Podcast
LA Opera Podcasts: Behind the Curtain
Hosted by LA Opera · EN
Created in 1986 by a team of visionaries, LA Opera has become a leader in artistic innovation, while honoring the great historical legacy of opera. Through the powerful art form of opera, we celebrate the diversity and pioneering spirit of our great city.
49episodes
Episodes
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BONUS: At the Intersection of Arts and Health - Creative Wellbeing with Elisabeth Nails
May 100:50:55Summary readyGet ready for the 5th annual LA County Arts and Health Week Summit with this conversation hosted by Elisabeth Nails of the Los Angeles Department of Arts and Culture. This conversation was recorded live as part of our most recent Exploring Opera session, LA Opera Connects' free, virtual learning series - focused on all things arts and health, including an opportunity for moving meditation. In this episode, Elisabeth facilitates a session about Creative Wellbeing, which is a healing-centered approach for building communities of wellness, joined by four of Creative Wellbeing's many partners, Contratiempo, Families Uniting Families, LA County Department of Mental Health, and Center for Empowerment of Families. It's a truly embodied episode on this week's Behind the Curtain! And if arts and health excite you, join us for our upcoming Arts & Health Week Summit, this June 12th. You can RSVP now at laopera.org/summit.
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A Knight to Remember: Falstaff with Craig Colclough and Jeremy Frank
Apr 2800:58:16Summary readyOn today's episode, LA Opera Chorus Director Jeremy Frank welcomes bass-baritone Craig Colclough for a conversation about “Falstaff,” in which Colclough plays the titular role. Learn what Craig's first instrument was, how he feels to see himself on a show banner, and what his first impressions of LA Opera were. Craig and Jeremy also analyze “Falstaff” through a Shakespearean lens, with Craig sharing his personal interpretation of the role he's played for over a decade. “Falstaff” runs now through May 10th on the LA Opera stage. Get your tickets at LAOpera.org.
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The Real Housewives of Windsor: Falstaff and Feminism with Shawna Lucey and Gail Eichenthal
Apr 2100:30:23Summary readyIn this episode, Gail Eichenthal interviews the acclaimed opera director Shawna Lucey who helms LA Opera's "Falstaff." Shawna shares how she came to opera from theater, her long love affair with "Falstaff," and her formative training in Moscow. Experience Shawna's feminist perspective on Elizabethan society and find out why she says that "Falstaff" teaches us to love ourselves. "Falstaff" is playing now through May 10 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Get your tickets at LAOpera.org.
SummaryBONUS: OperaFest LA and the Radical Future of Opera
Apr 1600:45:07Summary readyIn this episode, LA Opera President and CEO Christopher Koelsch is joined by leaders and luminaries of the Los Angeles opera scene to discuss OperaFest, a two-month festival taking place this April and May that will give you the chance to experience opera all across Los Angeles County. Circle up with LA Opera, Beth Morrison Projects, Overtone Industries, Long Beach Opera, and REDCAT to discuss the radical possibilities of opera, from inclusion and accessibility to platforming living composers—then head on over to OperaFestLA.org to learn more. It's a fascinating discussion and it's happening right now, on "Behind the Curtain."
SummarySerious Fun with Opera: The Women of Falstaff with Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano
Apr 1400:23:20Summary readyIn this episode, we bring you the next edition of "Serious Fun with Opera," a "Behind the Curtain" mini-series that takes a romp through operatic themes with Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano. This episode takes us into the story and the music of Verdi's "Falstaff," which lights up the LA Opera with hilarity from April 18-May 10. Delight in the details of the revenge plot of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" and then get your tickets to "Falstaff" at LAOpera.org.
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James Conlon's Pre-Performance Talk on Falstaff
Apr 700:32:59Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon walks us through the history, the plot, and of course, the music of Verdi's "Falstaff." Don't miss this merry farce, playing April 18-May 10. Get your tickets now at LAOpera.org.
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20 Years with Maestro Conlon: A Farewell Concert
Mar 3100:31:24Summary readyThis episode continues our 20 Years With the Maestro Miniseries, in which veteran journalist Gail Eichenthal and Maestro James Conlon take on the highlights of our 40th Anniversary season, while exploring Maestro Conlon's legacy at LA Opera and beyond. This time around, they celebrate Conlon's upcoming Gala Concert on April 24, a glittering evening of excerpts from the operatic canon with special guests from the LA Opera stage. Share in the repertoire selection process, uncover which opera's name you should never speak aloud, and get excited for some stellar singers--all in this delightful episode. Tickets for the April 24 Gala are available now at laopera.org.
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Serious Fun With Opera: Philip Glass's Akhnaten with Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano and Prof. Bob Fink
Feb 10Tap to summarizeIn this episode of "Serious Fun With Opera," a "Behind the Curtain" miniseries, Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano interviews UCLA's Chair of Musicology, Professor Bob Fink, about musical minimalism--a term that "Philip Glass would not answer to," he says, but that is a "quintessentially American form." They discuss the concepts of trance, aural wallpaper, and the sublime, all swirling around Philip Glass's "Akhnaten', coming up on the LA Opera stage. Get your tickets now at LAOpera.org.
Transcribe →Arts & Health in Opera with LA Opera Young Artist Emily Damasco and Paul Hopper
Jan 6Tap to summarizeIn this special look inside the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, LA Opera's Senior Director of Artistic Planning Paul Hopper is joined by Young Artist Emily Damasco. Today, Emily and Paul chat about early opera memories, pierogi pizza, the intersection of arts and health, and the two roles Emily will be singing on the LA Opera mainstage this season in "Akhnaten" and "The Magic Flute." You can get your tickets to see this young soprano soar at LAOpera.org.
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Serious Fun with Opera: La Bohème with Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano
Dec 9Tap to summarizeOn this episode of "Behind the Curtain," UCLA scholar and musicologist Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano returns with another installment of "Serious Fun with Opera." She turns the pages of "La Bohème" all the way back to Henri Murger's original source material, immersing us in 1800's Paris and paying special attention to muses Mimì and Musetta. Enjoy this literary journey and be sure to get your tickets to "La Bohème" at LAOpera.org.
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