LA Opera Podcasts: Behind the Curtain

Get ready for the 5th annual LA County Arts and Health Week Summit with this conversation hosted by Elisabeth Nails of the Los Angeles Department of Arts and Culture. This conversation was recorded live as part of our most recent Exploring Opera session, LA Opera Connects' free, virtual learning series - focused on all things arts and health, including an opportunity for moving meditation. In this episode, Elisabeth facilitates a session about Creative Wellbeing, which is a healing-centered approach for building communities of wellness, joined by four of Creative Wellbeing's many partners, Contratiempo, Families Uniting Families, LA County Department of Mental Health, and Center for Empowerment of Families. It's a truly embodied episode on this week's Behind the Curtain! And if arts and health excite you, join us for our upcoming Arts & Health Week Summit, this June 12th. You can RSVP now at laopera.org/summit.

On today's episode, LA Opera Chorus Director Jeremy Frank welcomes bass-baritone Craig Colclough for a conversation about “Falstaff,” in which Colclough plays the titular role. Learn what Craig's first instrument was, how he feels to see himself on a show banner, and what his first impressions of LA Opera were. Craig and Jeremy also analyze “Falstaff” through a Shakespearean lens, with Craig sharing his personal interpretation of the role he's played for over a decade. “Falstaff” runs now through May 10th on the LA Opera stage. Get your tickets at LAOpera.org.

In this episode, Gail Eichenthal interviews the acclaimed opera director Shawna Lucey who helms LA Opera's "Falstaff." Shawna shares how she came to opera from theater, her long love affair with "Falstaff," and her formative training in Moscow. Experience Shawna's feminist perspective on Elizabethan society and find out why she says that "Falstaff" teaches us to love ourselves. "Falstaff" is playing now through May 10 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Get your tickets at LAOpera.org.

In this episode, LA Opera President and CEO Christopher Koelsch is joined by leaders and luminaries of the Los Angeles opera scene to discuss OperaFest, a two-month festival taking place this April and May that will give you the chance to experience opera all across Los Angeles County. Circle up with LA Opera, Beth Morrison Projects, Overtone Industries, Long Beach Opera, and REDCAT to discuss the radical possibilities of opera, from inclusion and accessibility to platforming living composers—then head on over to OperaFestLA.org to learn more. It's a fascinating discussion and it's happening right now, on "Behind the Curtain."

In this episode, we bring you the next edition of "Serious Fun with Opera," a "Behind the Curtain" mini-series that takes a romp through operatic themes with Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano. This episode takes us into the story and the music of Verdi's "Falstaff," which lights up the LA Opera with hilarity from April 18-May 10. Delight in the details of the revenge plot of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" and then get your tickets to "Falstaff" at LAOpera.org.

In this episode, Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon walks us through the history, the plot, and of course, the music of Verdi's "Falstaff." Don't miss this merry farce, playing April 18-May 10. Get your tickets now at LAOpera.org.

This episode continues our 20 Years With the Maestro Miniseries, in which veteran journalist Gail Eichenthal and Maestro James Conlon take on the highlights of our 40th Anniversary season, while exploring Maestro Conlon's legacy at LA Opera and beyond. This time around, they celebrate Conlon's upcoming Gala Concert on April 24, a glittering evening of excerpts from the operatic canon with special guests from the LA Opera stage. Share in the repertoire selection process, uncover which opera's name you should never speak aloud, and get excited for some stellar singers--all in this delightful episode. Tickets for the April 24 Gala are available now at laopera.org.

Forgiveness. Comeuppance. Transformation. And the power of storytelling. In this episode of the Behind the Curtain miniseries Opera in the Community, scholar Dr. Tiffany Kuo talks to Melissa Chalsma of the Independent Shakespeare Company. They probe the enduring power of Shakespeare's comedies and enlighten us on some of the class and gender themes we'll uncover in LA Opera's production of Verdi's Falstaff, playing April 18th to May 10th at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Get your tickets for this merry farce at laopera.org.

Today, we bring you another episode of "20 Years with Maestro Conlon", our miniseries in which Gail Eichenthal illuminates the legacy of Maestro James Conlon, in his culminating season with LA Opera. This time, the dynamic pair focuses on 19th-century German Opera with an emphasis on Wagner. Learn why the Ring was a must, how many rehearsals a "Rheingold" fits into, and which 20th-century composers were Wagner devotées. Maestro Conlon rounds out our 40th Anniversary Season conducting Verdi's "Falstaff" and Mozart's "The Magic Flute". Get your tickets now at LAOpera.org.

This episode features a live recording of the opening night pre-performance lecture for "Akhnaten," which runs now through March 22 at LA Opera. In this lecture, musicologist and Connects affiliated scholar Dr.Tiffany Kuo takes you on an intellectual journey that is as mesmerizing as the performance itself. Focusing on the symbolism of the heart and the sun, Tiffany talks spells on papyrus and trancelike rhythms. Get your tickets to "Akhnaten" now at LAOpera.org.