] With all the madness of the past week, the OBS-ers figured you might want a calm-me-down playlist. Hear their recommendations on arias that’ll get you raging...

[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0EHMHSd1xfCRmJd83VABiv?si=60lfhQ6qT5OeW_UfjjMGDQ]

...and then bring you back down peacefully…

[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2dOsODafBLrZLeKKFCZMNR?si=T_uEQRsxScaZOyqB0xEkCA]

[@ 48 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, one of the original Barihunks gives up his leather pants...

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[@ 5 min] One season gone, another one announced. That’s the score at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for the ‘20 and ‘21 seasons. The OBS ballers dig into the plus/minus columns and take a closer look at who won and who lost…

[@ 25 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle' with Aaron Sheehan. The Grammy-winning artist is considered to be America’s leading tenor in Baroque repertoire and carries the ball for Boston Early Music Festival’s Virtual Orfeo-Spectacular...

[@ 55 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Jonas Kaufmann finally hits the big time. Yeah, he’s on Amazon Prime...

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[@ 3 min] The OBS bench honor a superhero who proved you can be as tough as a linebacker AND love opera. In ‘Chalk Talk’, the panel pays tribute to the late, great Notorious RBG...

[@ 20 min] Oliver goes 'Inside the Huddle' with the co-host of the "Trilloquy" podcast, and former host of American Public Media’s nationally syndicated "Music Through the Night", Garrett McQueen...

[@ 60 min] In the 'Two Minute Drill', audience protests stop a performance of Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera”. Now THAT’S ironic...

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It’s the first episode of Season Six! Thanks to all of you who talked to us, donated to us and listened to us over the past five years...

[@ 8 min] The OBS legion kick it off with a tag team interview when Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with the founders and editors of OperaWire, brothers David and Francisco Salazar...

[@ 46 min] The bracket is set. It’s Joyce DiDonato versus Benjamin Bernheim, and Julius Drake versus… Julius Drake? Find out who was nominated for a 2020 Classical Grammy, plus all your the headlines in the “Two Minute Drill”...

www.operaboxscore.com www.facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

The OBS cohort wrap up Season 5 with a 'Best of..." show featuring highlights from the past year, including...

[@ 4 min] ...a tribute to Italian soprano Mirella Freni...

[@ 19 min] ...an 'Inside the Huddle' segment with last year’s Grammy Award winner for Best Classical Vocal Solo album, Lebanese-American tenor Karim Sulayman...

[@ 40 min] ...Camacho and Cummings facing off in a brutal ‘TKO’ match featuring mad scenes, with conductor Anthony Barrese as the judge…

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[@ 3 min] The OBS side go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with baritone and educator Daniel Belcher to talk about his training program for singers, and they ask him when exactly he last watched sports on TV...

[@ 30 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, advice on how to show appreciation in the opera house, (IF you’re in an opera house), during the pandemic...

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[@ 3 min] Oliver and Matt go head to head in an early opera 'TKO'. Who will win out in the battle of the Orfei...?

[@ 44 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill,’ don’t believe everything you hear about COVID transmission at the opera...

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[@ 3 min] The OBS lads go 'Inside the Huddle' with Alyssa Martin and Marcus Shields, two of the co-founders of OSSIA, the online production company that approaches opera with the same savvy as your favorite social media influencers...

[@ 38 min] ‘Pop Quiz’ returns, much to Oliver's chagrin. If opera artists were wrestlers, what would their nicknames be...?

[@ 57 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’: good news from Berlin, bad news from St. Petersburg, really bad news from St. Louis...

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[@ 2 min] Matt Cummings launches a brand new segment, as he and the OBS dudes debate the merits of an overlooked classic opera…

[@ 43 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Salzburg may be a little hotter than expected this year, and are the Met’s pay-to-listen concerts striking a sour note for some in Operaland?

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[@ 4 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with the pioneering Cuban-American composer and conductor Odaline de la Martinez. Find out how Maestra Martinez has been toiling over decades to increase the diversity of those composers whose work gets performed and recorded. Plus, Martinez reveals how Dame Ethel Smyth got into “good trouble” and conducted a chorus from prison…

[@ 42 min] The OBS officiating crew dips into the listener mailbag for a double header of ‘Post Game Notes’ on Richard Strauss and Beverly Sills, and gives some questionable advice…

[@ 1 h 07 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill,’ Lisette Oropesa gets an encore and Andrea Bocelli has a bad take on coronavirus lockdowns…

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[@ 5 min] Major League Baseball is back, sorta. The OBS Bloopers talk through the struggles baseball has faced, past and present, and what signs opera and classical music might steal from America’s pastime...

[@ 30 min] American soprano Amanda Woodbury goes 'Inside the Huddle' to discuss singing Konstanze, balancing motherhood with an international career, and being a 9th inning replacement for a Met radio broadcast...

[@ 60 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Lincoln Center stops paying above market interest rates. Your OBSers have no idea what that means, but'll give hot takes on it, anyway...

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[@ 5 min] This week in 'Chalk Talk', the reckoning begins. A-list artists called on the Richard Tucker Foundation to remove one of its board members after he made a series of racist comments on social media. This, after a week full of articles and editorials addressing Classical Music’s race problem and middleclassartist.com’s data-driven spotlight on racial inequality in opera...

[@ 19 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with one of the most exciting and talented American baritones of his generation. That baritone would be Theo Hoffman…

[@ 51 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’: if you had to pick between Basketball and Opera, what would you choose...?

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[@ 3 min] Team OBS goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Joel Puckett, composer of Minnesota Opera’s production of “The Fix” (with a libretto by Eric Simonson) about the fraudulent 1919 Chicago White Sox team. A guest who can shoot the breeze about sports…?!

[@ 37 min] Apparently there are still places that want to hire James Levine. In ‘Chalk Talk’, find out where in the world presenting an alleged sexual predator and cult-leader will still sell tickets...

[@ 46 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, women take the reins of New Orleans Opera and Charlottesville Opera, while the Metropolitan Opera stops giving away free online content…

www.facebook.com/obschi1 www.operaboxscore.com @operaboxscore

We keep the (American) Independence Day weekend party going - physically distanced, of course - with a trip into the archives. Join Matt, Weston and Ashlee (plus a little bit of Toby) for three Yankee Doodle OBS Hall-of-Famers…

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[@ 5 min] Wonder why all classical composers seem to be dead white men? Wonder where all the women are? Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with a champion of gender equality in classical music: Elizabeth de Brito, the producer and host of England’s The Daffodil Perspective…

[@ 32 min] We dip into the ‘Listener Mailbag’ to discover Oliver, Matt, and Ashlee’s Fantasy League picks for a dinner party…

[@ 54 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, experience the mask-wearing, physically-distanced audience at Munich’s Bavarian State Opera, and take a trip to Greece with Ashley…

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[@ 4 min] Stage director Alison Moritz joins George and Oliver ‘Inside the Huddle’ to talk about opera in the Era of Corona and of Uprising...

[@ 27 min] A Full House of the OBS team open up the ‘Listener Mailbag’ and find an inquiry about their hopes and dreams for a new opera house...

[@ 35 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Barcelona tests the theory of whether plants appreciate classical music...

www.facebook.com/obschi1 www.operaboxscore.com @operaboxscore

[@ 5 min] It’s the man of the hour, the courageous and graceful rising star tenor who has thrown the gauntlet down in his call to action for opera companies to start engaging more black artists now. Creative consultant Oliver Camacho goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Frederick Ballentine...

[@ 34 min] Coach Weston Williams and guest assistant coach Harry Rose wrap up ‘Spring Training for Your Ears’ with what Weston describes as the best finale in all of opera...

[@ 1 h 15 min] In the Two Minute Drill, we hope Alexander Neef has a nice stockpile of N95 masks. That man is going to be doing a lot of flying...

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If this is the first episode you're hearing, welcome to the OBS. For everyone else, this episode will sound a little different. We're still the same show. We're going to get to the second part of our 'Spring Training for Your Ears' on Strauss’s "Die Frau ohne Schatten". We're still going to have the 'Two Minute Drill'...

But we want to start by acknowledging the cultural moment we're in, one that affects so many of our colleagues and friends, and point to some of the Black artists in our field who are speaking out...

[@ 3 min] The OBS-ers begin a three-part ‘Spring Training for Your Ears’ on Richard Strauss’ “Die Frau Ohne Schatten” with special guest panelist Harry Rose...

[@ 51 min] The team goes ‘Inside the Huddle' with Timothy Nelson, the artistic director of Washington, DC’s INSeries organization. Find out how they’re planning to create a digital opera house...

[@ 1 h 14 min] In the 'Two Minute Drill', the Arena di Verona celebrates Domingo of all people...

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[@ 6 min] Alright, tonight… it’s a double-header ‘Inside the Huddle’ all about the end of the “young artist” stage of a singer’s career and the transition to management. We talk to American soprano Emily Pogorelc who joins the ensemble at the Bayerische Staatsoper this fall.

[@ 33 min] Then… it’s the founder of Stratagem Artists, Justin Werner. A former singer himself, Werner answers some of the most frequently asked questions about transitioning to a managed career, and when exactly IS a singer ready to have representation…

[@ 1 hour 4 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill... in her infinite wisdom, Anna Netrebko tells her followers to “hashtag break quarantine”…

www.facebook.com/obschi1 www.operaboxscore.com @operaboxscore

[@ 5 min] The OBS gents play a 'Chalk Talk' double header with one of the most recognizable voices in opera podcasting. Baritone Michael Mayes joins the panel to discuss the content that companies are sharing with audiences starved for opera and how they’ve pivoted to online strategies in the wake of COVID-19…

[@ 57 min] In the Two Minute Drill... Does your shelter-in-place have enough Marian Anderson? Did a panel of renowned scientists speak too soon about choral concerts?

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[@ 5 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Russell Thomas, one of the most sought-after tenors of his generation who specializes in the hardest-to-cast roles like Pollione in Bellini’s ‘Norma’, Florestan in Beethoven’s ‘Fidelio’ and the title role of Verdi's ‘Otello'…

[@ 45 min] In ‘Chalk Talk’, the OBS gang wrap up the Opera Bracket Final Four from Michigan Opera Theater. Only a single team can have its one shining moment. Find out who…

[@ 1h30min] And in the Two Minute Drill… Bad news from more of America’s summer opera festivals and worse news from the National Association of Teachers of Singing...

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[@ 4 min] It’s our Mother’s Day Spectacular! Ashlee Hardgrave talks to seven artists and administrators who navigated partnership at parenting while at the top of their operatic game…

[@ 53 min] George and Oliver play through their regions of Michigan Opera Theater’s Greatest Opera bracket. It’s Carmen versus Dalilah and Ann Trulove versus Cunegonde...!

[@ 1 hour 42 min] In the Two Minute Drill... La Scala forges ahead with plans to re-open this September. Will that decision end up as one of our future Bad Calls…?

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[@6min] If you feel like you’ve been spending a lot of time alone, try singing all the parts of a Bach Passion by yourself. Creative consultant Oliver Camacho has an exclusive interview with the co-creator and star of Bachfest Leipzig’s “St John Passion for solo tenor, harpsichord, organ, and percussion” Icelandic tenor Benedikt Kristjánsson...

[@41min] There was plenty of March Madness a few months ago, and that was without any basketball. But while the NCAA Final Four was cancelled, Michigan Opera Theater posted its own opera bracket on Instagram in mid-April. The OBS team works through that very bracket over the next three shows, picking winners of the ultimate opera showdown...

[@1h35min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, it’s opera. At the drive in. In London, of all places…

We’re continuing to document all things opera-related in the time of corona, and we want to hear your voice. Are you an employee of the opera world, whose work has been affected by COVID-19? A fan who’s desperate to see something live in person? Let us know how you are coping with your own stay-at-home order. Send your message or voice memo of up to sixty seconds to operaboxscore@gmail.com and we might feature you on our show…

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Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Nicholas Tamagna, the American countertenor who recently triumphed in his debut at the Metropolitan Opera. Tamagna describes going from cover cast to starring alongside Joyce DiDonato to (unrelated) quarantine in Germany… Matt and Ashlee conclude ‘Spring Training for Your Ears’ with Part III of their look at one of Benjamin Britten’s most accessible operas: “Albert Herring”... In the 'Two Minute Drill', has Anna Netrebko’s identity been stolen...?

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A singer described by Opera News as a “true stage animal,” the OBS ballers go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with American bass-baritone Zachary James to talk about starring in Philip Glass’s ‘Akhnaten’, being a queer villain in Britten’s “Billy Budd”, and a break-through role in “The Addams Family” musical… ‘Spring Training for Your Ears’ continues with Part Two of the team's look at Britten’s comic masterpiece “Albert Herring”... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… you knew it was coming… The Zoom Opera…

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Lidiya Yankovskaya returns! The highly sought after conductor has already had a whirlwind season with world premieres at the Prototype Festival, Minnesota Opera, and with one of our hometown teams, Chicago Opera Theater. Find out how she juggles it all when she goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Oliver and Ashlee... It’s ‘Spring Training for Your Ears’. Over the next few weeks, tune up your familiarity with the comic masterpiece “Albert Herring”. With history hurdles and recording reps, get ready to become the point guard for Team Benjamin Britten... And then… in the Two Minute Drill… #MeToo tenor Vittorio Grigolo wants to... caress your ears?

