LA Opera Podcasts: Behind the Curtain

Bass Morris Robinson is considered one of the most compelling and sought-after performers in opera today. He regularly appears at the Metropolitan Opera, where he is a graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. He made his LA Opera debut in 2009 with The Magic Flute and has appeared subsequently in numerous thrilling roles. LA Opera audiences love him - especially our teen audiences. Mr. Robinson regularly meets with students and has been one of the greatest ambassadors in welcoming young people into the opera house. In this conversation, recorded immediately before the final dress rehearsal of Rigoletto in 2018, Mr. Robinson chats with LA Opera's President and CEO Christopher Koelsch and an audience of several hundred local students.

Discover On Gold Mountain, the true story of Fong See, a pioneer of Los Angeles’ Chinatown who immigrated to America to work on the railroad and find his fortune. Author and librettist Lisa See and composer Nathan Wang join Li Wei Yang, curator for the Pacific Rim Collections at The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, for a conversation with music exploring See’s Chinese immigrant family’s extraordinary history and impact upon Los Angeles, and the opera it inspired. The three are joined by soprano Shana Blake Hill, an original cast member of On Gold Mountain, and violinist Shelly Ren. This podcast was recorded in front of a live Zoom audience on November 19, 2020. On Gold Mountain will be produced in the newly-expanded Chinese gardens of The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens during the spring of the 2021-22 season.

Presented in collaboration with the Prototype Festival, Modulation is a ground-breaking exploration of opera and theater adapting to a new format. Audience members are in control as they navigate through a landscape of new musical pieces—each with its own visual component—exploring the strands that weave together our lives over this past tumultuous and revelatory year. With themes of isolation, identity and fear, with the connection of breath, the experience brings together 13 of the most provocative and diverse voices in the contemporary music idiom. In this conversation, we are honored to welcome four of these extraordinary composers, all of whom are Los Angeles natives or based now in Los Angeles. Composer Juhi Bansal welcomes Jojo Abot, Yvette Janine Jackson, and Carmina Escobar. Please note that this conversation delves into contemporary issues and includes adult language which might not be suitable for all listeners. Modulation can be accessed on LA Opera's website until February 28, 2021 at 8:59pm PT: https://www.laopera.org/performances/upcoming-digital-performances/modulation

Jeremy Frank, LA Opera's Associate Chorus Master is actually a man of many talents: conductor, pianist, educator and mixologist? He is certainly the delightful host of LA Opera Connects' popular Opera Happy Hour web series. In this special audio edition of Opera Happy Hour, toast to love with Jeremy as he explores the (many) depictions of wedding scenes in opera. Enjoy more Opera Happy Hour here: www.laopera.org/discover/la-opera…/opera-happy-hour

This episode of Behind the Curtain features a conversation between Classical KUSC's Brian Lauritzen and composer Ellen Reid. It was recorded and first shared in November 2018 prior to LA Opera's world premiere of "p r i s m" by Ellen Reid and librettist Roxie Perkins. Directed by James Darrah, the opera went on to win the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in music. Beginning on January 26, 2021 at 4pm PT, LA Opera's On Now digital platform will feature a stream of a full-length performance of "p r i s m", which was filmed in New York in 2019. "p r i s m" will stream online, free of charge for two weeks. As well, on January 29 at 11am PT, LA Opera On Now will offer the digital premiere of "Lumee's Dream," which will be available free of charge through February 12. This new digital short is inspired by a pivotal scene in "p r i s m". CONTENT WARNING: "p r i s m" explores the psychological aftermath of a traumatic event, and the boundaries we erect to protect our hearts and minds. The subject matter is mature and may not be suitable for younger audiences. Discussions of violence and its aftermath begin at about 13 minutes into the conversation.

