Opera Box Score

[@ 5 min] As Lidiya Yankovskaya prepares to step down as Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater, we take a look at some of the ‘Swings and Misses’ of her tenure, including being a three-time Inside the Huddle guest on the OBS... [@ 30 min] And then… PJ files a report on “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” from the Met, and Lise Davidsen joins us for a ‘Free Throw’ on Janacek’s "Jenůfa"… [@ 42 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… France is the big winner in the World Cup of Opera, and an opera company in Dallas attempts to show the relationship between opera and sports... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 2 min] After an injury sidelined Alex DeSocio from a college football career, the baritone turned to the most logical alternative: opera. His young career has already taken him to Pensacola Opera, Opera Birmingham, Fort Worth Opera, and now the world premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s “Intelligence” at Houston Grand Opera… [@ 25 min] And then… it’s the return of Friend of the Show Ryan Speedo Green. Speedo takes a ‘Free Throw’ on how he scored the role of Emile Griffith in the high-profile Met debut of Terence Blanchard’s “Champion”... [@ 35 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… If you cancel yourself, does that count as Cancel Culture…? operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] It’s the annual Hallowe’en Spooktacular, the scary and shocking moments of opera that will have you lose your head… [@ 46 min] In the ‘Listener Mailbag’... A field report from Donald and PJ, and a review of Opera Arizona’s "Frankenstein"... [@ 53 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The scariest thing about opera? We’d have to say: the sexism… GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] It’s a Band Geek Edition of 'Sportzando!' Say. No. More. [@ 31 min] And then... I don’t know how we pulled it off, but we have a 'Free Throw' with tenor, author, stage director, clown, radio host, and television personality Rolando Villazón... [@ 40 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Well, at least Martyn Brabbins didn’t punch anyone when things got ugly at English National Opera… GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 5 min] It's an ‘Inside the Huddle’ is a double-header! First up, in the middle of rehearsals for “The Barber of Seville” at LA Opera, it’s the dreamy Italian bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni... [@ 34 min] For the second interview of theTwi-night, it’s the young Heldentenor Robert Watson, who just completed his Lyric Opera debut as Erik in “The Flying Dutchman"... [@ 55 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… We say farewell to one of the true digital originals: James Jorden… GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with John Brancy in London, where he's reprising his role as the Artisan & Collector in George Benjamin’s “Picture a Day Like This”. He tells us how that role was customized to his freakish abilities and why we shouldn’t limit ourselves to just one way of singing… [@ 35 min] And then… Lisette Oropesa, who makes her Lyric Opera debut next month in “Daughter of the Regiment”, takes a ‘Free Throw’ on the *other* Donizetti role that brought her career to international attention… [@ 45 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… What year is it? According to a North Carolina classical radio station, it’s 1950... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] In our new segment, ‘Swings & Misses’, we look at the best and worst decisions from Operaland, starting with the home runs and strikeouts of Anthony Freud’s tenure at Lyric Opera of Chicago… [@ 25 min] He was in Fantasy Football enemy territory, but did he enjoy Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O23? Oliver tells all in ‘Monday Evening Quarterback’… [@ 36 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… How would *you* look if you were naked onstage and 4.9 billion years old...? SHOW NOTES https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/sep/20/opera-actor-82-furious-with-critic-for-saying-she-looked-a-fright-on-first-night GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

We go 'Inside the Huddle' with soprano Amanda Majeski. The tap-dancing Mozart 'n' Strauss diva is from Illinois and lives in Wisconsin. You'll be shocked when you find out where her sports allegiance lies... Plus, in the 'Two Minute Drill'… Where are all the gay white male opera administrators going? Starting their own super opera company in P-town...? GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 7 min] Season 9 of the OBS begins with a mixed doubles ‘Inside the Huddle’ when FOUR artists join us to preview Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O23... [@ 57 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… It’s Ying Fang. YING. FANG. Not WANG FAN... SHOW NOTES https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/08/europe/china-opera-singer-mariupol-intl/index.html GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