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Which soprano sang more than eighty different roles, spinning out long phrases in operas ranging from Salome to Norma? Find out when Matt makes his next pick for the OBS ‘Hall of Fame’... But first, Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with baritone John Taylor Ward, a darling of the contemporary and early music concert scenes and the co-founder of Minnesota’s Lakes Area Music Festival… In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, COVID-19 claims the life of playwright and librettist Terrence McNally…

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Zach Finkelstein of middleclassartist.com 'Crunches the Numbers' with George on the metrics of Force Majeure clauses in the many contracts that are being cancelled in the wake of COVID-19... But first, Weston inducts a composer into the OBS 'Hall of Fame' that's right on, er, The Nose... Oliver leads a 'Two Minute Drill' with a pair of bizarre stories about Plácido Domingo...

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The OBS crew take social distancing a little too literally, as it’s just George live in-studio, with the rest of the team calling in with their personal stories as to how Coronavirus is affecting them - and others - as artists in opera...

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The OBS crew go 'Inside the Huddle' with multi-operatic-hyphenate Priti Gandhi of Minnesota Opera about her most recent role as mover, shaker, and Chief Artistic officer... In ‘Chalk Talk’, Operaland has coronavirus fever! Hear what opera companies all over the world are doing in reaction to the panic... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, it's talk about a “mutual” parting of ways between the Royal Opera House and Plácido Domingo, the fact that Hitler apparently tried to write a terrible opera, and a misogynist computer algorithm...

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Enigma Chamber Opera hit the ground running earlier this year with a new production of Britten’s “The Turn of the Screw” in Boston. Artistic director Kirsten Cairns and tenor Matthew DiBattista join the OBS-ers live in studio to talk storefront opera... In ‘Chalk Talk’, the team takes a look at Opera Philadelphia’s upcoming season. It’s a doozy, and they'll tell you why... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, apparently the everyone has to keep talking about Plácido Domingo...

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The 2020 season announcements are coming in fast and furious. George and Weston take a deep dive into the recently announced line-up at Opera North in England and take another deep dive at Washington National Opera’s season…. And they take a deep dive into the Listener Mailbag for a real barnstormer of a question… Plus, in ‘Two Minute Drill’, the Coronavirus hits Operaland...

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Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera have announced their 2020-2021 seasons, and the OBS guys are happy to declare that progress is being made… But first, classical music’s racial diversity problem. It’s an evergreen topic on OBS, but two articles published this month shed light on the striking lack of Black and Latinx people on the stages and in the audiences of America’s elite performance venues... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Anna Netrebko gets an award (and some criticism) and Javier Camarena gets yet another encore...

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The OBS-ers go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with American soprano Marnie Breckenridge, a darling of the contemporary opera circuit starring in the world premiere of Tapestry Opera’s "Jacqueline" in Toronto later this month... Then, in 'Chalk Talk', the team remembers Mirella Freni, playing some favorite clips of the iconic Italian soprano who died at the age of 84... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, big money in St. Louis and headshaking in New Zealand...

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The OBS gents go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Royce Vavrek, creator of such works as "Breaking the Waves", "Dog Days", and "JFK"... How should we be selling opera for newbies? NPR’s got opinions... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, there's talk about everyone’s convenience store, 7-11...

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We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with stage director Jennifer Williams, an artist who’s created numerous immersive and site-specific opera productions. Plus, we recap the winners and near-misses at last night’s Grammy Awards, and take a peek into the Listener Mailbag. And in the ‘Two Minute Drill’, plumbing problems at Bayreuth and everything else you need to know in Operaland...

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In ‘Chalk Talk’, it’s an MLK celebration with a closer look at three notable artists: a composer, a singer and a director... A recent article from the 'Daffodil Perspective', a website that champions gender equality in classical music, outlined “the real reasons classical music is inaccessible and 10 easy ways to solve them immediately”. The OBS boys tackle that list... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, there're anti-Domingo protests in Berlin, and everything else you need to know from the past week in Operaland...

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American soprano Tamara Wilson joins Oliver and Weston 'Inside the Huddle' via phone from Texas, where she headlines in Houston Grand Opera’s upcoming production of Verdi's "Aida"… It’s a 'Chalk Talk' about gig work, and why its prevalence in the opera world could mean trouble for small companies in California right now... In ‘The Two Minute Drill’, will Anna Netrebko ever do new music? And why are only eight of the top 100 conductors in the world women...?

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The OBS knuckleheads go 'Inside the Huddle' with last year’s Grammy Award winner for Best Classical Vocal Solo album, Lebanese-American tenor Karim Sulayman... In 'Chalk Talk', the hosts handicap the Grammys for later this month, and they tell you how to put your thumb on the scale for the International Opera Awards... In ‘The Two Minute Drill’, the Prototype Festival gets underway and vandalism strikes Bach’s home town...

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Tonight... We go 'Inside the Huddle' with soprano Elyse Kakacek to talk about her new album "Untethered". We’ll also get her take on the highlights and lowlights from Operaland over the past year...

And then… It’s the decade in review! We talk about what changes Operaland has gone through during the 2010s, and what we predict will happen in the roaring twenties...

Plus... In the 'Two Minute Drill', Paris is on strike, and it turns out classical music impacts climate change...

Wherever you are, however you're listening, however you celebrate the holidays, do it with light, with love and with opera!

The OBS-ers are back on Monday December 30 at 9 pm CT for the Best and Worst of 2019 in Operaland... only on WNUR 89.3 FM & HD1 Evanston-Chicago and streaming on wnur.org/popup.

Team OBS bids farewell and good riddance to OBS co-founder and co-host Tobias Wright. They talk with Tobias about his career change, watch with horror as he inducts himself into the OBS Hall of Fame, listen to some of his favorite singers and recap the highlights and lowlights of his own checkered career on the airwaves... Plus, in ‘The Two Minute Drill’, who do you think gets paid more, Peter Gelb at the Met or Dominique Meyer at the Vienna State Opera...?

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The OBS lads go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with American mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen, who just finished a run of Philip Glass’ “Akhnaten” at the Metropolitan Opera. They talk to her about performing in HD and why this show is returning to the Met so soon... South Korean conductor Eun Sun Kim was just appointed music director at San Francisco Opera. Hear how she got to SF and what her hire means for the company and for the art form... In ‘The Two Minute Drill’, “Porgy and Bess” is extended at the Met, and Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo is fired at the Met...

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Rapper Kanye West’s opera premiered in Hollywood a few weeks ago. The OBS crew are joined by guest co-host K. F. Jacques to take a closer look into the piece itself and if the harsh critical reception was justified... In ‘The Hometown Team': Lyric Opera of Chicago recently announced that it was getting new seats in its home. The OBS team spitballs about what sort of amenities their dream opera house would have... Then, they go on to make some predictions on the upcoming Grammy awards in the classical music division... In ‘The Two Minute Drill’, a legendary director exits stage right...

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It’s a Thanksgiving 'Chalk Talk'! The OBS-ers share what they’re grateful for in Operaland just in time for Turkey Day... But first, it’s a very special 'HOF' from Matt, where he brings you a long overdue tribute to the late, great Jessye Norman... In the 'Two Minute Drill', the Met’s credit rating gets downgraded, a Glyndebourne director gets fired, and the Vienna State Opera puts on an opera written by a woman... Hey, it only took ‘em 150 years...

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Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Clay Hilley who is quickly becoming known to Lyric Opera of Chicago audiences singing Father Grenville in Jake Heggie’s “Dead Man Walking”. The American heldentenor returns later this season to cover Siegfried in Wagner’s ‘Ring’ Cycle… Venice is underwater! At least, more underwater than usual. The OBS gents take you through why losing the city of bridges would be an irreplaceable loss for the world of opera... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, you’ll never guess who’s written his first opera...

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The OBS crew go ‘Inside the huddle’ with composer David T. Little, whose works have been hailed by the 'New York Times' as “proving beyond any doubt that opera has both a relevant present and a bright future..." Ashlee plays 'Monday Evening Quarterback' on the production of Jake Heggie’s opera “Dead Man Walking” at Lyric Opera of Chicago... In the 'Two Minute Drill', opera singers get new bodies and opera houses get new seats...

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American bass Soloman Howard, winner of the 2019 Marian Anderson Vocal Award, joins the OBS crew 'Inside the Huddle' to talk about leading the way as a black artist at the apogee of American opera... Then, the team bring you their guide to Wagner's Ring Cycle! What is it? What does it take to survive four nights of opera? Why do us opera people like talking about it so much...? In the 'Two Minute Drill', figure out the value of a giant golden statue head...

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PROGRAM ALERT: There's a couple of scary loud audio levels in this week's show. Was it a ghost in the machine?!

Get ready for some ghoulish high notes from a menagerie of monstrous co-hosts as Team OBS battles it out to see who’s got the spookiest opera with which to torment their audience...! But first, it’s the return of 'Monday Evening Quarterback' and Oliver’s got some terrifying opinions...! In the 'Two Minute Drill', the OBS zombies talk about ghosts! And other opera related things...

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Team OBS goes 'Inside the Huddle' with American mezzo-soprano Lindsay Metzger, asking about her upcoming appearance in Haymarket Opera Company’s production of “The Dragon of Wantley"... Opera America preps for its 50th anniversary celebrations, asking what is it, why is it important, and what is its place in history... In the 'Two Minute Drill', Zubin Mehta retires, while two friends of the show win big at the Gramophone Awards...

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As LA Opera comes to terms with the Plácido Domingo scandal, the tenor seems to be doing just fine in Europe. The OBS-ers try to figure out why that is, in 'Chalk Talk'... The newest co-host makes her 'Hall of Fame' debut selection. Who will Ashlee choose to receive the highest honor an opera radio show can bestow?... In the 'Two Minute Drill', what do you do when you’re an opera company that’s gotten too big? Find a bigger barn, of course...

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The OBS crew join the ‘Hometown Team’ and chat live in-studio with Ashley Magnus, the General Director of Chicago Opera Theater... In ‘Chalk Talk’, the panel walks you through an article in the “Washington Post” that argued “to save opera, let it die”... In the 'Two Minute Drill', Giordani leaves too soon and Domingo leaves too late...

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An OBS duo remembers Jessye Norman, who died Monday at age 74, going through some of their favorite performances from the famed soprano to talk about what makes her great... Oliver goes 'Inside the Huddle' with director James Darrah, whose production of Handel's "Semele" just closed at Festival O19... In ‘The Two Minute Drill’, the fallout from the Domingo scandal continues...

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Oliver and Tobias return from a weekend at Festival O19 at Opera Philadelphia. You’ll get their hot takes on the shows they saw, plus testimonials from audience members that our boys tackled in the lobby, a double interview with Opera Phila’s New Works Administrator Sarah Williams and mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, and, most importantly, find out who drank too much from the hotel minibar... In ‘The Two Minute Drill’, the Met season starts tonight, as well as AGMA and NYCO heading for blows...

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The OBS-ers go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with the Samuel Hasselhorn, with the German baritone talking to Oliver about winning the Queen Elizabeth competition and what it's like to have a Fest contract at the Wiener Staatsoper... But first, in ‘Chalk Talk’, the team continues the conversation about sexual harassment and the abuse of power in opera, with reference to Schmopera.com’s recent call for stories about abuse and assault in the world of classical music... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, there’s a new Music Director coming to Lyric Opera of Chicago...

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Season 5 starts with Oliver going ‘Inside the Huddle’ with the star of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Philip Glass’s “Akhnahten”, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo... American soprano Kathyrn Lewek shamed the critics that shamed her last week. Mic drop! Plus, a recap the fall out of the allegations of sexual assault against famed tenor Plácido Domingo... The OBS’s newest cohost, Ashlee Hardgrave, shares one of the operas on her ‘must-see’ list for the coming season… In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, critics complain about English National Opera, but not about a production...

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The three-hour epic season finale concludes! Our live listeners on WNUR 98.3 FM Chicago got it all in one fell swoop, while our podcast listeners get this marathon show split up into three one-hour releases on August 13, 20 and 27…

In Part III, Oliver goes 'Inside the Huddle' with American soprano Marisol Montalvo... Then, Oliver and Matt battle it out in a mad scene 'T.K.O.' with George and guest co-host conductor Anthony Barrese picking a winner...

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The three-hour epic season continues! Our live listeners on WNUR 98.3 FM Chicago got it all in one fell swoop last week, while our podcast listeners get this marathon show split up into three one-hour releases on August 13, 20 and 27…

In Part II, the Fab Five OBS guys - along with guest co-host conductor Anthony Barrese - each confess about one production they just HAVE to see in the upcoming season… Plus Barrese throws a wild pitch and inducts an opera score into the HOF…

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The three-hour epic season finale begins! Our live listeners on WNUR 98.3 FM Chicago got it all in one fell swoop, while our podcast listeners get this marathon show split up into three one-hour releases on August 13, 20 and 27…

In Part I, the Fab Five OBS guys - along with guest co-host conductor Anthony Barrese - get into a ‘Chalk Talk’ segment about protests at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music... George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with American soprano and director Patricia Racette... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, one sexual assault case in Operaland is apparently settled, while another one apparently gets even worse...

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Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with two-time Grammy award winner mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung.... But first, in ‘Chalk Talk’, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton blends her musical activities with frankly stated positions on social and political issues... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, two summertime young artist programs take new directions... Guest co-host guest Ashlee Hardgrave joins the OBS nuts for the whole show, and they take a phone call from a listener... Next time, it could be you! Plus, don't miss the 3-hour epic live show on August 12 starting at 7 pm CT...

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It's an exclusive interview with Thor! Conductor Gary Thor Wedow, that is. Oliver goes 'Inside the Huddle' with the God of Thunder - or at least the orchestra pit - to talk about what young singers need to succeed in the 21st century... It’s another summertime HOF on the OBS. Matt decides who gets to join what is fast becoming the most prestigious opera honorarium in audio media... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, soprano Tamara Wilson drops out of Verdi's 'Aida' for a pretty important reason, the opera 'Prism' wins again, and the Operalia winners get lots of money...

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The summer festival road trip continues as the OBS yobs gatecrash the Glyndebourne Festival in England... 'Pop Quiz' returns, as Matt tests the collective brainpower (some would say brain freeze) of Oliver and Tobias... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, hirings and firings are happening fast and furious this week in Operaland…

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Team OBS has a brand new pick for the OBS Hall of Fame. What composer will Weston induct into these hallowed halls…? But first, Tobias talks millennials. How do these kids feel about opera? (Wait, aren’t millennials old now?)... Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill', a fond a farewell to a brilliant American baritone...

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The OBS crew are joined live in studio by Molly Sender, Administrative Director of Ravinia's Steans Music Institute, the summer conservatory at America’s oldest summer music festival. They talk to her about what makes this program special, who will be hosting this summer’s masterclasses and why they can’t have her tickets to the Nickelback concert at Ravinia later this summer... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, reviews from La Scala and the Aix-en-Provence Festival, a first for Cherubino, and a last for British political protestors...

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Creative Consultant Oliver Camacho goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with American countertenor Christopher Lowrey to discuss the moment Lowrey knew he wanted to be a countertenor, to find out who discovered him while he was singing in a choir in England, and to geek out about Handel... In ‘Chalk Talk’, the OBS beancounters look back at the important stories of the first half of 2019 and make a few predictions for how the remainder of the year in opera will conclude... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, John Adams lands in Germany, Dominique Meyer leaves Austria, and Switzerland is neutral, as always...

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The OBS lads go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with opera baritone and Hip-Hop producer and performer K. F. Jacques. He tells them about what it took to fuse two musical genres into something totally unique... In ‘Chalk Talk’, a closer listen to “Blue”, the opera by Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson premiering at the Glimmerglass Festival later this summer… In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, problems at Michigan Opera Theater, La Scala and New York City Opera, to name a few...

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Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with rising star Emőke Baráth, fresh from her triumph in the Boston Early Music Festival’s production of Steffani's "Orlando Generoso". Find out why the young Hungarian soprano is already considered to be one of the foremost interpreters of Baroque opera, and who gave her her big break... But first, the OBS nosepickers go to the movies, throwing popcorn at Ron Howard’s documentary about tenor Luciano Pavarotti and weeping over the death of Franco Zeffirelli... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, new diversity initiatives, new strikes, new operas and new sexual assault allegations...

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The OBS team goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with American baritone Lucia Lucas. She sang the title role in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” at Tulsa Opera last month... Weston ‘Crunches the Numbers’, critiquing the Royal Opera House’s upcoming season against the Dodson Scale™... In the ‘Two Minute Drill', the Met bails on producing a complex show and the Holland Festival in Amsterdam doesn’t bail on producing a complex show...

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The OBS puckheads go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis General Director Andrew Jorgensen, tearing him away from watching the Saint Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final to discuss OTSL’s 2019 summer festival season... In ‘Chalk Talk’, three different operas being presented in the US this summer all tackle tough questions about race in America... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, get advice on how to have a career in opera and be a parent...

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The OBS layabouts leave work early for Memorial Day, but not before giving you a micro-episode examining Santa Fe’s new opera initiative. They look at three world premieres and find out why it pays to have multiple new works in the same season...

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The OBS goobers get an early start on their Summer Festival Road Trip: first stop is a nerdapalooza for all you early music fans... Weston is anything but modest as he inducts another composer into the illustrious OBS Hall of Fame... Plus, it's a particularly wacky ‘Two Minute Drill’…

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With the 2018-2019 season winding down, but the summer festivals are yet to begin, things are a little quiet in Operaland. But don’t worry, the OBS guys are here to get loud, with a show featuring a plethora of sounds clips... The guys ‘Crunch the Numbers’ and recap the results from the 2019 International Opera Awards which took place last week in London... It’s a brand new segment called ‘Spring Training For Your Ears’: they'll get you ready for how to listen to any recitativo secco that might be coming your way during the summer season... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel takes one for the team...

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The OBS schmucks celebrate their appearance at last week's TRIVIAta event with a triple-header showcasing some of their best segments from the past season... Matt is hazed with trivia questions in 'Pop Quiz'... Oliver goes 'Inside the Huddle' with countertenor Jakub Józef Orlinski... Tobias walks you down the hallowed corridors of the OBS 'Hall of Fame' with a look at the life and recordings of one of his favorite opera singers…

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The OBS over-achievers try to figure out how to sell opera to audiences in the twenty-first century... But first, they tackle the issue of racial inequality and the underrepresentation of minorities in the opera world... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, there's big stories from London...

Plus, OBS hosts Lyric Opera of Chicago's Young Professionals Annual TRIVIAta event, a pub trivia-style competition about opera, on Wednesday April 24 at 5.30 pm. Clues to some of the game's questions are hidden throughout this episode! Check out the link below for tickets...

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George has a good call on two upcoming opera events, and a bad call from the Monday April 15 episode of OBS...

The OBS clowns go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with composer Huang Ruo, who wrote “An American Soldier”, seen at Opera Theater of St. Louis last year. You’ll hear about his life in both his native China and the US, and find out what his upcoming opera is... In 'Chalk Talk', the nightmare that is Brexit continues to take its toll on everyone and everything, and that includes opera... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, it's an opera architecture double header...

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The OBS fools go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with tenor Zach Finkelstein about what the business side of being an opera singer is really like. Is it a bad April Fool’s Day joke to think you can be a full time musician...? The results are in from last Sunday’s Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Find out what the guys think about winners... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, the worlds of opera, fashion and Brexit collide...

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Opera America has released its list of the 25 most performed operas in the US during the 2017-2018 season. The OBS jerks take a deep dive into the rankings to see if there are any surprises... The Bavarian State Opera's recently-announced 2019-2020 season becomes the first international house to go under the microscope that is the Dodson Scale™. Find out where the company ranks alongside its Yankee counterparts... Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’, get advice on playing Mozart to your manchego...

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Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with countertenor Iestyn Davies, who just finished a run of Handel’s “Ariodante” at Lyric Opera of Chicago, having recently been on Broadway in the play “Farinelli and the King”... But first, the OBS clowns take a look at Chicago Opera Theater’s 2019-2020 season announcement. Will the company beat its record-breaking Dodson Scale™ score from last season...? In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, conductors are repping it all over the biz...

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The OBS idiots ask "Huh? Are supertitles distracting?" In ‘Chalk Talk’, they figure out how opera companies can let the audience know what’s happening onstage... It’s a Parisian edition of 'Crunching the Numbers', running the Paris Opera’s 2019-2020 season through the famously infallible Dodson Scale™... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, find out who's now on strike in Chicago...

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The OBS goofballs reach into their ‘Listener Mailbag’ and pull out Doug Dodson! That’s right, you'll hear the creator of the Dodson Scale™ himself talk about the importance of diversity in opera, and why he thinks Wagner doesn’t count... In 'Chalk Talk', it's all about acting. How can you change your theatrical presence onstage to mirror the music? Kathleen Turner has some opinions, as do the guys... Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’, robots take over Operaland...

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It’s a ‘Chalk Talk’ double header, as George, Oliver and Tobias take a look at the Metropolitan Opera’s 2019-2020 season and run it through the Dodson Scale™. Find out if the Met can set a new high score... Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’, there's harsh words in Berlin, and last words as three opera greats exit Stage Right...

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The guys go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with countertenor Jordan Rutter, who’s currently performing in Chicago Opera Theater’s new production of “The Scarlet Ibis”. What's it feel like for a singer from Florida to perform in the middle of a brutal Chicago winter...? Matt has a brand new member to induct into the hallowed corridors of the OBS 'Hall of Fame' in honor of Black History Month. Find out who needs to start working that acceptance speech... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, take a peek at some of the rejected plans for the Sydney Opera House...

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The boys go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Christina Pecce to talk about her new one-woman show “Witches, Bitches, and Divas!”... In ‘Chalk Talk’, the team wonders if opera needs to hang onto the traditional system of gendered vocal classification in the twenty-first century... And in the ‘Two Minute Drill’, you'll hear about Grammy winners and conductor losers...

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Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with bass Adrian Sâmpetrean, talking about what it takes to be a Romanian singer performing around the world, and what happens when you try to sing outside your comfort zone... But first, in ‘Chalk Talk’, recent articles arguing about English National Opera’s practice of translating their productions into English makes the OBS guys weigh in on that age-old argument in the opera world: "To translate, or not to translate...?" In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, find out why it's not a great idea to host a gamers convention in your opera house...

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The OBS crew go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Alexandra Enyart. An orchestra and opera conductor, Alex serves as Music Director for Thompson Street Opera Company where she chartered “Faulty Systems”, an annual program in which activists and artists come together to present on underrepresented communities or ideas through music, speech, poetry, dance and other mediums... But first, San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago have announced their 2019-2020 seasons. The team reads between the lines about what’s to look forward to and what might be missing from each company’s list... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, hear about the new diversity initiative at English National Opera...

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The guys go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Elena Villalón who placed first in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions Central region last weekend... Last Friday Chicago Opera Theater announced that General Director Douglas R. Clayton was stepping down from his leadership position with the company. In ‘Hometown Team’, the boys throw around some ideas on what’s behind this move... Then, they ‘Crunch the Numbers’: recent stats from the British Phonographic Institute reveal a rise in streams of classical tracks that is outpacing the rest of the sector... and in the ‘Two Minute Drill', you'll find out what was stolen from an opera house last week...

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George goes 'Inside the Huddle’ with Australian director Greg Eldridge. Greg was the youngest director ever to join the Young Artist programme at the Royal Opera House, London, where he recently directed Verdi’s “La Traviata”... Tobias opens up the Listener Mailbag and gets a letter all to himself... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, the Disabled List is overflowing...

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In a ‘Chalk Talk’ double header, George, Oliver and Weston look back at the opera highlights of 2018, from live performances and seminal recordings to major news stories and just plain ol' clickbait. And they share what they're looking forward to in opera this coming year… In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, there's deception, drag queens and Dungeons & Dragons...

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NYE wishes from OBS host George Cederquist with a preview of 2019's first show on January 7...

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The guys go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with conductor Anthony Barrese. The recipient of the 2007 Georg Solti Foundation U.S. award for young conductors, he's currently preparing for two shows at Opera Southwest... In ‘Chalk Talk’, a petition called “End Application and Audition Fees for Opera Singers” has gathered over 5300 signatures as of December 10. But will this petition have any effect?... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Grammy nominations and airport names abound...

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The OBS boys go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen, a winner of multiple singing competitions and a former ensemble member at the Semperoper in Dresden. She talks about how opera became the medium in which she found her voice... In ‘Chalk Talk’, conductor Sir Simon Rattle’s recent article for the BBC website outlines seven essential pieces of advice for young musicians. Find out how few of those our guys have followed over the years... Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’, it's the beginning of the Yannick Nézet-Séguin era at the Met...

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The OBS boys are joined by conductor Cathy O'Shaughnessy as a guest co-host and go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with conductor Michael Christie. At Minnesota Opera, Christie led 24 productions over six seasons as its first-ever Music Director, including the world premiere of Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s opera “Silent Night”. Plus this guy flies planes... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Plácido Domingo celebrates a milestone... Oliver plays ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ on Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” at Lyric Opera of Chicago...

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A recent article by E.J. Roller on the Vox website argues that “if students want to pursue the arts, they may be accepted to an arts program without a scholarship and find themselves $200,000 in debt before realizing they aren’t going to be able to get a real paycheck with their arts degree — at least in the next decade.” The OBS boys talk about the financial problems and potential fixes of a life in opera… With Thanksgiving later this week, our guys give thanks for a menu of opera works and artists... In the 'Two Minute Drill', a big premiere at La Scala and a little problem in Palo Alto...

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The OBS boys go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Ailyn Pérez, who was just named a 2019 ‘Opera News’ Awards Honoree… The guys play ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ on last week’s productions of Wagner’s “Siegfried” at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Tchaikovsky’s “Iolanta” at Chicago Opera Theater and the Met in HD broadcast of Nico Muhly’s opera “Marnie”... David Daniels' reputation continues to crumble in the 'Two Minute Drill'...

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Weston Williams leads a look back at some of our favorite ‘Inside the Huddle’ segments, with interviews of three very different, but equally fascinating, opera artists… As Chicago Opera Theater prepares to open a new production of Tchaikovsky’s “Iolanta” this week, we revisit our time with COT Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya... Then, we rewind to last spring, when creative consultant Oliver Camacho and co-host Tobias Wright talked to baritone Anthony Clark Evans, and Oliver caught up with tenor Paul Appleby…

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The boys go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with stage director Paul Curran, who's currently directing Tchaikovsky’s “Iolanta” at Chicago Opera Theater. They start by asking Paul about his take on this Russian gem of an opera... Then, the annual Hallowe’en Spooktacular returns with those scary opera moments that keep you up at night on October 31st... Plus, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’, when the guys explain what the hell Tilda Swinton is doing mixing dogs and opera...

