Opera Box Score

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... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

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

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

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

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

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

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

NYE wishes from OBS host George Cederquist with a preview of 2019's first show on January 7... @operaboxscore www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1

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

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

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

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

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'... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/ @operaboxscore

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… www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/ @operaboxscore

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

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/