We dive into the OBS archives for a highlight from Season 6 when we went ‘Inside the Huddle’ with soprano Ying Fang… We’re back with an all-new show on Thursday, September 14th, when we kick off Season 9 of the OBS with a preview of Festival O23 at Opera Philadelphia… Join us! GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] It’s transition season in sports and on the OBS… We let you know what’s new on this season’s college football gridiron, we handicap the men’s draw of the US Open, and we recap our favorite Season 8 OBS highlights… [@ 22 min] And then… Before we take our Labor Day break, we get into those Listener Mailbag submissions from both regulars and a first-time caller, long-time listener… [@ 31 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… It’s the slap heard around the world.  No, not at the Oscars, at France’s Berlioz Festival… We’re back with an all-new show on Thursday, September 14, when we kick off Season 9 of the OBS with a preview of the 2023 O Festival from Philadelphia… Join us! SHOW NOTES https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/24/john-eliot-gardiner-pulls-out-of-bbc-proms-after-reports-he-punched-bass-singer GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] She was More Than a Diva, and now she enters the OBS Hall of Fame. It’s our tribute to the late, great Renata Scotto… [@ 36 min] In a blow to American opera cognoscenti, the Metropolitan Opera Guild will cease publication of ‘Opera News’. That means all you PR agents out there? The OBS is all you’ve got left... [@ 48 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… As we predicted, Spain won the Women’s World Cup, but Australian women can’t even get a break in their own opera houses… SHOW NOTES https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/20/renata-scotto-obituar https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/us-focused-opera-news-cease-publication-november-after-102286609 https://theconversation.com/95-male-conductors-70-ageing-classics-and-zero-appetite-for-risk-whats-wrong-with-elite-australian-opera-211270 GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 4 min] The Women’s World Cup is down to its final four teams, and we’re here to pick a winner, based on a head-to-head clash between each country’s greatest female singer… [@ 32 min] And then… We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with baritone Huw Montague Rendall, who’s starring in the current production of “Pelléas et Mélisande” at the Santa Fe Opera. Find out which team he’s betting on to win the World Cup, along with his pick for the best act of a Mozart opera... [@ 1 h 1 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Which conductor would you like to see with nothing but his, er, baton…? SHOW NOTES https://www.huwmontaguerendall.com/bio https://operawire.com/lorenzi-viotti-apologizes-for-nude-picture/ GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] It’s a double-header on Oktavian when we go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Samantha Hankey, star of the Met’s recent production of “Der Rosenkavalier”… and then we’re joined by the Oktavian of her generation… Susan Graham! Plus you’ll get color commentary from Matt Cummings about why it’s one of the best mezzo roles in Operaland… [@ 1 h 1 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… it’s the Opera Legal Roundup! David Daniels takes a plea deal, and the Met is getting sued. The plaintiff will shock you… (or not…) SHOW NOTES https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/arts/opera-star-david-daniels-guilty-plea-sexual-assault.html https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66413874 GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis, whose electrifying sense of fearlessness shines whether she’s onstage or being recorded by a cheap USB mic on Oliver’s vacation in Santa Fe… [@ 25 min] And then… It’s the 3rd period of the Mozart vs. Mozart vs. Mozart ‘TKO’ clash! Which single act of a Mozart opera will triumph as the G.O.A.T….? [@ 1 h 13 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Antonio Pappano loves opera and football. Maybe it’s time for a new host here on OBS? Watch your back, Weston… SHOW NOTES http://www.raehann.com/ https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230728-antonio-pappano-how-opera-can-be-open-to-everyone GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] Hot off the presses, Patrick Dupré Quigley has been named Artistic Director Designate of D.C.’s Opera Lafayette, with his first obstacle going ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Team OBS... [@ 31 min] And then, in ‘TKO’... Mozart vs Mozart vs Mozart enters the 2nd period, when another soubrette is thrown into the rink with Susanna and Despina.  Find out which opera Oliver backs in the best-act-ever showdown… [@ 43 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Katharina Wagner warned you several times about raising your prices, and now you’re not sold out… SHOW NOTES https://operalafayette.org/blog-archive/new-ad https://www.br-klassik.de/aktuell/news-kritik/bayreuther-festspiele-2023-katharina-wagner-warnte-vor-teureren-festspiel-tickets-100.htm GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] It’s an epic three-act ‘TKO’… the OBS team takes to the ice to settle, once and for all, that eternal question: what IS the best single act of a Mozart opera…? [@ 39 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Jonas calls a time-out: is he still butt-hurt from being Fass-bendered…? SHOW NOTES https://operawire.com/jonas-kaufmann-cancels-paris-festival-aix-en-provence-concerts/ GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[@ 3 min] You may know Morris Robinson as *the* former-All-American-college-defensive-lineman-turned-bass, but when he goes ‘Inside the Huddle’, you’ll learn he’s recently been cast as a basketball “Big Man”… [@ 36 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Taking a cue from Megan Rapinoe’s announcement, will Chautauqua Opera also retire after this season…? We're back with an all-new show next week, when it’s Mozart vs. Mozart vs. Mozart... Join us! SHOW NOTES https://morrisrobinson.com/ https://www.chq.org/chautauqua-opera-company/chautauqua-opera-and-conservatory-eyes-2025-shift-to-new-american-workshops/ GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

As Team OBS takes the week off for the Fourth, enjoy a rerun of our Independence Day show from last year, when we launched 'Singer Trading Cards', a look at the American League and some great artists of the recent past you’ll want to add to your collection... We're back with an all-new show on Thursday, July 13, when bass Morris Robinson goes 'Inside the Huddle' to talk football, opera, and football. Join us! GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

[3 min] The Santa Fe Opera’s current season starts this weekend, and we get a field report, but not from PJ... [9 min] It’s bonus content from Oliver’s recent trip to the Boston Early Music Festival, when German soprano Dorothee Mields takes a 'Free Throw' on the subject of… birds? [@ 24 min] In the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Friend of the Show Christine Goerke is cheering us ALL on; especially you, Tulsa Opera... SHOW NOTES https://www.santafeopera.org/ https://bemf.org/2023-festival/ https://tulsaworld.com/life-entertainment/local/tulsa-opera-cancels-most-of-2023-2024-season-general-director-resigns/article_dea90f1a-1148-11ee-ade5-df43441edcaf.html GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore