Naomi André, a professor at the University of Michigan, has been a familiar presence at Seattle Opera for a couple seasons now; she helped us explore racial representation, casting, and what it means to support storytellers of color in 2018, as we were presenting Porgy and Bess, and last spring moderated a Carmen-related forum on “Decolonizing Allure: Women Artists of Color in Conversation.” Recently, she joined Seattle Opera as our first-ever Scholar-in-Residence. We’re delighted to have Dr. André on our team, and in this podcast she discusses her scholarly work—as well as Beyoncé, the exciting opera scene in today’s South Africa, Jessye Norman, and many other topics—with Alejandra Valarino Boyer, Seattle Opera’s Director of Programs and Partnerships.