Opera Box Score

In the ‘Hometown Team', Oliver hosts Alex Enyart, conductor of Chicago Fringe Opera’s upcoming production of “As One”, a chamber opera with a transgender protagonist... Then, Oliver and Matt play ‘Fantasy Fachball’. They compare and contrast two different singers tackling the same aria: Turandot’s number “In questa reggia” from Puccini’s eponymous opera. George picks a winner... And the ‘Two Minute Drill’ returns, featuring all your opera headlines from the past week and our hot takes on them, including us asking “Just how high can a person sing anyway?”... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

Composer Julian Grant joins us live via phone! He’s part of the team behind “The nefarious, immoral but highly profitable enterprise of Mr. Burke and Mr. Hare”, a world premiere chamber opera at Boston Lyric Opera that opens this week. Find out exactly why the residents of Edinburgh in 1828 just weren’t dying quickly enough... And Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Rubén Dubrovsky, conductor and artistic director of Third Coast Baroque, a Chicago ensemble that reframes early music... But wait, there’s more! In ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’, Oliver and Matt review productions of Wagner’s “Die Walküre” at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Menotti’s “The Consul” at Chicago Opera Theater. See if George's boys can agree to disagree... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

Well, it’s that time of year again: Gruesome masks. Screams of horror. Death by chocolate. It’s National Opera Week! A special welcome to all our listeners who are supporters of Opera America, the nation’s umbrella organization for the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera. Tonight, George, Matt and guest Matthan Black get ready for Hallowe’en. We share some horror stories from our time in the opera business, we listen to some spooky opera excepts and we examine a few terrifying news items from the past week in Operaland... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

John M. Clum, Professor Emeritus of Theater Studies and English at Duke University, joins George and Oliver 'Inside the Huddle'. Professor Clum has written nine books about theater and staging. He’s also a playwright and an experienced stage director, as well as being a librettist for contemporary American operas... He’ll also be with us for ‘The Two Minute Drill’, when you get all your opera headlines from the past week, and our hot takes on them... And then, it’s our new segment ‘Fantasy Fachball’. Oliver and the Professor face off by backing different singers tackling the same aria. OBS co-host Matt Cummings will the judge as to who's the best. It could get nasty... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

Stage director Amy Stebbins and composer Hauke Berheide are working on a new piece for children called “Einar hat einen Vogel”. They talk about what you need to remember when you’re writing for kids. And some picky critics tackle Dean Burry’s opera for children “The Scorpions’ Sting”, which was at Lyric Unlimited here in Chicago last weekend... But first, Amy and Hauke update you on what’s happening in opera in German-speaking Europe, including details on some important changes of artistic leadership that have taken place in the past year, including the promotion of several women at major German and Austrian houses... And then, it’s ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’ with creative consultant Oliver Camacho. Although he’s not live in studio tonight -- he’s sitting one out recovering from seeing five operas in four days -- Oliver checks with reviews of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Monteverdi trilogy... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with countertenor Justin Kim. The Korean-American has established himself as one of the most sought-after countertenors of his generation, having already collaborated with such prestigious conductors as Sir John Eliot Gardiner... But first, it’s ‘The Hometown Team’, this week with Chicago’s Third Eye Theater Ensemble. The company presents Daniel Crozier's opera “With Blood, With Ink” which tells the chilling and beautiful story of the life of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the iconic 17th century Mexican poetess and nun. Stage director Rose Freeman and mezzo-soprano Rena Ahmed join George live in studio... And then, it’s ‘The Two Minute Drill’: all the things you need to know from the past week in Operaland, plus our hot takes... http://facebook.com/obschi1

New OBS co-host Matt Cummings joins the show tonight! (Don't worry, Tobias Wright'll be back...) George re-introduces you to Matt... by humiliating him in our ‘Pop Quiz’ segment... In ‘Chalk Talk’: last week an article in The New York Times asked “The Met has the voices. Will it need more to survive?” Check out the things George and Matt think the Met needs to do to stay alive... Plus, you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

Haymarket Opera Company's fall production is Marin Marais's 1696 opera “Ariane et Bachus”. In 'Hometown Team', Haymarket's Artistic Director Craig Trompeter joins soprano Kimberly McCord live in studio to reveal why their company is the first one to perform this opera in the last 321 years... Then, In 'Chalk Talk', we take a closer look at the recent flourishing of Baroque music performance, including performances by Third Coast Baroque and the works of Monteverdi at the Harris Theater... Plus, Oliver plays 'Monday Evening Quarterback' and reviews the recent production of Gluck's “Orpheé et Eurydice” at Lyric Opera of Chicago... And, you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in 'The Two Minute Drill'... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

