By Opera Box Score
America's Talk Radio Show About Opera. Period.
[@ 4 min] Stage director Alison Moritz joins George and Oliver ‘Inside the Huddle’ to talk about opera in the Era of Corona and of Uprising... [@ 27 min] A Full House of the OBS team open up the ‘Listener Mailbag’...
[@ 5 min] It’s the man of the hour, the courageous and graceful rising star tenor who has thrown the gauntlet down in his call to action for opera companies to start engaging more black artists *now*. Creative consultant Oliver...
If this is the first episode you're hearing, welcome to the OBS. For everyone else, this episode will sound a little different. We're still the same show. We're going to get to the second part of our 'Spring Training for...
[@ 3 min] The OBS-ers begin a three-part ‘Spring Training for Your Ears’ on Richard Strauss’ “Die Frau Ohne Schatten” with special guest panelist Harry Rose... [@ 51 min] The team goes ‘Inside the Huddle' with Timothy Nelson, the artistic director...
[@ 6 min] Alright, tonight… it’s a double-header ‘Inside the Huddle’ all about the end of the “young artist” stage of a singer’s career and the transition to management. We talk to American soprano Emily Pogorelc who joins the ensemble...
[@ 5 min] The OBS gents play a 'Chalk Talk' double header with one of the most recognizable voices in opera podcasting. Baritone Michael Mayes joins the panel to discuss the content that companies are sharing with audiences starved...
[@ 5 min] Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Russell Thomas, one of the most sought-after tenors of his generation who specializes in the hardest-to-cast roles like Pollione in Bellini’s ‘Norma’, Florestan in Beethoven’s ‘Fidelio’ and the title role of...
[@ 4 min] It’s our Mother’s Day Spectacular! Ashlee Hardgrave talks to seven artists and administrators who navigated partnership at parenting while at the top of their operatic game… [@ 53 min] George and Oliver play through their regions of Michigan...
[@6min] If you feel like you’ve been spending a lot of time alone, try singing all the parts of a Bach Passion by yourself. Creative consultant Oliver Camacho has an exclusive interview with the co-creator and star of Bachfest...
Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Nicholas Tamagna, the American countertenor who recently triumphed in his debut at the Metropolitan Opera. Tamagna describes going from cover cast to starring alongside Joyce DiDonato to (unrelated) quarantine in Germany… Matt and Ashlee...
A singer described by Opera News as a “true stage animal,” the OBS ballers go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with American bass-baritone Zachary James to talk about starring in Philip Glass’s ‘Akhnaten’, being a queer villain in Britten’s “Billy Budd”, and...
Lidiya Yankovskaya returns! The highly sought after conductor has already had a whirlwind season with world premieres at the Prototype Festival, Minnesota Opera, and with one of our hometown teams, Chicago Opera Theater. Find out how she juggles it...
Which soprano sang more than eighty different roles, spinning out long phrases in operas ranging from Salome to Norma? Find out when Matt makes his next pick for the OBS ‘Hall of Fame’... But first, Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’...
Zach Finkelstein of middleclassartist.com 'Crunches the Numbers' with George on the metrics of Force Majeure clauses in the many contracts that are being cancelled in the wake of COVID-19... But first, Weston inducts a composer into the OBS 'Hall of...
The OBS crew take social distancing a little too literally, as it’s just George live in-studio, with the rest of the team calling in with their personal stories as to how Coronavirus is affecting them - and others - as...
The OBS crew go 'Inside the Huddle' with multi-operatic-hyphenate Priti Gandhi of Minnesota Opera about her most recent role as mover, shaker, and Chief Artistic officer... In ‘Chalk Talk’, Operaland has coronavirus fever! Hear what opera companies all over the...
Enigma Chamber Opera hit the ground running earlier this year with a new production of Britten’s “The Turn of the Screw” in Boston. Artistic director Kirsten Cairns and tenor Matthew DiBattista join the OBS-ers live in studio to talk storefront...
The 2020 season announcements are coming in fast and furious. George and Weston take a deep dive into the recently announced line-up at Opera North in England and take another deep dive at Washington National Opera’s season…. And they take...
Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera have announced their 2020-2021 seasons, and the OBS guys are happy to declare that progress is being made… But first, classical music’s racial diversity problem. It’s an evergreen topic on OBS, but...
The OBS-ers go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with American soprano Marnie Breckenridge, a darling of the contemporary opera circuit starring in the world premiere of Tapestry Opera’s "Jacqueline" in Toronto later this month... Then, in 'Chalk Talk', the team remembers Mirella...
The OBS gents go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Royce Vavrek, creator of such works as "Breaking the Waves", "Dog Days", and "JFK"... How should we be selling opera for newbies? NPR’s got opinions... In the ‘Two Minute...
We go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with stage director Jennifer Williams, an artist who’s created numerous immersive and site-specific opera productions. Plus, we recap the winners and near-misses at last night’s Grammy Awards, and take a peek into the Listener Mailbag....
In ‘Chalk Talk’, it’s an MLK celebration with a closer look at three notable artists: a composer, a singer and a director... A recent article from the 'Daffodil Perspective', a website that champions gender equality in classical music, outlined “the...
American soprano Tamara Wilson joins Oliver and Weston 'Inside the Huddle' via phone from Texas, where she headlines in Houston Grand Opera’s upcoming production of Verdi's "Aida"… It’s a 'Chalk Talk' about gig work, and why its prevalence in the...
