Opera Box Score

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1 www.operaboxscore.com

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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’… operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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… operaboxscore.com facebook.com/OBSCHI1

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... https://www.facebook.com/events/271183080470981/ operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore