On this week's show we will go into the archives from two past episodes, where Greg Trupiano was one of my guests.We will replay part of my show on Fort Greene - Greg loved bringing the history of his beloved Brooklyn to life, especially where it was touched and greatly influenced by Walt Whitman- and my interview with Greg and Michael Capasso, the General Director of the New York City Opera, on the history of opera in New York City.Greg was wonderful in so many ways, and he was taken from us far too soon. I hope you will join us.

Show Notes

Segment 1

Jeff introduces his first guest Greg Trupiano, who is a Brooklyn native growing up in the Kensington neighborhood. Greg explains how he first got involved in sharing neighborhood history with people. This initially started with his passion for the famous American poet Walt Whitman. Through the Walt Whitman Project, Greg gives tours across Brooklyn. Greg then goes into the early history of Fort Greene. Under the British rule, Fort Greene and all of Brooklyn was mainly rural farmland. Fort Greene saw a lot of action during the Revolutionary War, the most famous of which was the Battle of Brooklyn. During this time, the British were using the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a place to put American prisoners on ships. In addition, there was a lot of abolitionist work going on in Fort Greene after the war. There was a large African-American population due to the ending of slavery in 1827. 

Segment 2

Greg discusses the importance of the implementation of L trains through Fort Greene. Many historic buildings are located in Fort Greene, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the oldest hospital in Brooklyn. The Williamsburg Saving Banks Tower is another significant piece of architecture, for at least half a century was the tallest building in the borough. Jeff then brings up the decline of Fort Greene in the mid-1900s. After the Brooklyn Navy Yard was decommissioned in 1966, the neighborhood lost a lot of its population and wealth. Greg says that In the 1980s the neighborhood was revitalized and people began repopulating the area. 

Segment 3

Jeff introduces the history of the opera in New York City. Jeff introduces his two guests, Michael Capasso, and Greg Trupiano. He then talks about the background of them. Jeff then asks how Michael got to work with the New York City Opera. Michael comes from an Italian family and he used to listen to a famous singer’s song when he was young and he also read a book about the singer by then he was inspired. Then Jeff asks his second guest, Greg Trupiano. Greg talks about how the Garcia family came to New York to produce the Italian Opera.

Segment 4

Jeff continues to ask about the history of opera in New York. Michael talks about a very famous company that started in the 18th century, the Metropolitan Opera House. The wealthy businessmen built the Metropolitan Opera House. They are able to gather the most famous opera singers to perform in the Metropolitan Opera House. Then he talks about the New York City Opera being “people’s opera” because it was popular with its new price and its features appeal to the immigrant population.