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In a recent article in the ‘Daily Telegraph’ newspaper in London, Royal Opera House chief executive Alex Beard said the inclusion of the word “royal” in the name of his company is quote off-putting to the general public. So, what’s in a name? Just how much does the identity of an opera company rest on its title? That’s in ‘Chalk Talk’... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, you get a front row seat at last Sunday's Richard Tucker Award Gala... Then, creative consultant Oliver Camacho plays a ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ double header. He and Weston fill you in on recent performances of Mozart’s “Idomeneo” and Puccini’s “La bohème” at Lyric Opera of Chicago...

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The OBS boys go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with writer Heidi Waleson. She’s been the opera critic at the Wall Street Journal for twenty five years, and is the author of “Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America”, which has just been published by Macmillan... In ‘Chalk Talk’, all discuss the recent strike by the Chicago Federation of Musicians at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Who’s to blame? Who saved face?... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, find out what opera house just had a birthday...

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Oliver and George go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Alexandra Bork, a gender non-conforming soprano who's just returned to the US after working in the storefront opera scene in the UK... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, racism in opera once again rears its ugly head... And in ‘Chalk Talk’, Oliver looks back at the life and lyricism of Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé who died last week...

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Baritone John Brancy and pianist Peter Dugan go 'Inside the Huddle' with OBS creative consultant Oliver Camacho to discuss their tour of “A Silent Night”, an homage to this year’s centenary of the beginning of World War One... But first, George and Weston 'Crunch the Numbers' on Opernwelt magazine's list of the best in opera from the 2017-2018 season... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, find out about this week's opera problems that are plaguing New York, Barcelona and Zurich...

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Weston inducts another composer into the OBS Hall of Fame... In ‘Chalk Talk’, the OBS boys celebrate opening night of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2018 season by looking at future programming initiatives from Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin... George pays tribute to David DiChiera, Founding General Director of Michigan Opera Theater, who died last week at age 83... And in the ‘Two Minute Drill’, find out who just spent fifty million quid on opera in London...

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Oliver plays ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ on Orlando di Lasso’s “Lagrime di San Pietro” seen at Ravinia last week... the OperaWire website reports that soprano Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs was recently fired from Maryland Lyric Opera’s concert performances of Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West” for standing up to abuse from the company’s music director. Our team tries to figure out what happened... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Kim Witman at Wolf Trap Opera Company has released her annual stats on what arias are sung first in auditions and WQXR writer Fred Plotkin has given out his biennial list of forty opera singers under forty that are worth looking out for. We’ll go through the lists...

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Tenor and visual artist Luther Lewis goes ‘Inside The Huddle’ with the OBS team. Luther is part of “Illustrations”, a gallery exhibition and concert which celebrates the contributions of African-American singers to opera. You'll get Luther's insights on the genesis of this interdisciplinary project and hear what sorts of obstacles remain for black classical music artists... The infamous ‘Pop Quiz’ segment returns when Oliver drops the needle on important singers you should know... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, a mezzo sweeps the awards at the Operalia competition, Miss America sings opera and two opera birthdays are celebrated...

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Despite promising to take Labor Day off, the OBS boys can't stay away from the mics... Enjoy a recap of the interview with John von Rhein, who recently retired as the Chicago Tribune’s classical music critic, when he joined the show live via phone ‘Inside the Huddle’ with his highlights and lowlights from over forty years of attending and writing about classical music performances in Chicago... Then catch the replay of the OBS team working through the 2018 World Cup bracket using each country's opera strengths to predict the winners... And, on Monday September 10th at 9 pm CT, it's the kickoff to the fourth season of the OBS!

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The world’s most famous countertenor, David Daniels, and his husband, conductor Scott Walters, have been accused of drugging and violently raping another opera singer. In a ‘Chalk Talk’ double header, the team takes a look at the evidence for the accusation, recent developments in the story, as well as the ways in which other voices in the opera world have responded to these allegations...

[WARNING: While profanity isn't used on our show, some listeners may find the details of the conversation to be graphic.]

In the ‘Two Minute Drill, the OBS guys: guess how many roles Plácido Domingo has sung, argue why atonal music promotes drug abuse, and say farewell to soprano Inge Borkh...

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John von Rhein, who recently retired as the Chicago Tribune’s classical music critic, joins the show live via phone ‘Inside the Huddle’ with his highlights and lowlights from over forty years of attending and writing about classical music performances in Chicago... Then the OBS team takes off on another summer opera festival road trip. This time they head overseas to the Granddaddy of Them All, the Bayreuth Festival in Germany... Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’, tribute is paid to Aretha Franklin's opera voice, and the best way to punish your neighbors with opera is revealed...

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Oliver Camacho returns from a father and son-in-law concert at the Ravinia Festival for a double-header ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ review... Matt Cummings offers up a family feud style ‘Pop Quiz’ with disastrous results... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, Anne Midgette follows up on her sexual harassment expose with a classical music primer, "Bel Canto" rears its head again, and Kathleen Battle turns 70...

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An annual report by arts consultant Drew McManus shows that the average compensation for the music directors of sixty four American ensembles has topped $600k for the first time ever. The OBS boys ‘Crunch the Numbers’ to figure out why conductors’ salaries are on the rise... A handful of OBS alums, including Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Justin Kim, and Madison Leonard sang high profile performances last week. The guys play ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ and review their work... In the 'Two Minute Drill', it's revealed that Orff's "Carmina Burana" actually does have bad words in it...

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Matt Boresi returns as a guest co-host to help celebrate Leonard Bernstein's 100th birthday. Hear the team's favorite clips from the best of Bernstein and get an inside look at 'Mass', performed last weekend at the Ravinia Festival... But first, the crew react to an exhaustive -- and exhausting -- article by Anne Midgette in 'The Washington Post' detailing the stories of over fifty victims of sexual harassment within the classical music world... Then, find out the connection between baseball and opera, and who'll be stepping up to the plate at the Kennedy Center Honors...

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This week, the team takes the road trip to Cooperstown! Go 'Inside the Huddle' with Glimmerglass Festival's Christopher Powell and find out about the podcast "Breaking Glass", which explores social justice through the lens of opera. Then, Benjamin Britten is inducted into the OBS 'Hall of Fame'. Find out why satire, ostracism, and all things nautical float George Cederquist's boat. In the 'Two Minute Drill', Cecilia Bartoli stars as an Italian, Anna Netrebko may be hazardous to your health, and a farewell to Brian Kellow of "Opera News".

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We kick off the OBS tour of America’s summer opera festivals. Over July and August, we’ll take you to our favorite locations to hear opera and sweat at the same time. We start by going off the beaten path to some personal favorites…

But first… a recent article in the ‘Wall Street Journal’ described how Europe’s opera houses won over millennials. How did it happen? Can it be replicated in America?

Plus… it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in OperaLand, plus our team’s hot takes on those stories...

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Tonight… We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with tenor Jonathan Zeng, who’s currently singing the role of Edwin in Chicago Folks Operetta’s production of Emmerich Kálmán’s “The Csárdás Princess”. Find out why this piece has been largely ignored on American stages, and how Jonathan prepared to play this unique role...

And then… in ‘Chalk Talk’... it’s the OBS World Cup. Our panel predicts the outcome of the world’s greatest sporting event. How? By using each country’s contributions to opera as the deciding factor in their respective soccer matches, of course...

Plus… it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in OperaLand, and our team’s hot takes on those stories...

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Tonight, in a ‘Chalk Talk' double-header, we get you ready for Independence Day by honoring America and its contributions to opera, looking in-depth at the works and artists we think are uniquely “American” and how they define the role opera serves both in our country and worldwide...

And then, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, plus our team’s hot takes on those stories...

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Tonight… Creative Consultant Oliver Camacho walks you down the hallowed corridors of the ‘OBS Hall of Fame’. Find out which opera singer’s picture he’ll tack to the wall in Studio Two, next to past inductees Leontyne Price and Luciano Pavarotti…

But first… In a ‘Chalk Talk’ field report, conductor and past OBS guest Catherine O’Shaughnessy joins Executive Producer George Cederquist in a lightning round recap of their whirlwind week at the 2018 Opera America conference in Saint Louis. They’ll reveal just how many hours of opera conversation one can actually absorb in a single day...

And then… It’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, plus our team’s hot takes on those stories...

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Tonight... Tobias Wright walks you down the hallowed corridors of the OBS Hall of Fame with a look at the life and recordings of one of his favorite opera singers…

But first, it’s that time of year again… people scrambling for hotel rooms… folks grabbing tickets for sold-out shows… crowds gate-crashing invite-only events… Why, it’s the Opera America conference, of course. George previews the best sessions on the docket at next week’s annual meeting of opera’s movers and shakers...

Then… It’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, and our hot takes on those stories...

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Tonight, in 'Chalk Talk'... Our guest is Santosh Venkataraman, a frequent contributor to the OperaWire website. We talk with him about diversity in all parts of the American opera house, and we get him to play 'Monday Evening Quarterback' and review a show...

Plus... Tenor Henry Pleas III joins us by phone to add to the conversation on diversity...

Then… It’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, and our hot takes on those stories...

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Tonight… The first living singer to be inducted into 'The OBS Hall of Fame' is a beloved American soprano? Find out from Matt Cummings who receives this inimitable honor...

But first… Season ticket subscriptions to your local opera house have likely been the lifeblood of its existence. But is the importance of subscribers coming to an end? Our team scrambles for an aisle seat in our ‘Chalk Talk’ segment...

Plus... It’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, and our hot takes on those stories...

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We introduce our new segment ‘The OBS Hall of Fame’, in which one of our team shares stories and clips about the ways in which one artist -- or one opera -- changed their life. Weston Williams kicks things off. Find out who -- or what -- he chose...

But first, we take a look at an article in last week’s Washington ‘Post’, in which music critic Anne Midgette wrote: “Every once in a while in the life of a critic, something one does on one’s beat comes to define them for some time to come. I had one such moment this spring. To the outside eye, the choice may not have seemed that momentous.” We’ll tell you what her decision was...

Plus, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, and our hot takes on those stories...

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Tonight, it’s a ‘Chalk Talk’ double header. Our team responds to a recent article in ‘The New Yorker’ magazine on African-American countertenor John Holiday. And then, we look at why one of Britain’s most distinguished singers has accused fellow devotees of Richard Wagner of repeated attempts to undermine her position and “rewrite history”...

But first, we ‘Crunch the Numbers’ on English National Opera’s 2018 season on the Dodson Scale™. Find out how ENO stacks up against its European rivals...

Plus at 9.40 pm, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, and our hot takes on those stories...

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Soprano Madison Leonard, a winner of the 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, joins George, Tobias and guest co-host Catherine O'Shaughnessy 'Inside the Huddle' to talk through her big night at the Met, how she got there, and what happens next...

Then, George plays ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ and reviews "Jesus Christ Superstar", now playing at Lyric Opera of Chicago, while Tobias and Cathy ‘Crunch the Numbers’ and look at Washington National Opera’s upcoming season. Where will the District’s house fall on the Dodson Scale™...?

Plus, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, and our hot takes on those stories...

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Creative consultant Oliver Camacho goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with costume designer Meriem Bahri. Find out how the French biologist went from academia to being Haymarket Opera Company’s secret weapon...

But first, in ‘Chalk Talk’, we take you back. Way back. We’ll listen to some old school recordings made around the turn of the century using Thomas Edison’s wax cylinder equipment, and compare those to recordings of today’s opera singers using similar old-fangled technology...

And later, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, and our hot takes on those stories...

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Facebook Live sensation Jakub Józef Orliński joins Oliver ‘Inside the Huddle’ to talk about how a video of the Polish countertenor went viral, and about just WHO is in charge of writing the ornaments for the Vivaldi and Handel da capo arias Orliński is singing all over the world, and now, as an exclusive recording artist for the Erato label. (And yes, they do talk about the whole breakdancing thing...)

But first, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin recently announced its 2018-2019 season. Weston and George ‘Crunch the Numbers’ and run the schedule through the Dodson Scale™. Surely a German opera house will set a new high score, right…?

And later, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’... We get you up to speed on everything from the past week in Operaland and our hot takes on those stories...

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Soprano Angela Mortellaro joins us ‘Inside the Huddle’ live by phone. She’s currently singing two roles in the Donizetti double bill which opened at Chicago Opera Theater last week. We ask her about the unique process of rehearsing two operas at once...

And then, in ‘Chalk Talk’… the average age at the Metropolitan Opera is about to get lower. Much lower. The Met is presenting a new opera for babies. The company will present ten free performances of “BambinO” [sic], an opera for babies between 6 and 18 months old. Tobias tells us if he’d take his kids to the show...

Plus, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’... We get you up to speed on everything from the past week in Operaland and our hot takes on those stories…

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It shocked people when it opened on Broadway in 1971. By 2014, the Catholic Church was blessing productions of it. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" opens at Lyric Opera of Chicago later this month, on the heels of John Legend’s NBC Easter special. So, the operatic stage or the dustbin of history? We discuss where "JCS" should end up...

Then, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’... Find out who said “Any of this sexual bullsh*t, we don't have it" earlier this week, and get our hot takes on other news stories from Operaland...

Plus, we reveal the results from the 2018 International Opera Awards, and just how (in)accurate our predictions were...

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It’s that time of year again... Brackets have been filled out across the country. Upsets abound. Fans are going crazy. It’s the International Opera Awards, of course. The OBS team breaks down the categories, gives you insider info on the nominees and predicts some winners in our two-part ‘Chalk Talk' segment...

And then, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’... Soprano Nadine Sierra in a bikini? We get you up to speed on everything from the past week in Operaland and our hot takes on those stories...

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He’s sung Mozart, Stravinsky, and Handel in the world’s major opera houses. He’s given recitals at Carnegie Hall and London’s renowned Wigmore Hall, and has just made his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Riccardo Muti. American tenor Paul Appleby goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Oliver Camacho…

But first, a recent article in Chicago’s NewCity magazine suggests that due to what’s onstage at Lyric Opera of Chicago, the city risks becoming “a provincial opera town where operatic bonbons are being perceived as a mainstay diet.” We’ll give you our hot takes on that story...

Plus Tobias and Weston play ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ on last week’s production of Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce’s opera ‘Fellow Travelers’ at Lyric Unlimited…

And then, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’. We tell you everything you need to know about the past week in Operaland, and we grade Opera Philadelphia’s recently announced 2018-2019 season on the Dodson Scale™...

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Tonight in ‘Chalk Talk’: the gloves are off as James Levine sues Peter Gelb and the Metropolitan Opera for defamation and breach of contract. We’ll get you up to speed on the “Face Denter at Lincoln Center”...

And then, ‘Pop Quiz’ returns as Oliver and Matt face off in naming the 25 most performed operas in the 2016-2017 season...

Plus, we open up the Listener Mailbag and respond to your responses about the Dodson Scale™...

And later, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, and our hot takes on those stories...

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It’s a triple header from Lyric Opera of Chicago... Composer Gregory Spears joins us live via phone. With librettist Greg Pierce, he created the opera ‘Fellow Travellers’. Find out why the two Gregs were drawn to the story of forbidden love in McCarthy-era 1950s Washington, DC...

And then, Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with tenor Andrew Stenson who’s singing the role of Ferrando in Lyric’s production of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte”. Oliver and Andrew discuss singing Mozart and they commiserate over the pressures of being a hot Asian dude in opera...

Plus, Oliver and Matt play ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ and review Lyric’s recent production of Gounod’s “Faust” as well as the Met in HD presentation of Rossini’s “Semiramide”...

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We take an inside look at Chicago Opera Theater’s 2018-2019 season announcement, and we score it on the Dodson Scale™. Will COT make it into the plus points column...?

But first, the Boston ‘Globe’ recently published an in-depth article on James Levine, featuring interviews with two dozen former students, one of whom describes the conductor’s years at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a “cult”. We'll tell you what these interviews add to the on-going Levine saga...

And it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, and our hot takes on those stories...

Plus, Oliver plays ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ on the recent production of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” at Lyric Opera of Chicago...

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Matthan Black – a familiar voice on our show – is back in Chicago for a spell, visiting from New York City, where he now resides. He fills us in on what’s happening in small-scale and storefront opera in the Rotten Apple...

Then, ‘Fantasy Fachball’ returns for a sister showdown, when Oliver and Matt each pick a set of sopranos to compare and contrast in singing a duet from Mozart's "Così fan tutte". Matthan and Weston are the judges...

Plus it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, and our hot takes on those stories...

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Tonight, Oliver and Tobias go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with baritone Anthony Clark Evans. The 2017 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World main prize finalist is currently singing the role of Riccardo in Bellini’s “I Puritani” at Lyric Opera of Chicago...

And then, the Metropolitan Opera just announced its 2018-2019 season. We crunch the numbers of those titles on the Dodson Scale™ in 'Chalk Talk'. Also, James Levine has finally stepped aside as the Met's Music Director and, in an appointment that surprised precisely no one, the forty-one-year-old Québécois conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin has been named as Levine’s successor. We’ll tell you how that affects the Met’s season...

Plus, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, and our hot takes on those stories...

Double plus, we’ll squeeze in Oliver playing ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ on Chicago Opera Theater’s production of Puts and Campbell’s opera “Elizabeth Cree”...

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Librettist Mark Campbell joins us 'Inside the Huddle' live via phone. His latest collaboration with composer Kevin Puts is the opera “Elizabeth Cree”, currently playing at Chicago Opera Theater. Hear Mark talk about how he got into the mind of a nineteenth-century serial killer...

But first, Lyric Opera of Chicago recently announced its 2018-2019 season a few weeks ago. Our team scores the season using a metric we're calling 'The Dodson Scale'...

And, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operaland, and our hot takes on those stories...

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Weston, Tobias and Matt react to Sunday’s Super Bowl (where a backup quarterback stepped in for an injured QB to win the game) by talking about singers who have stepped in last minute and won over audiences and critics alike -- as well as their colleagues -- to become stars themselves...

Plus, Oliver plays ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ via phone and reviews Bellini’s “I Puritani” at Lyric Opera of Chicago...

And then, it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: everything you need to know from the past week in Operland, and our hot takes on those stories...

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Our ‘Fantasy Fachball’ segment returns! Tobias and Cummings each pick a tenor to battle it out in an excerpt from Gounod’s “Faust”...

But first, we take a closer look at the recent season announcements from San Francisco and Los Angeles Operas, and Oliver plays ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ by reviewing the recent Met in HD version of Puccini’s “Tosca’...

Plus, it’s the Two Minute Drill. You get all your opera headlines from the past week and our hot takes on them...

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Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen returns to the show, live by phone from Houston. We ask him about his work at Houston Grand Opera, and his life post-Hurricane Harvey...

And then, in ‘Chalk Talk’, it’s operatic pot pourri: we get you details on the latest competitions, repertoire lists, and a special focus on opera in Washington, DC...

Plus, it’s the 'Two Minute Drill'. You get all your opera headlines from the past week and our hot takes on them...

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Tonight, we reach into our Listener Mailbag, answering the question: “What would be the handful of operas, from the nineteenth century to the present, that you would consider the most representative if you were tracking an evolution of the form?” Check out our team's thoughts...

Then, last month in the New York Times, Anthony Tommasini called it “the best opera recording ever”. We’ll tell you what is, and what we think of it...

And then, it’s the Two Minute Drill. You get all your opera headlines from the past week and our hot takes on them...

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Tonight, Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Janai Brugger, who is currently singing the role of Liu in Puccini’s “Turandot” at Lyric Opera of Chicago...

But first, Weston Williams has spent the better part of the last decade trying to blend in with opera and classical music professionals across the US, despite his distinct lack of professional training in singing, musicianship, or composition. He’s had brief stints as a journalist for WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama, and as a writer for the Christian Science Monitor. Weston joins us to talk all things opera-related...

And then, it’s the 'Two Minute Drill'. You get all your opera headlines from the past week and our hot takes on them...

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We celebrate one hundred, count ‘em, one hundred episodes of America’s Talk Radio Show About Opera. Our whole team will be on the air, plus we bring back past co-host Giovanna Jacques...

We’ll recap the highs and lows of opera stories and productions from 2017, and we’ll play you the very first demo tape ever of Opera Box Score...

And then, it’s the Two Minute Drill. You get all your opera headlines from the past week and our hot takes on them...

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Tonight the OBS team gets you ready for the holidays. We reveal some of our favorite holiday opera recordings and share a few things from our Christmas lists...

But first, the biggest story of 2017 continues: conductor James Levine, who was accused by four different men of sexual abuse, and who has since been suspended from his position as Music Director Emeritus at the Metropolitan Opera, has now spoken publicly about these accusations. We’ll tell you what’s surprising about his statement...

And later, it’s ‘The Two Minute Drill’. You get all your opera headlines from the past week and our hot takes on them...

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Operaland was rocked over the weekend when allegations of sexual abuse were leveled against famed conductor James Levine. Michael Rice, the disgraced Godfather of opera podcasting (wait, sorry, the creator of the OperaNow! podcast) joins Oliver and Tobias live via phone with his take on this developing story...

Then, George plays ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ and reviews last week’s Met in HD Encore screening of Thomas Adès “The Exterminating Angel”...

Plus, it’s ‘The Two Minute Drill’: all your opera headlines from the past week and our hot takes on them...

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We look back at the career of Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky who died last week at the age of 55, and we take a closer look at the vocal technique of phrasing, for which Dima was so famous...

But first, Oliver plays ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ and reviews the production of Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers” at Lyric Opera of Chicago...

And later it’s ‘The Two Minute Drill’, when you get all your opera headlines from the past week and our hot takes on them...

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The OBS gets you ready for Thanksgiving! George and Matt share the music, composers, singers, directors and traditions that they’re thankful for. Pass the Pepto...

And it’s the ‘Two Minute Drill’: all your opera headlines from the past week with our hot takes on them...

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In the ‘Hometown Team', Oliver hosts Alex Enyart, conductor of Chicago Fringe Opera’s upcoming production of “As One”, a chamber opera with a transgender protagonist...

Then, Oliver and Matt play ‘Fantasy Fachball’. They compare and contrast two different singers tackling the same aria: Turandot’s number “In questa reggia” from Puccini’s eponymous opera. George picks a winner...

And the ‘Two Minute Drill’ returns, featuring all your opera headlines from the past week and our hot takes on them, including us asking “Just how high can a person sing anyway?”...

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Composer Julian Grant joins us live via phone! He’s part of the team behind “The nefarious, immoral but highly profitable enterprise of Mr. Burke and Mr. Hare”, a world premiere chamber opera at Boston Lyric Opera that opens this week. Find out exactly why the residents of Edinburgh in 1828 just weren’t dying quickly enough...

And Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Rubén Dubrovsky, conductor and artistic director of Third Coast Baroque, a Chicago ensemble that reframes early music...

But wait, there’s more! In ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’, Oliver and Matt review productions of Wagner’s “Die Walküre” at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Menotti’s “The Consul” at Chicago Opera Theater. See if George's boys can agree to disagree...

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Well, it’s that time of year again: Gruesome masks. Screams of horror. Death by chocolate. It’s National Opera Week! A special welcome to all our listeners who are supporters of Opera America, the nation’s umbrella organization for the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera.

Tonight, George, Matt and guest Matthan Black get ready for Hallowe’en. We share some horror stories from our time in the opera business, we listen to some spooky opera excepts and we examine a few terrifying news items from the past week in Operaland...

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John M. Clum, Professor Emeritus of Theater Studies and English at Duke University, joins George and Oliver 'Inside the Huddle'. Professor Clum has written nine books about theater and staging. He’s also a playwright and an experienced stage director, as well as being a librettist for contemporary American operas...

He’ll also be with us for ‘The Two Minute Drill’, when you get all your opera headlines from the past week, and our hot takes on them...

And then, it’s our new segment ‘Fantasy Fachball’. Oliver and the Professor face off by backing different singers tackling the same aria. OBS co-host Matt Cummings will the judge as to who's the best. It could get nasty...

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Stage director Amy Stebbins and composer Hauke Berheide are working on a new piece for children called “Einar hat einen Vogel”. They talk about what you need to remember when you’re writing for kids. And some picky critics tackle Dean Burry’s opera for children “The Scorpions’ Sting”, which was at Lyric Unlimited here in Chicago last weekend...

But first, Amy and Hauke update you on what’s happening in opera in German-speaking Europe, including details on some important changes of artistic leadership that have taken place in the past year, including the promotion of several women at major German and Austrian houses...

And then, it’s ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ with creative consultant Oliver Camacho. Although he’s not live in studio tonight -- he’s sitting one out recovering from seeing five operas in four days -- Oliver checks with reviews of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Monteverdi trilogy...

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Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with countertenor Justin Kim. The Korean-American has established himself as one of the most sought-after countertenors of his generation, having already collaborated with such prestigious conductors as Sir John Eliot Gardiner...

But first, it’s ‘The Hometown Team’, this week with Chicago’s Third Eye Theater Ensemble. The company presents Daniel Crozier's opera “With Blood, With Ink” which tells the chilling and beautiful story of the life of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the iconic 17th century Mexican poetess and nun. Stage director Rose Freeman and mezzo-soprano Rena Ahmed join George live in studio...

And then, it’s ‘The Two Minute Drill’: all the things you need to know from the past week in Operaland, plus our hot takes...

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New OBS co-host Matt Cummings joins the show tonight! (Don't worry, Tobias Wright'll be back...)

George re-introduces you to Matt... by humiliating him in our ‘Pop Quiz’ segment...

In ‘Chalk Talk’: last week an article in The New York Times asked “The Met has the voices. Will it need more to survive?” Check out the things George and Matt think the Met needs to do to stay alive...

Plus, you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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Haymarket Opera Company's fall production is Marin Marais's 1696 opera “Ariane et Bachus”. In 'Hometown Team', Haymarket's Artistic Director Craig Trompeter joins soprano Kimberly McCord live in studio to reveal why their company is the first one to perform this opera in the last 321 years...

Then, In 'Chalk Talk', we take a closer look at the recent flourishing of Baroque music performance, including performances by Third Coast Baroque and the works of Monteverdi at the Harris Theater...

Plus, Oliver plays 'Monday Evening Quarterback' and reviews the recent production of Gluck's “Orpheé et Eurydice” at Lyric Opera of Chicago...

And, you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in 'The Two Minute Drill'...

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The fall opera season is just around the corner, with San Francisco Opera, LA Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Washington National Opera getting things going this week. Our team reveals the shows they HAVE TO SEE this fall, as well as some shows that are just wishful thinking...

Plus, Tobias tells you how NOT to fire someone...

And you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with bass-baritone Douglas Williams. His physically dynamic performances have led him to collaborations with Mark Morris, Sasha Waltz, and Barbara Hannigan, among others. You’ll be surprised to find out what was the turning point in Douglas’s career...

But first, the O17 Festival opens at Opera Philadelphia later this week. And it’s not just any old opera festival. George and Tobias tell you why...

