Podcasts about metropolitan opera guild

Think back to the first time you engaged in an art project as a child. That moment was not just about creativity; it was a profound expression of who you are, conjuring something extraordinary from mere imagination. Remember that school trip to a museum or a national park? Those experiences were monumental, filled with discoveries that left an indelible mark on your identity and contributed to your understanding of our culture. Art, expression, and culture may not always seem interconnected, but they are incredibly effective tools for driving sustainability and education. Arts and cultural education empower individuals of all ages, equipping them with the essential knowledge, skills, values, and mindsets necessary to address pressing issues such as climate change, environmental degradation, poverty, and inequality. Through creative expression, we can celebrate and recognize the diverse manifestations of sustainability around the world. I invite you to join me in an enlightening conversation with Mr. Stuart Holt, President and CEO of ArtsFairfax. For over 20 years, he has dedicated his career to inspiring learners of all ages through the transformative power of the arts. Before his role at ArtsFairfax, Mr. Holt served with passion as the Director of Education and Outreach for the Metropolitan Opera Guild. He was the Director of Youth Opera Programs at Sarasota Opera. He also shared his expertise as a member of the music faculty at both Florida State University and James Madison University. Please take a moment to listen, absorb these insights, and share them with others. Together, we can harness the power of art for a brighter, more sustainable future.  Take a listen, learn things, and share.

Operina is a new opera podcast for kids, created and hosted by soprano Jessica Cambio. Each episode features children from around the world participating (in their own language) in a musical, historical, cultural, and linguistic educational adventure... with their parents' permission, of course.Opera, classical music, and linguistic studies are often neglected and/or not introduced to children at all, especially at the elementary school level. It has been scientifically proven that exposure to classical music, art, dance, culture, foreign languages, and even global travel at an early age encourages healthy brain stimulation and growth, a more peaceful upbringing, a stronger sense of community, and therefore, a better world. The Operina mission is to provide a fun, free, kid-friendly all-encompassing learning experience to enhance their musical and cultural education, expand their horizons, encourage them to think outside the box of their daily lives... all the while limiting their screen time. ;)Operina encourages kids to learn, grow, explore, and experience opera and classical music firsthand. The episodes, narrated by various musical guests worldwide, can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. Operina also encourages your children to make new friends, share information and opinions, learn new words in foreign languages, use their imagination and creativity, create a community, listen to the sounds of the human voice and orchestral instruments, design costumes and sets, dance, sing, and explore the stage, acting, and all the spectacle of opera from the inside.Operina features guests from all corners of the globe, stories extracted from operas that have survived hundreds of years, quizzes, foreign words integrated in the language of the opera being presented, and so much more. Join us on this new adventure!In this episode CARMEN PART TWO, I read the second half of the Metropolitan Opera Guild's 1938 edition of Georges Bizet's French opera Carmen, one of the world's most beloved and well-known operas. This version adapted by Robert Lawrence is taken from a volume of children's books for opera lovers. The pages are colorfully illustrated by Alexandre Serebriakoff, and the images can be seen on the Operina Instagram page @operinapodcast.If your child would like to be featured as a guest on future episodes, please send your submissions (in any language) to: operinapodcast@gmail.com.DISCLAIMER: Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Operina is a new opera podcast for kids, created and hosted by soprano Jessica Cambio. Each episode features children from around the world participating (in their own language) in a musical, historical, cultural, and linguistic educational adventure... with their parents' permission, of course.Opera, classical music, and linguistic studies are often neglected and/or not introduced to children at all, especially at the elementary school level. It has been scientifically proven that exposure to classical music, art, dance, culture, foreign languages, and even global travel at an early age encourages healthy brain stimulation and growth, a more peaceful upbringing, a stronger sense of community, and therefore, a better world. The Operina mission is to provide a fun, free, kid-friendly all-encompassing learning experience to enhance their musical and cultural education, expand their horizons, encourage them to think outside the box of their daily lives... all the while limiting their screen time. ;)Operina encourages kids to learn, grow, explore, and experience opera and classical music firsthand. The episodes, narrated by various musical guests worldwide, can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. Operina also encourages your children to make new friends, share information and opinions, learn new words in foreign languages, use their imagination and creativity, create a community, listen to the sounds of the human voice and orchestral instruments, design costumes and sets, dance, sing, and explore the stage, acting, and all the spectacle of opera from the inside.Operina features guests from all corners of the globe, stories extracted from operas that have survived hundreds of years, quizzes, foreign words integrated in the language of the opera being presented, and so much more. Join us on this new adventure!In this episode CARMEN PART ONE, I read the first half of the Metropolitan Opera Guild's 1938 edition of Georges Bizet's French opera Carmen, one of the world's most beloved and well-known operas. This version adapted by Robert Lawrence is taken from a volume of children's books for opera lovers. The pages are colorfully illustrated by Alexandre Serebriakoff, and the images can be seen on the Operina Instagram page @operinapodcast.If your child would like to be featured as a guest on future episodes, please send your submissions (in any language) to: operinapodcast@gmail.com.DISCLAIMER: Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Joining Jill and Doron on the 17th episode of the podcast, to tell us his story, is composer and film producer Stephen Endelman (1973-77), a resident of Los Angeles in California. Stephen earned Grammy and Golden Globe nominations for crafting music for a multitude of films across a range of genres.  His album De-Lovely, for the eponymous movie on the life of Cole Porter, with Kevin Kline in the lead role, went platinum.  He has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Robert DeNiro, Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford and Martin Scorsese.  He was a Composer-in-Residence at the Metropolitan Opera Guild, and collaborated with renowned artists such as Alanis Morissette, Elvis Costello, and Renée Fleming.  Stephen wrote and produced the award-winning short movie A Boy, a Man and a Kite (https://vimeo.com/312631183), in which a comatose man explores his boyhood trauma at an English boarding school. Hear Stephen tell us about the beginnings of his musical career at Carmel, how true to life his movie is, his role in the conviction of Trevor Bolton, and the redemptive power of yoga classes with Demi Moore.Thank you, Stephen Endelman, for turning us again to Carmel days!   Dedication: at Stephen's request, this episode is dedicated to the memory of his former classmate and friend Stephen Rister, who died 11 years ago in his sleep of a heart attack in his home in Bushey.   Personal mentions in this episode: Rabbi Jeremy Rosen (Headmaster) Keith Pusey (Music) Rabbi Eric Hoffman (Jewish Studies) Anthony Barr Taylor (Biology) Ron Evans (Mathematics) Geoff Lebens (English) Trevor Bolton (Housemaster) Mark Granat Simon Liebens Paul Taylor David Taylor Adam Samuelson David Wolfe Ricky Green Stephen Corrick Jacques Safra Stephen Rister Kati Barr Taylor   Feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you liked about this episode.   To tell us your story, email us at doronjunger@yahoo.com/jill@jilkenton.co.uk

