Opera Box Score

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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… www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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™... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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”... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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”... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... https://www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

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... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/