Plus you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Lidiya Yankovskaya, the newly appointed Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater. This exclusive half hour interview introduces you to a major player in the Chicago opera scene, as they talk about Yankovskaya's training, her opinions on bel canto opera, her initiative called the Refugee Orchestra Project, technology in opera, the COT young artist program, and she reveals some thoughts on future seasons for the company...

Then in ‘The Hometown Team’, Oliver brings you another interview, this time with soprano Claire DiVizio, the Artistic Director of Thompson Street Opera, which kicks off their 2017-18 season this weekend with a comic book hero-themed opera called “Cosmic Ray and the Amazing Chris"...

Plus you get all your opera headlines and George's hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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Mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Oliver. She’s a current Steans Vocal Fellow at Ravinia who just sang a premiere with the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas...

But first, “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs”, an opera with music by Mason Bates and libretto by Mark Campbell, opened at the Santa Fe Opera Festival last month. Washington Post critic Anne Midgette took that as an opportunity to talk about the way opera is built, and to compare it to TV and other art forms. Oliver and George respond...

And but of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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It's a tearful reunion when Oliver and George swap stories about their summer escapes in Operaland, from the Midwest to the East Coast and beyond. Don't miss the highs and lows of our travels, from Oliver's Early Music Festival exploits to George's singing lessons...

And but of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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Do you know where Petoskey, Michigan, is? Well, you will soon. George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Chris Ludwa, the Artistic Director of the Bay View Music Festival, the longest continuously operating chamber music festival in the United States, which is in northern Michigan. We talk about the unique place that is Bay View, why this festival’s Pay To Sing program is different from the others, and what the less glamorous parts are of running a summer music festival...

Then, it’s ‘Chalk Talk’. Australian comedian Jim Jeffries was on the podcast from The Nerdist platform last week, talking about his career, including his schooldays training as a singer, and boy, did he have some choice words about opera. You’ll hear that clip, plus George's take on it...

And but of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with fight choreographer Nick Gisonde. They talk about the philosophy behind onstage fighting and teach you how to do a realistic hair pull. Plus don’t miss when Nick tells George what the nastiest combat move he’s ever seen on stage is...

Then, it’s the return of our “Hometown Team” segment, when the OBS team focuses on opera stories right here in the Windy City. George take a closer look at the casts and artistic teams for the three shows at Chicago Opera Theater’s upcoming season. You’ll find out which one of those things is not like the other...

And but of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with mezzo-soprano Davia Bouley. She’s currently singing Carmen at the Bay View Music Festival in Michigan, but she’s based in Berlin. Davia and George talk about the easy parts of singing Carmen (hint: not a lot), plus they compare and contrast Berlin’s opera houses...

Then creative consultant Oliver Camacho checks in from the Berlin of the East Coast. That would be New London, Connecticut, where he’s spent the last few weeks at the Amherst Early Music Festival. Don’t miss his audio postcard...

And but of course you get all your opera headlines and the OBS team's hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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You get another chance to hear Oliver’s interview with Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, a countertenor who was one of the winners of this year’s National Council Auditions at the Metropolitan Opera, plus George's interview with contemporary American composer William Bolcom...

And, you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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It’s summer, and that means re-runs. For our new listeners, you might have missed two great interviews from the OBS archives. Tonight, you’ll get another chance to hear Oliver’s interview with superstar tenor Matthew Polenzani and George's interview with Kirsten Harms, the former Intendantin of the Deutsche Oper Berlin...

Then in our ‘Hometown Team’ segment, Tobias and Oliver chime in on the appointment of Lidiya Yankovskaya as the new Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater...

And, you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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Tobias and George break down the 2017 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition which wrapped up on Sunday. They introduce you to some of competitors and talk you through the winners, so there will be some spoilers...

And then, Oliver files a field report from the Boston Early Music Festival. You’ll get his highs and lows on from this event which focuses on an era of music which he knows and loves...

Plus, you get all your opera headlines and our hot take on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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Guest co-host Matthan Black gets you ready for summer and becomes your personal trainer... for opera festivals. He talks about what productions are a must see...

But first, George recaps the winners and losers of the 2017 International Opera Awards. Some of those results might surprise you...

And of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Swiss-born and -trained rising star soprano Regula Mühlemann to find out how to sing Mozart...

And, of course you get all your opera headlines, and our hot takes on them, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’...

But first, imagine if you were asked to make up a team of Opera All-Stars. Name the best singer – living or dead, active or retired – in each of the four main voice types, that you’d want to see onstage performing a role from the standard Italian repertoire. Who would be on your team? George and Daina ask Tobias for his roster in 'Chalk Talk'...

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Returning to the OBS are stage director Amy Stebbins and composer Hauke Berheide, so you know this episode's discussions are going to be intelligent, thoughtful and informed. Hey, sometimes change is good...

First, we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ and talk about what shows Amy and Hauke have seen recently, as well as catching up on what sorts of projects they’re working on now...

Then, it’s ‘Chalk Talk’: recently, there’ve been extensive debates about race, gender and ‘equal opportunity’ casting in standard repertoire operas. Tonight we go one step further and discuss casting decisions made by librettists and composers of new works, and how modern categories like ‘realism’ and ‘authenticity’ have put limits on how the distinctions between role, body, and voice are utilized...

And of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in the ‘Two Minute Drill’...

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Daniel Grambow is the Artistic Director of the Floating Opera Ensemble in Chicago, where he's currently directing the company’s upcoming production of “War and Peace”, a composite opera about the First World War. He joins us ‘Inside the Huddle’ to talk directing, and what it’s like to do opera in a cemetery...

Then, George plays ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ and reviews the final Met in HD broadcast of this season, Robert Carsen's new production of Richard Strauss’s “Der Rosenkavalier”. He’ll tell you what the biggest moment of the night was. And it wasn’t Renée Fleming’s curtain call...

And of course you get all your opera headlines and our team's hot takes on them in the ‘Two Minute Drill’...

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We update you on all the news from the orgiastic Bacchanal that is the Opera America conference which took place in Dallas this past weekend...

But first, it's been a busy week at the Metropolitan Opera. The company's recent gala celebrated being at Lincoln Center for 50 years. But was the move worthwhile? Plus, an Instagram post of 'Today' show host Al Roker asleep in the audience at a recent Met performance of Strauss's "Der Rosenkavalier" is also doing the rounds...

And of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in the ‘Two Minute Drill’...

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American composer William Bolcom joins George ‘Inside the Huddle’. They talk about Bolcom's career bridging the gap between popular and classical music, as well as his work with librettists Arnold Weinstein and Mark Campbell...

But first, Oliver and Tobias respond to some Listener’s Letters, and they update you on some opera happenings right here in Chicago on ‘The Home Team’...

And, of course, you get all your opera headlines and the OBS hot takes on them in the ‘Two Minute Drill’...

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It’s an evening of potluck on the OBS: Monday Evening Quarterback, a Listener's Letter, the Two Minute Drill, and the Home Team, all with George Cederquist, Oliver Camacho and Tobias Wright...

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Stage director and co-host of the Indie Opera podcast Walker Lewis joins us 'Inside the Huddle' to talk directing and being a dad...

And then, in our new segment called 'The Home Team', Grammy Award-winning baritone Daniel Teadt gives us the details on his upcoming concert with Collaborative Arts Institute Chicago, and on being a dad...

Plus, it’s the ‘The Two Minute Drill’: all the opera headlines from the past week that you need to know, and our hot takes on them...

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Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with tenor Scott Ramsay, who plays the role of Wilhelm Dantine in Chicago Opera Theater’s upcoming production of “The Perfect American” by Philip Glass. Get an inside look at this truly unusual opera about the final days of Walt Disney’s life...

Then, George and Oliver launch a brand-new segment called 'The Home Team' where we focus on the latest in opera that’s happening right here in Chicago. Tonight, we break down the 2017-2018 Chicago Opera Theater season which has just been announced...

Plus, it’s the ‘The Two Minute Drill’: all the opera headlines from the past week that you need to know, and our hot takes on them...

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It’s a ‘Chalk Talk’ double header! George and Oliver discuss a new opera by Scott Joiner and Adam Taylor called “Connection Lost (L’opera di Tinder)”. Not only is the show about failed relationships created via the Tinder dating app, the piece was made for internet. Hear what the OBS boys think about the potential of this new operatic medium...

Then, George and Oliver look at Metropolitan Opera Music Director and Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s recently published thoughts on how he’ll program his first season at the Met when he starts in 2020. Check out what they think will be successful, and what needs some second thought...

Plus, it’s the ‘The Two Minute Drill’: all the opera headlines from the past week that you need to know, and the OBS team's hot takes on them...

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Creative consultant Oliver Camacho goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen in Cohen’s first interview since being chosen as a winner of the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Finals. Hear first-hand what it’s like to be singing on America’s biggest stage...

But first, in ‘Chalk Talk', George and guest co-host Alex Carey look at the ways in which classical music and pop have been mashed together over the years. Sometimes, success; sometimes, epic fail...

Then, it’s the ‘The Two Minute Drill’: all the opera headlines from the past week that you need to know, and our hot takes on them...

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With WNUR off-line for renovations, what's an opera talk radio show to do? A podcast-only show, of course!

George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Rena Ahmed, the founder and artistic director of Third Eye Theatre Ensemble. They talk about the company’s upcoming season, as well as their unusual mission statement. It’ll surprise you...

But first, it’s ‘Chalk Talk’. Daina Fischer reacts to a recent interview with German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig, in which she speaks candidly about today’s superstar singers, and why they might not be as good as they think...

And lastly but not least-ly, it’s the ‘The Two Minute Drill’: all the opera headlines from the past week that you need to know, plus the OBS Team's hot takes on them...

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George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with designer Julia Noulin-Mérat. She designed the production of Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress” that opened last night at Boston Lyric Opera. They talk about that show, plus why her New York City-based design studio has a Las Vegas branch, and what she thinks needs to change in the way opera productions are designed in America...

But first, it’s ‘Chalk Talk’: Oliver and George try to answer a question posed in last week’s edition of Crain’s Business magazine: Can Lyric Opera of Chicago survive the 21st century?

Then, Oliver plays ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ on two shows he’s seen recently. And it’s the ‘The Two Minute Drill’: all the opera headlines from the past week that you need to know...

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OBS announcer Norm Woodel joins us live in studio. We’ll talk sports, voiceovers, theater and hell, yeah, we’re gonna talk some opera. Don’t miss what book George asks him to read in his best announcer voice at the end of the show...

Also, it’s ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ with Creative Consultant and co-host Oliver Camacho who has a thirsty, rave review for Tchaikovsky’s ‘Eugene Onegin’ at Lyric Opera of Chicago, in a revival of the 1997 Robert Carsen production starring Lyric’s community ambassador Ana Maria Martinez. Plus, Norm gives you his own reviews of two other Lyric shows...

Then, it’s the ‘The Two Minute Drill’: all the opera headlines from the past week that you need to know, and George's hot takes on them...

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George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with composer Stewart Copeland. His fifth opera, called ‘The Invention of Morel’, opened last week at Chicago Opera Theater. We talk sports, rock music and, of course, opera. Plus, find out what his definition of ‘fun’ is...

But first, Oliver and George break down the Metropolitan Opera’s 2017-2018 programming announcement. Get our advice on what’s a must-see in NYC next season...

And ‘The Two Minute Drill’ returns: all the opera headlines from the past week that you need to know about, and our hot takes on them...

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Director Amy Stebbins and composer Hauke Berheide join George ‘Inside the Huddle’ tonight. They’ve just returned to the US after a year in Germany, where projects included the world premiere of their opera ‘Mauerschau’ at the Bavarian State Opera. We talk about that production in the context of the larger German opera system...

Then, Oliver joins us for a ‘Chalk Talk’ double header: Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced its 2017-2018 season. You get each of our hot takes on the repertoire, the artists and the reasons behind Lyric’s decisions...

Plus, at the end of the show, don’t miss Oliver’s tribute to tenor Nicolai Gedda, who died earlier this week...

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Stewart Copeland’s opera "The Invention of Morel" opens at Chicago Opera Theater this month. Cast members Nathan Granner and Valerie Vinzant tell you why seeing this production will be the highlight of your February...

After the break, George and Oliver continue the conversation about opera in Chicago, including a look at last weekend’s performance Chicago Voices Gala Concert...

And of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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Many of America’s big opera houses have released details of their 2017-2018 seasons: Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC. George and Oliver tell you why these houses programmed what they did, what productions you need to see, and what you should skip...

Oliver plays Monday Evening Quarterback and reviews the current production of Bellini’s 'Norma' at Lyric Opera of Chicago...

And you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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George goes 'Inside the Huddle' with director Kevin Newbury. They talk opera, pop culture and film-making...

In 'Chalk Talk', George gives you some of his Do's and Don't's for going to the opera...

And of course you get all your opera headlines and George's hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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With President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration this Friday, who knows if any of us will be around next Monday. So, we here at the OBS figured that if we don’t make it through the weekend, we might as well go out with a bang. We’re pulling out all the stops for this week's show...

It’s the first TKO match of 2017, and it's a Masked Mezzo Royal Rumble. Can you guess which mezzo-soprano dares to take on five challengers? Which one will emerge as Vocal Royalty? George and Daina take sides...

Then, Oliver plays Monday Evening Quarterback and reviews Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute"...