The fall opera season is just around the corner, with San Francisco Opera, LA Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Washington National Opera getting things going this week. Our team reveals the shows they HAVE TO SEE this fall, as well as some shows that are just wishful thinking... Plus, Tobias tells you how NOT to fire someone... And you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with bass-baritone Douglas Williams. His physically dynamic performances have led him to collaborations with Mark Morris, Sasha Waltz, and Barbara Hannigan, among others. You’ll be surprised to find out what was the turning point in Douglas’s career... But first, the O17 Festival opens at Opera Philadelphia later this week. And it’s not just any old opera festival. George and Tobias tell you why... Plus you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Lidiya Yankovskaya, the newly appointed Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater. This exclusive half hour interview introduces you to a major player in the Chicago opera scene, as they talk about Yankovskaya's training, her opinions on bel canto opera, her initiative called the Refugee Orchestra Project, technology in opera, the COT young artist program, and she reveals some thoughts on future seasons for the company... Then in ‘The Hometown Team’, Oliver brings you another interview, this time with soprano Claire DiVizio, the Artistic Director of Thompson Street Opera, which kicks off their 2017-18 season this weekend with a comic book hero-themed opera called “Cosmic Ray and the Amazing Chris"... Plus you get all your opera headlines and George's hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... https://www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

Mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Oliver. She’s a current Steans Vocal Fellow at Ravinia who just sang a premiere with the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas... But first, “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs”, an opera with music by Mason Bates and libretto by Mark Campbell, opened at the Santa Fe Opera Festival last month. Washington Post critic Anne Midgette took that as an opportunity to talk about the way opera is built, and to compare it to TV and other art forms. Oliver and George respond... And but of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... https://www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

It's a tearful reunion when Oliver and George swap stories about their summer escapes in Operaland, from the Midwest to the East Coast and beyond. Don't miss the highs and lows of our travels, from Oliver's Early Music Festival exploits to George's singing lessons... And but of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... https://www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

Do you know where Petoskey, Michigan, is? Well, you will soon. George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Chris Ludwa, the Artistic Director of the Bay View Music Festival, the longest continuously operating chamber music festival in the United States, which is in northern Michigan. We talk about the unique place that is Bay View, why this festival’s Pay To Sing program is different from the others, and what the less glamorous parts are of running a summer music festival... Then, it’s ‘Chalk Talk’. Australian comedian Jim Jeffries was on the podcast from The Nerdist platform last week, talking about his career, including his schooldays training as a singer, and boy, did he have some choice words about opera. You’ll hear that clip, plus George's take on it... And but of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... https://www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with fight choreographer Nick Gisonde. They talk about the philosophy behind onstage fighting and teach you how to do a realistic hair pull. Plus don’t miss when Nick tells George what the nastiest combat move he’s ever seen on stage is... Then, it’s the return of our “Hometown Team” segment, when the OBS team focuses on opera stories right here in the Windy City. George take a closer look at the casts and artistic teams for the three shows at Chicago Opera Theater’s upcoming season. You’ll find out which one of those things is not like the other... And but of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... https://www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

George goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with mezzo-soprano Davia Bouley. She’s currently singing Carmen at the Bay View Music Festival in Michigan, but she’s based in Berlin. Davia and George talk about the easy parts of singing Carmen (hint: not a lot), plus they compare and contrast Berlin’s opera houses... Then creative consultant Oliver Camacho checks in from the Berlin of the East Coast. That would be New London, Connecticut, where he’s spent the last few weeks at the Amherst Early Music Festival. Don’t miss his audio postcard... And but of course you get all your opera headlines and the OBS team's hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... @operaboxscore

You get another chance to hear Oliver’s interview with Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, a countertenor who was one of the winners of this year’s National Council Auditions at the Metropolitan Opera, plus George's interview with contemporary American composer William Bolcom... And, you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... Leave us a voicemail: 224.218.9BOX (9269) Tweet us: @operaboxscore

It’s summer, and that means re-runs. For our new listeners, you might have missed two great interviews from the OBS archives. Tonight, you’ll get another chance to hear Oliver’s interview with superstar tenor Matthew Polenzani and George's interview with Kirsten Harms, the former Intendantin of the Deutsche Oper Berlin... Then in our ‘Hometown Team’ segment, Tobias and Oliver chime in on the appointment of Lidiya Yankovskaya as the new Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater... And, you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... @operaboxscore

Tobias and George break down the 2017 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition which wrapped up on Sunday. They introduce you to some of competitors and talk you through the winners, so there will be some spoilers... And then, Oliver files a field report from the Boston Early Music Festival. You’ll get his highs and lows on from this event which focuses on an era of music which he knows and loves... Plus, you get all your opera headlines and our hot take on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... @operaboxscore

Guest co-host Matthan Black gets you ready for summer and becomes your personal trainer... for opera festivals. He talks about what productions are a must see... But first, George recaps the winners and losers of the 2017 International Opera Awards. Some of those results might surprise you... And of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’...