The OBS knuckleheads go 'Inside the Huddle' with last year’s Grammy Award winner for Best Classical Vocal Solo album, Lebanese-American tenor Karim Sulayman... In 'Chalk Talk', the hosts handicap the Grammys for later this month, and they tell you how...
Tonight... We go 'Inside the Huddle' with soprano Elyse Kakacek to talk about her new album "Untethered". We’ll also get her take on the highlights and lowlights from Operaland over the past year... And then… It’s the decade in review! We...
Wherever you are, however you're listening, however you celebrate the holidays, do it with light, with love and with opera! The OBS-ers are back on Monday December 30 at 9 pm CT for the Best and Worst of 2019 in Operaland......
Team OBS bids farewell and good riddance to OBS co-founder and co-host Tobias Wright. They talk with Tobias about his career change, watch with horror as he inducts himself into the OBS Hall of Fame, listen to some of...
The OBS lads go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with American mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen, who just finished a run of Philip Glass’ “Akhnaten” at the Metropolitan Opera. They talk to her about performing in HD and why this show is returning...
Rapper Kanye West’s opera premiered in Hollywood a few weeks ago. The OBS crew are joined by guest co-host K. F. Jacques to take a closer look into the piece itself and if the harsh critical reception was justified... In...
It’s a Thanksgiving 'Chalk Talk'! The OBS-ers share what they’re grateful for in Operaland just in time for Turkey Day... But first, it’s a very special 'HOF' from Matt, where he brings you a long overdue tribute to the late,...
Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Clay Hilley who is quickly becoming known to Lyric Opera of Chicago audiences singing Father Grenville in Jake Heggie’s “Dead Man Walking”. The American heldentenor returns later this season to cover Siegfried in Wagner’s...
The OBS crew go ‘Inside the huddle’ with composer David T. Little, whose works have been hailed by the 'New York Times' as “proving beyond any doubt that opera has both a relevant present and a bright future..." Ashlee plays...
American bass Soloman Howard, winner of the 2019 Marian Anderson Vocal Award, joins the OBS crew 'Inside the Huddle' to talk about leading the way as a black artist at the apogee of American opera... Then, the team bring you...
PROGRAM ALERT: There's a couple of scary loud audio levels in this week's show. Was it a ghost in the machine?! Get ready for some ghoulish high notes from a menagerie of monstrous co-hosts as Team OBS battles it out...
Team OBS goes 'Inside the Huddle' with American mezzo-soprano Lindsay Metzger, asking about her upcoming appearance in Haymarket Opera Company’s production of “The Dragon of Wantley"... Opera America preps for its 50th anniversary celebrations, asking what is it, why is...
As LA Opera comes to terms with the Plácido Domingo scandal, the tenor seems to be doing just fine in Europe. The OBS-ers try to figure out why that is, in 'Chalk Talk'... The newest co-host makes her 'Hall of...
The OBS crew join the ‘Hometown Team’ and chat live in-studio with Ashley Magnus, the General Director of Chicago Opera Theater... In ‘Chalk Talk’, the panel walks you through an article in the “Washington Post” that argued “to save opera,...
An OBS duo remembers Jessye Norman, who died Monday at age 74, going through some of their favorite performances from the famed soprano to talk about what makes her great... Oliver goes 'Inside the Huddle' with director James Darrah, whose...
Oliver and Tobias return from a weekend at Festival O19 at Opera Philadelphia. You’ll get their hot takes on the shows they saw, plus testimonials from audience members that our boys tackled in the lobby, a double interview with Opera...
The OBS-ers go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with the Samuel Hasselhorn, with the German baritone talking to Oliver about winning the Queen Elizabeth competition and what it's like to have a Fest contract at the Wiener Staatsoper... But first, in ‘Chalk...
Season 5 starts with Oliver going ‘Inside the Huddle’ with the star of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Philip Glass’s “Akhnahten”, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo... American soprano Kathyrn Lewek shamed the critics that shamed her last week. Mic drop!...
The three-hour epic season finale concludes! Our live listeners on WNUR 98.3 FM Chicago got it all in one fell swoop, while our podcast listeners get this marathon show split up into three one-hour releases on August 13, 20...
The three-hour epic season continues! Our live listeners on WNUR 98.3 FM Chicago got it all in one fell swoop last week, while our podcast listeners get this marathon show split up into three one-hour releases on August 13,...
The three-hour epic season finale begins! Our live listeners on WNUR 98.3 FM Chicago got it all in one fell swoop, while our podcast listeners get this marathon show split up into three one-hour releases on August 13, 20...
Oliver goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with two-time Grammy award winner mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung.... But first, in ‘Chalk Talk’, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton blends her musical activities with frankly stated positions on social and political issues... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, two...
It's an exclusive interview with Thor! Conductor Gary Thor Wedow, that is. Oliver goes 'Inside the Huddle' with the God of Thunder - or at least the orchestra pit - to talk about what young singers need to succeed in...
The summer festival road trip continues as the OBS yobs gatecrash the Glyndebourne Festival in England... 'Pop Quiz' returns, as Matt tests the collective brainpower (some would say brain freeze) of Oliver and Tobias... In the ‘Two Minute Drill’,...
Team OBS has a brand new pick for the OBS Hall of Fame. What composer will Weston induct into these hallowed halls…? But first, Tobias talks millennials. How do these kids feel about opera? (Wait, aren’t millennials old now?)... Plus,...
The OBS crew are joined live in studio by Molly Sender, Administrative Director of Ravinia's Steans Music Institute, the summer conservatory at America’s oldest summer music festival. They talk to her about what makes this program special, who will...