And of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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In 'Chalk Talk', George, Oliver and Daina preview the fifth annual Prototype Festival in New York City, which brings the best of new opera-theater and music-theater to the public. Learn more about this unique festival and get our picks on what to watch...

Then, our opera 'Pop Quiz' returns to the show. This time, it’s “One of these things is not like the other”. Oliver and Daina team up to take on George’s questions. You can play at home...

And of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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George, Oliver and Tobias preview the productions and artists they're looking forward to seeing and hearing in 2017...

Plus you get all your opera headlines in 'The Two Minute Drill'...

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Day after Christmas? Hell, yeah, we have a show! But it's podcast-only!

Guest co-host Matthan Black joins George to talk about the best and worst of 2016. They take you through the year's highs and lows: of opera news stories, live productions and their own personal artistic decisions...

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Tonight it’s the final installment of our three-part series listening to and talking about our favorite holiday pieces of classical music. Daina tells George what’s on her playlist...

But first, in ‘Chalk Talk’, we talk about the best and worst of 2016. Daina takes us through her highs and lows of opera news stories, live productions and personal artistic decisions...

Also, you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

Very happy merry! @operaboxscore #operaballs

The holidays are here, and we’re continuing our three-part series listening to and talking about our favorite holiday pieces of classical music. Tonight, creative consultant Oliver Camacho tells us what’s on his Christmas playlist and introduces us to a few major works that don’t get as much play as Handel’s 'Messiah' or Mariah Carey’s 'All I Want for Christmas'...

But first, in ‘Chalk Talk’, we talk about Russian baritone Dimitri Hvorostovsky. He’s been battling brain cancer for months, and now he’s withdrawn from all future opera performances. Can he return to the stage? If not, who’ll take his place? And what sort of a void will not singing roles leave in the life of one of the world’s biggest opera stars? Guest co-host and baritone Matthan Black chimes in...

And you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

@operaboxscore #operaballs

The holidays have arrived, and here on the OBS we’re ready to celebrate. How? With a three-part series examining holiday operas, of course. Tonight, we take a closer look at Gian Carlo Menotti’s Christmas opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors”. Tender feel-good show or cheap sentimentality? We’ll tell you what we think...

But first, we discuss the Metropolitan Opera’s struggle to program new commissions. We’ll let you know what the problems are and how they might be solved...

Also, you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

@operaboxscore #operaballs

It's a special podcast-only show! Let the swearing begin!

In ‘Chalk Talk’, George and Oliver take a look at those events that happen before and after an opera performance: pre-show lectures, post-show discussions and, as seen last Sunday night at LA Opera, after-parties. Do they add to the experience or do they distract from the main event...?

Then, you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

Plus, ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ returns, when we review the new production of “Les Troyens”, by Hector Berlioz, at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Mega hit or epic fail? We’ll tell you what we think...

And you tell us what you think! @operaboxscore #operaballs

It’s a ‘Chalk Talk’ double-header tonight. In Part One, Tobias and Daina and George reveal what they’re each thankful for in opera; see if you’re thankful for the same things...

You get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

Then, in ‘Chalk Talk’ Part Two, the boys (and girl) talk about turkeys and take a few potshots. Find out what some of the dud ideas, dreadful productions and dismal moments have been so far this opera season...

Are you on Twitter?

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Whether you’re surprised or not, Donald Trump has been elected President of these United States. What can opera teach us about why he won? And what is the future for opera under the Trump administration...?

Then, 'Pop Quiz' returns. Oliver and Daina team up to identify operas just by listening to each work’s overture. They’ll be up against the clock. Play at home to see if you can beat them...

And of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in 'The Two Minute Drill'...

Tonight, we go Inside the Huddle with tenor Scott Brunscheen and soprano Kimberly Jones. They're in Chicago Opera Theater's current production of Purcell's 'The Fairy Queen'. Hear what they have to say about the rehearsal process of this sexy update of a Baroque classic...

In Chalk Talk, Oliver tackles a noisy audience member at a recent production of Humperdinck’s 'Hansel and Gretel' at Seattle Opera. George tackles Isaac Mizrahi, the sports-allergic Honorary Chairman of last month’s National Opera Week.

And, yes, you’ll get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

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Guest producer Matthan Black is joined by creative consultant Oliver Camacho on our annual Hallowe'en show! Listen, if you dare, to the scariest music in the opera repertoire...

Then, be brave and join Matthan and Oliver 'Inside the Huddle' when they interview horror film composer Ross Crean...

Plus, 'Monday Evening Quarterback' takes you into the terrifying world of Nico Muhly's opera "Dark Sisters" at Third Eye Ensemble...

And, you get all your opera head(less)lines in 'The Two Minute Drill'...

Whatever you do, don't look behind you...

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We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Kim Witman from Wolf Trap Opera. She joins us to talk opera stats, and to give her insider takes on young artist auditions...

But first, we talk to Brad Caleb Lee, assistant director on the upcoming production of Missy Mazzoli’s opera “Song from the Uproar” at Chicago Fringe Opera. You’ll get an exclusive look into the sonic world of this unique work, as well as its characters, design concept and rehearsal process...

And, naturally, you get all your opera headlines in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... Go Cubs Go!

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If you’ve never heard a Heldentenor with a good ol’ boy East Texas accent, you haven’t lived. We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with tenor Jay Hunter Morris. He’s currently rehearsing Jake Heggie’s opera “Moby Dick” at the Dallas Opera. We talk Cowboys, Cubs and opera careers...

Also, Toby and George do a mid-season check in on what’s happened in Operaland so far this Fall, and Oliver plays ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ on the production of Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Plus, you get all your opera headlines in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

This show is all-Wagner, all the time! In our ‘Chalk Talk’ segment, we talk about what makes Wagner, Wagner; and why his operas matter...

‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ revisits “Das Rheingold” at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Frank Martin’s “Le vin herbé” at Chicago Opera Theater...

‘TKO’ returns! Oliver Camacho is the judge as Jonas Kaufmann and Ben Heppner battle it out singing Siegmund’s aria “Winterstürme” from 'Die Walküre'...

Plus, you get all your opera headlines in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...

Don't forget to leave us a review -- with stars -- on iTunes, or troll us: @operaboxscore and #operaballs

In 'Chalk Talk', George and Tobias reveal how opera singers get hurt. What happens to your performance that night, and what happens to your career the next day...?

'Monday Evening Quarterback' returns, as Oliver reviews Wagner's “Das Rheingold” at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Frank Martin’s opera “Le vin herbé” at Chicago Opera Theater...

Plus, the team will ‘Crunch the Numbers’ and look at the stats behind the most common baritone arias sung in auditions...

Welcome to Season 2 of America's talk radio show about opera!

George and Tobias DVR the first presidential debate and talk opera...

In our ‘Chalk Talk’ segment, we look at two stories of two different African-American men who got into the opera business against all the odds: bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green who beat juvenile hall to make it into the ensemble at the Vienna State Opera, and Morris Robinson, who finished his college football career at The Citadel before singing at the Metropolitan Opera....

Then it’s one of our new segments, called ‘The Hot Seat’, in which we take a look at an opera figure who has made a big career move, or made a tough choice, that has brought them into the public eye. This week we focus on Oliver Mears, who has just been appointed as the Director of Opera at the Royal Opera House in London...

Plus you get all your opera headlines in ‘The Two Minute Drill’, and we wrap up with another new segment called ‘Crunching the Numbers’. We interpret some cold, hard stats from opera and read between the lines. This week, we look at the most -- and least -- popular tenor arias heard in auditions, taken from Kim Witman's blog at Wolf Trap Opera...

This week, George and Oliver are joined by stage director Rose Freeman and mezzo-soprano Marysa Abbas. (Abbas is also the Managing Diva of Opera on Tap's Chicago chapter.) We debate the ways in which success is defined in the opera business, and what control artists have over their career paths...

Then, our 'Monday Evening Quarterback' segment returns, as we review Haymarket Opera's production of Haydn's 1779 work "L'isola disabitata"...

School is back in session, so we're heading back to school here on the OBS. Check out our 'Chalk Talk' segment, in which we tackle the Ins and Outs, the Pros and Cons, of undergraduate and graduate voice programs...

Tenor Matt Cummings joins us as a guest co-host. He's currently completing his Masters Degree in Voice and Opera from Northwestern. Recent credits include Little Bat in Floyd's 'Susannah' and Snout in Britten's 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream'. He also spent last summer as a Studio Artist at Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, in the city where he grew up...

Plus, you'll get all your opera headlines and all our hot takes in 'The Two Minute Drill'...

Hell, yeah, we had a show on a national holiday. Mezzo-soprano and blogger Daina Fischer (www.agentlewoman.com) joins George and Tobias live in-studio for 'Inside the Huddle'...!

Then, in 'Chalk Talk', we talk about the worst audition experiences ever, and we asked to hear your stories. Thanks to all of you who called and wrote. (All names and incriminating details have been changed...)

'The Two Minute Drill' is found in the final third of the episode...!

This week Patrick Dean Shelton joins the show as a guest co-host. A recent graduate of New England Conservatory of Music, where he was a student of soprano Jane Eaglen, Patrick is currently a Professional Diploma candidate at the Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. This past summer, he was a Fellow at the Music Academy of the West...

George, Oliver and Tobias go 'inside the Huddle' with Patrick, and learn how life has taken him coast-to-coast. Then, in our 'Chalk Talk' segment, we discuss YAPs (Young Artist Programs): are they totally essential to developing one's singing career, or are they a total con...?

Plus, we’ve got all your opera headlines in our ‘Two Minute Drill’ segment... Rock it!

This week we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Nick Hayman, a stage manager from England who’s worked at the Royal Opera House, in the West End and on tour through the UK and US. Don’t miss what he has to say when I ask him: “Isn’t stage management the least sexy thing in opera...?”

Then, in our ‘Chalk Talk’ segment, we reveal a recent slate of opera productions whose violence and sexual content have forced their producers to issue warnings to ticket buyers, lest they be offended by what they see. George asks Oliver if maybe operas should be given ratings, just like movies...

Plus, we’ve got all your opera headlines in our ‘Two Minute Drill’ segment...

This week we tackle a perennial topic perfect for the dog days of summer: when and why to make cuts in an operatic score. Matthan Black joins Tobias and George live in-studio to discuss...

Plus, 'Pop Quiz' returns in a piano-only version, and we've got all your opera news headlines in 'The Two Minute Drill'...

The Olympics have begun in Rio; here on the OBS, we follow suit and argue about Olympian feats of athleticism in singing...

Is it stamina? Is it hitting high notes? Is it volume...?

Guest co-host Matthan Black joins host Oliver Camacho and co-host Tobias Wright as they choose recordings and match up virtuosic performances to specific Olympic sports...

Game on!

We go 'Inside the Huddle' and are joined live in-studio with guest co-host Dr. Kevin Byrne, an assistant professor of dramaturgy at the University of Arizona. We get him to explain, once and for all, what a dramaturg actually does. The answer might surprise you...

Then, on our ‘Chalk Talk’ segment, we sing happy birthday to the Met in HD broadcasts, which turn ten years old this month. But is that ten years too many? Find out why some folks think these movie theater screenings of live opera performances should never have been born...

Plus, Oliver gives a tribute to Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and we have all your opera headlines in 'The Two Minute Drill'...

Giovanna Jacques is back state-side from her trip to France and Italy. She’ll give you the latest on opera and culture from continental Europe...

But first, it’s war on our ‘Chalk Talk’ segment. Military conflicts have been central to opera stories ever since George Frederic Handel composed “Giuilo Cesare” in the early 1700s. Tonight we look at contemporary operas that are continuing to tell those stories, including such works as “Fallujah” by Tobin Stokes and Jeremy Beck’s “The Long Walk”...

Plus, we’ve got all your opera headlines in our “Two Minute Drill” segment, and at the bottom of the hour, we bring back some memories with one of the most famous opera memes ever to grace YouTube. See if you recognize it...

We took Independence Day off, so we’ve got a loaded show for you this week. Oliver Camacho goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with baritone David John Pike, who talks about coaching the role of Scarpia from Puccini’s “Tosca” with Sherill Milnes, and also reflects on singing George Butterworth’s song cycle "A Shropshire Lad" on the hundredth anniversary of the Battle of the Somme...

But first, it’s our ‘Chalk Talk’ segment. Ticket sales are up at Los Angeles Opera and the Wiener Staatsoper, but down at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. What factors are pushing these numbers up (or down) and who’s responsible? Tobias Wright has some theories to share...

Plus, Giovanna Jacques checks in from the Bellini Museum in Sicily, we’ve got all your opera headlines in ‘The Two Minute Drill’, and Oliver plays ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ after seeing Renée Fleming in concert...

There's a new piece at LA Opera called 'Anatomy Theatre'. Set in the 1700s, it dissects – literally – the body and mind of a murderer. We examine the gross-out factor of this opera, and see how it stacks up against other bloody opera productions we’ve seen...

Then, 'TKO' is back! This time our opera singer death match pits Luciano Pavarotti against Jussi Björling. Can the Swedish Caruso de-throne the King of the High C? We’ll put two of the greatest champions in the ring and let them "duke" it out in Verdi’s 'Rigoletto'. There will be blood, as Tobias Wright and Matthan Black take sides, and Oliver Camacho is the judge...

Plus, Giovanna Jacques checks in from the Teatro Massimo in Sicily and George has got all your opera headlines...

This week we go “Inside the Huddle” with soprano Erica Schuller, an early music specialist. Find out about her specialized training in foot and hand positions and how it led her to become a star of Chicago's Haymarket Opera...