Jeremy Frank, LA Opera's Associate Chorus Master is actually a man of many talents: conductor, pianist, educator and mixologist? He is certainly the delightful host of LA Opera Connects' popular Opera Happy Hour web series. In this special audio edition of Opera Happy Hour, Jeremy explores how opera transcends space, time and cultural genres, while inviting everyone to take a sip and enjoy opera and your beverage of choice. Enjoy more Opera Happy Hour here: https://www.laopera.org/discover/la-opera-on-now/la-opera-on-now-all-events/category/opera-happy-hour

Dr. Mitchell Morris, UCLA's Chair and Professor of Musicology, explores the intersections of Romantic Opera and nationalism in the context of Wagner's operas, as well as their resonances for today. This presentation was recorded live as a part of LA Opera Connects' professional development series for teachers, Opera for Educators, on Saturday, October 10, 2020.

Why have some "classical classics" become holiday tradition, and others have not? Join LA Opera's Music Director James Conlon as he encourages us to "have it all" by enjoying both the well-known stars of classical holiday music, as well as more obscure works in the cannon. Dive in with the Maestro to the traditional, seasonal works of Messiah, Bach Christmas Oratorio and The Nutcracker; and then explore two unsung stars: Liszt’s Christus and Berlioz’s L'Enfance du Christ.

Dr. Muriel McClendon, Associate Professor for History at UCLA, and Jeremy Frank, LA Opera's Associate Chorus Master, continue their exploration into the historic fictions of opera, what they get right and wrong. More importantly they dig into what the opera reveals about the time in which it was created and how it relates to today. In this episode, Muriel and Jeremy are joined by Samuel B. Keeley, a postdoctoral researcher at Leibniz Institute for European History, to examine Wagner's opera "Tannhäuser" and the German history surrounding it.

Listen to LA Opera's Music Director James Conlon discussing the deepest meanings and broadest themes of Wagner's "Tannhäuser" through an exploration of literature, the opera's plot, and Wagner's exquisite music. This presentation was recorded for LA Opera Connects' professional development for teachers series, Opera for Educators, on Saturday, October 10, 2020. For more information on Opera for Educators visit our website: https://www.LAOpera.org/OperaForEducators

Musicologist and pianist Dr. Tiffany Kuo is joined by her Colburn Conservatory of Music students to explore how learning, performing, and living a fuller and broader world of classical music - with an emphasis on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) composers - enhances our musical lives.  In partnership with the Colburn Conservatory of Music, this discussion was recorded as a part of LA Opera Connects' Play-On salon: "Joseph Bologne and The Anonymous Lover" on Saturday, November 9, 2020. Musical excerpts have been edited for educational purposes. Colburn Conservatory of Music Students: Nicholas Arredondo Harrison Dearman Josh Elmore Gallia Kastner Alyssa Katahara Katie Liu Gerbrich Meijer Elizabeth Montero Justin Ochoa Max Opferkuch Ryan Turano Yu Kai Sun

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

In anticipation of LA Opera's production of The Anonymous Lover by Joseph Bologne, LA Opera is happy to present this conversation on History vs. Opera. This conversation was recorded on November 7, 2020, and features Muriel McClendon, Jennifer Palmer and Jeremy Frank. Muriel McClendon is Associate Professor of History at UCLA, where she teaches courses on medieval and early modern European History. Dr. McClendon is joined by Jennifer Palmer, a historian of early modern France and the Francophone world, teaching courses at the University of Georgia about Europe, the Atlantic world, women and gender, race, slavery and pirates. And they are joined by Jeremy Frank, Associate Chorus Master of LA Opera. Jeremy has worked on over 60 productions with the company and is also a part-time lecturer in opera and the vocal arts at USC. Please note: this conversation includes discussion of the historic slave trade between Europe and the Americas. The Anonymous Lover will be available to watch from Saturday, November 14, at 5pm through November 29 at 11:59pm (PT). Get your free ticket and more information here: https://www.laopera.org/performances/updated-2021-season/the-anonymous-lover/

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

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