But first we take a look at a recent burst of opera activity in the Middle East. They’re building new opera houses in the Dubai and in Turkey. What’s the rationale behind this geographic expansion of the art form...?

Plus, it’s our first listener-generated Pop Quiz, and we've got all your opera headlines in 'The Two Minute Drill'...

Summer is finally here, and that means it’s time to get some sunscreen, a cold PBR, and some chips and salsa, and head to the nearest summer opera festival... Right?

On tonight’s show, we preview the best of America’s -- and the world’s -- summer festivals. We give you the locations, the repertoire, the rosters, and everything else you need to know, from Aix to Wolf Trap...

Plus, George writes the questions for an all-new 'Pop Quiz' format, Oliver leads 'Monday Evening Quarterback', and Tobias and Giovanna share their hot takes on all your opera headlines in 'The Two Minute Drill'...

We go 'Inside the Huddle' with baritone Matthan Black. In addition to being a great singer, he’s also got his own arts podcast called 'Doing the Work'. And he’s our guest co-host for this episode, so you’re gonna get his hot takes on all of our content...

In our 'Chalk Talk' segment, we give you our $0.02 on the big news this week that Yannick Nézet-Séguin is to take over from James Levine as the new Music Director at the Metropolitan Opera. And we tell you about the best and worst conductors we’ve worked with...

Plus, Oliver Camacho puts Matthan and Tobias to the test in our Pop Quiz, asking them to identify conductors, just by listening to an audio recording of their work...

We run down the winners and losers of the 2016 International Opera Awards. Who stole the show, and who got robbed? You can see the full list of nominees on our website: operaboxscore.squarespace.com...

Plus, we've got all your opera headlines, Tobias leads the charge in 'Monday Evening Quarterback' and Oliver hosts a dance version of 'Pop Quiz'. Will Tobias and Giovanna be able to name specific dance styles, and the operas they come from, just by listening...?

In our 'Chalk Talk' segment, we take a good, long, hard look at nudity in opera. Should singers be expected to take it all off? Hear what the Opera Box Score team would do...

Then, we go 'Inside the Huddle' with mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen. She’s a second-year member of the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Co-host Oliver Camacho talked with her about covering a big role at the last minute and what's in her audition package...

Plus, we’ve got all your opera headlines in ‘The Two Minute Drill’, and it’s our first ever showdown between basses in our ‘TKO’ segment. Don’t miss this brutal contest of two heavy-hitting guys...

This show is the second part of a double header. Last week, on Show No. 23, we were joined by the world-famous tenor Matthew Polenzani. If you haven't heard that podcast yet, be sure to go back an episode to catch everything Matthew had to say...

On this show, we follow up on a recent article in which an undergraduate singer asked composer Mark Adamo about how "alive" opera was today. We take that conversation and invert it: in what ways are undergraduate students alive for opera? How does undergraduate voice training prepare singers for careers in opera, if at all...?

Plus we've all your opera headlines, and Oliver challenges Tobias and Giovanna, as well as our listeners, in a gender bending 'Pop Quiz'. Guess the gender of five vocally androgynous singers who specialize in the repertoire of the 18th century castrato. Listen carefully, 'cause you don’t get to see which bathroom they go into...

We go 'Inside the Huddle' with one of the most distinguished tenors of our generation. Matthew Polenzani gives us twenty minutes of his time. And what a time it was...

In 'Chalk Talk' we respond to an article written by contemporary American composer Mark Adamo, in which he makes the argument that new works in small performances venues are the driving force behind opera in America. Some might beg to differ, sir...

Plus, we've got all your opera headlines, and in 'TKO', a Contessa cagematch: which of two singers will deliver the knock out punch in one of the toughest arias from the entire soprano repertoire?

On tonight’s show, we tackle the nastiest four-letter word in Operaland: “diva”. We break down what the word really means, examine what defines the stereotypical diva, and ask if such types really exist in opera today.

Then, George brings you this week's need-to-know opera headlines, while Oliver rocks you with our Pop Quiz. Since the Metropolitan Opera is about to broadcast Richard Strauss’s “Elektra” live in HD, we’re jumping on the bandwagon. Just by listening, can you identify which operas are by Strauss and which ones aren't?

Join us for America's talk radio show about opera!

We go Inside the Huddle with British composer Iain Bell. In addition to his symphonic and chamber works, as well as song cycles, he’s had great success in Europe and America with his two operas: 'A Harlot’s Progress' and 'A Christmas Carol'. His latest opera, 'In Parenthesis', opens at the Royal Opera House this summer. You’ll get an inside look at his process, plus his take on the future of opera in the UK...

George, Tobias and Giovanna also talk about conductor James Levine’s retirement from the Metropolitan Opera. Some are calling it the end of an era. Others are saying he overstayed his welcome. And still more wonder to what degree the Met bosses forced him out...

We’ve also got this week’s opera headlines, and in our Monday Evening Quarterback segment, co-host Oliver Camacho reviews last weekend’s Met in HD broadcast of 'Roberto Devereux'. Did Sondra Radvanovsky pull off the Donizetti Tudor queen triple-play...?

Co-host Tobias Wright is back from Florida where he’s been goofing around as part of the Sarasota Opera Young Artist Program. He tries to convince George that he’s actually furthered his career by doing that program.

Plus we've got all your opera headlines, Tobias takes our opera Pop Quiz on Giuseppe Verdi, Oliver interviews bass Deandre Simmons, and we tackle an article in the Wall Street Journal that suggests opera companies are finding smaller venues to perform in. But can that success ever transfer to the big opera houses?

It's a bonus episode in our series introducing you to opera in Germany!

George's guest is Kirsten Harms, the former Intendantin of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She’s now a freelance stage director in Germany. You’ll get her take on Berlin’s opera scene and an inside look at her tenure at the Deutsche Oper, as well as her opinion on opera in America...

Later, George is joined by Roy Rallo, an American director based in San Francisco, who also is connected to the opera scene in Berlin. His candid opinions about the business of opera will surprise you...

Then, George tells you why six weeks isn’t enough time to rehearse an opera, while in his field report from Chicago, Oliver tells you why you better have your poop together if you're going to sing in Marilyn Horne's masterclass, plus Monday Evening Quarterback reviews productions of 'Parsifal' and 'Salome'...

It’s the third and final installment of our three-part series introducing you to the opera world of Germany. Last week, George took you around Germany’s smaller houses. Today he started in Heidelberg and ended up in Munich...

George's first guest is Lydia Steier, an American director based in Germany. She's currently directing Wagner's 'Der Fliegende Holländer'. You’ll hear her take on why she came to Germany to work, and whether or not she wants to go home to the US...

Later on, George is joined by Amy Stebbins, an American director currently working on a new project at the Bavarian State Opera. She’s got a great take on the future of opera in Germany...

We’ve also got this week’s opera headlines, our Monday Evening Quarterback segment, and Oliver checks in from Chicago with a field report...

George kicks off the second of a three-part series introducing you to the opera world in Germany. He goes to Meiningen, Weimar, Frankfurt and Darmstadt...

His guest is Stefan Umhey, a multi-talented artist based at the Meiningen Theater. Stefan has lots to say about the challenges facing opera in Germany today. And he’s got a story about the intersection between opera and the recent arrival of Syrian refugees in Meiningen that you simply can't want to miss...

Plus George shares with you the Top Five list of things you must have onstage if you’re directing an opera in Germany. We’ve also got this week’s opera headlines, our Monday Evening Quarterback segment, and Oliver checks in from Chicago with a field report...

George launches his three-part series introducing you to the opera world of Germany. He'll take you around Berlin, he’ll take you to the provinces, and he’ll give you insights into the wild and wacky world – mostly – that is opera here in Das Vaterland...

George's guest this week is Will Robertson, a resident assistant director at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. Will is one of a handful of American directors who's really found success working overseas in Germany. This interview gives you an all-access pass to the Deutsche Oper...

But first, George lets you know why he came to Germany in the first place. And why he had to come back...

Plus we’ve got this week’s opera headlines, our Monday Evening Quarterback segment and a special field report from Oliver back in Chicago.

This week, Oliver talks to Catherine O’Shaughnessy, founder of Windy City Opera, to give you an inside look at Chicago's storefront opera scene...

But first, we investigate a story hot off the presses. The Floating Opera Company, a small outfit in Chicago, recently posted an audition notice for its upcoming production of Sondheim’s ‘Sweeney Todd’, and invited musical theater singers to audition. Many of them took umbrage at the $15 audition fee, and then took to social media to voice their displeasure. It got ugly, and fast...

Plus we’ve got this week’s opera headlines and our TKO segment which pits Nathan Gunn and Simon Keenlyside head-to-head in Britten's 'Billy Budd'...

On tonight’s show, George, Oliver and Giovanna talk you the through ten contemporary composers who have just been added to the “most-performed” list in The Opera Guide, the world’s definitive list of who’s who in opera. But will we agree on who should be on the list and how they should be ranked...?

Plus we have all your opera headlines, Oliver’s performance review potpourri and Giovanna's all-new lighting-round format for our opera Pop Quiz...

This week, George and Oliver talk with conductor Anthony Barrese. He’s also the artistic director of Opera Southwest. We get his take on what pieces opera companies should be programming in order to survive. Anthony’s a smart guy and the opera references come fast and furious in this interview, so keep your wits about you and enjoy this bonus-length interview...

Co-host Giovanna is back on the show, and she helps us break down what to look forward to -- and what to avoid -- in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 season...

Plus we’ve got this week’s opera headlines and our TKO segment which pits two singers head-to-head in the finale of Rossini’s opera 'Zelmira'. Don't miss who we’ve chosen to fight to the death to become the star of Naples...

On tonight’s show, George takes you through the crisis brewing at English National Opera (ENO), London’s major opera house dedicated to performing opera in English. The Artistic Director has quit, the budget has been cut and the chorus is protesting. Is this the end of the road for ENO?

Also, Oliver rants about performance etiquette: audiences are clapping less, singers are bowing more. What's up with that?

And we've got all your opera headlines, and plus our Monday Evening Quarterback tackles the current production of Strauss’s “Der Rosenkavalier” at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

This week, it's a special hour-plus show!

We talk with soprano Emily Birsan, who is currently in Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi" at Chicago Opera Theater. Our team reviews the show, as well as its prelude in the double-bill: Poulenc's "La Voix Humaine", featuring Patricia Racette.

Oliver sets up a new battle royale in our TKO segment, and George gives you the week's opera headlines. Wow!

Opera and musical theater librettist Matt Boresi is our guest co-host this week. We get his hot takes on how to write libretti, on the best new American librettists and on whether producing musical theater is helping or hurting opera companies.

Plus, the Two Minute Drill, giving you all your need-to-know opera headlines!

We hang out with Harry Rose, a.k.a Opera Teen, to get his insights about the next generation of opera-goers. Read more about Harry at https://operateen.wordpress.com.

Also, we talk about whether or not rewriting the end of a unsatisfying opera creates more problems that it solves.

Plus, our TKO segment returns to pit Janet Baker against Susan Graham in Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas'.

The Usual Gang of Idiots (George, Oliver and Giovanna) fight over the merits of Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2016-2017 season, and go on to shred a recent article about elitism in opera:

http://harvardpolitics.com/culture/tonight-opera-identity-politics-inequality-opera/

You also get The Two-Minute Drill, Monday Evening Quarterback and Pop Quiz. All for free!

In addition to our live radio show (every other Monday at 9 pm Central on WNUR 89.3 FM Chicago and wnur.org/popup), we now tape a podcast on the OTHER Mondays. And this is the first!

On this episode we interview Patrick Hockberger, the composer behind "Synesthesia", a world premiere podcast opera about children and gun violence.

Plus, Giovanna and I discuss the legacy of Pierre Boulez in our 'Chalk Talk' segment and review "Wozzeck" in 'Monday Evening Quarterback'.

Season 2 of the OBS begins with a bang! Oliver talks you through the Metropolitan Opera's new production of "The Pearl Fishers", while Giovanna tips you off to the best events at the Prototype Festival opening in New York City this week.

Plus, we baptize two new segments: "The Two Minute Drill" and "Monday Evening Quarterback"! And we announce details about our podcast series which starts next week...

Happy Holidays! With Giovanna out with the "stomach flu" (read: hung over), Oliver steps up to join George and Tobias with their Christmas lists for opera...

Plus, a multiple choice Pop Quiz, and a TKO with music clips!

Tobias is back from Florida! He joins George and Giovanna as they each talk about what they're thankful for in opera...

Plus, Giovanna schools everyone in Pop Quiz and Tobias gets to host TKO!

Special guest Oliver Camacho joins us to talk about micro-opera and the Alban Berg trend... but almost makes us lose our FCC license...

Plus, our Pop Quiz and TKO segments!

We celebrate National Opera Week by not celebrating National Opera Week... Giovanna takes off all her clothes (on a radio show)...

Plus, Instant Replay, TKO and more!

George investigates the death of Gotham Chamber Opera... Giovanna wonders if opera companies are finding new ways to tell old stories...

Plus, George gets to ask the questions for Pop Quiz, and we compare an opera aria with a contemporary cover in our Instant Replay segment.

After three pilot episodes, Opera Box Score goes live...

Your host George Cederquist, along with co-hosts Tobias Wright and Giovanna Jacques, all talk you through what you need to know about the Fall opera season...

Plus, test your opera knowledge in our Pop Quiz, and witness the horrors of our TKO segment, where two opera singers battle in a steel-cage death match.