Welcome to Season Five of Countermelody! While I indulge in a much-needed break for the month of January (my first in four years!), I have asked a number of Countermelody fans and listeners to provide spoken introductions to some of their favorite episodes from the first three seasons of the podcast. Today conductor Brian Castles-Onion introduces an episode from June 2020, as we neared the height of the pandemic and the panic surrounding it. It is an interview with Ira Siff, artistic director of La Gran Scena Opera Company di New York, alter ego of the beloved “traumatic soprano” Vera Galupe-Borszkh, lecturer for the Metropolitan Opera Guild and Weekly Commentator on the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts. So much has changed for everyone since the interview was recorded in January 2020, most poignantly (as relates to this episode) the death of our beloved Chic Walker (who portrayed Dame Emily Post-Morddum and Alfredo Sorta-Pudgi in La Gran Scena) on 11 April 2022; and the passing of Renata Scotto on 16 August 2023. My association with Ira Siff and La Gran Scena Opera Company di New York goes back more than thirty years, when Ira provided me with my first employment as a professional singer when my alter ego Daniela della Scarpone sang for two years with the renowned travesty opera company. I sat down with Ira in his East Village apartment in January 2020 for a wide-ranging interview in which we discuss his early days as a standee at the old Met (where some of his opera-going experiences included Maria Callas's final Tosca performances, Renata Scotto's 1965 debut as Madama Butterfly, and Leonie Rysanek's wild traversals of Verdi and Wagner). He discusses his first performing experiences in the early 1970s in association with Al Carmines and others, the genesis of La Gran Scena and their development into a worldwide phenomenon, and his subsequent “legitimate” career as lecturer, stage director, vocal coach and voice teacher and commentator all stemmed from in his words, “getting in a dress and singing soprano,” which he dubs “the strangest part.” This is a free-wheeling and extremely Opera Queeny interview, peppered with Ira's unique anecdotes and snippets from Gran Scena (and other!) performances. Today's guest host Brian Castles-Onion is one of Australia's most exciting and well-known opera conductors. Completing his tertiary studies at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, his outstanding achievements speak for themselves. He has worked at New York's Metropolitan Opera, the Julliard School of Music and the Rossini Festival in Italy, and has held the position of Artistic Director of Canterbury Opera in New Zealand. He currently continues his long run association with Opera Australia. His conducting experience includes well over five hundred opera performances throughout Australia, Asia and New Zealand alone. He was on the podium for Opera Australia's 40th Anniversary Gala and 60th Anniversary Gala, The Robert Allman Farewell Gala and conducted the Dame Joan Sutherland State Memorial Service – which was broadcast internationally on television and radio. His book Losing the Plot in Opera has been a Best Seller in Australia and the UK. Brian became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2017 Australia Day Honours List. Today's interviewee and subject, Ira Siff, is a native New Yorker, who grew up on the standing room line of the old Metropolitan Opera, worshiping the famous singers of the 60's. A graduate of the Cooper Union, with a degree in Fine Arts, Mr. Siff began to study voice, and made his debut as a tenor in 1970. For the next decade, he performed roles in opera, operetta and musicals in New York, at The New York Shakespeare Festival, Circle in the Square, Playwrights Horizons, and many other venues. Turning to cabaret, Ira created an act using vocal parody of opera, jazz, and other styles of music, gaining critical acclaim, and a loyal following. In 1981, he founded La Gran Scena Opera Company di New Yor...

[@ 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

Ira Siff is a native New Yorker, who grew up on the standing room line of the old Metropolitan Opera, worshiping the famous singers of the 60s.  A graduate of the Cooper Union, with a degree in Fine Arts, Ira studied voice, and made his debut as a tenor in 1970. For the next decade, he performed roles in opera, operetta and musicals in New York, at The New York Shakespeare Festival, Circle in the Square, Playwrights Horizons, and other venues. Turning to cabaret, Ira created an act using vocal parody of opera, jazz, and other styles of music, gaining critical acclaim, and a loyal following.  He has also given master classes in bel canto and verismo for the Metropolitan Opera Guild since 2008, and has presented sold-out lectures for the Met Guild  on a variety of opera topics.  Since 2007 he has served as commentator on the Met's Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts.

On today's episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast, we have the last of three episodes exploring how the operatic canon is being expanded, featuring Guild lecturer Matthew Timmermans. In this final episode, he will dive into how the Met's production of foreign works such as Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Britten's Peter Grimes have expanded the boundaries of the canon. This marks our final podcast episode of this season, but we will return on August 9 with a brand new season! Until then, make sure to follow The Metropolitan Opera Guild, Opera News, and The Metropolitan Opera on your favorite social media platforms to keep up to date on all things opera!

In this episode, Hayley and Amy speak with composer/lyricist, actor, educator, and circus artist Megan McCormick about balancing different hats as a multi-hyphenate, embracing radical self-acceptance and a growth mindset, increasing female and nonbinary representation, and claiming power that isn't patriarchal. As a bonus, we celebrate Women's History Month by spotlighting Hallie Flanagan Davis, the director of the Federal Theatre Project. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Guest: Megan McCormick Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Music: Chloe Geller Episode Resources: Hallie Flanagan Davis and the Federal Theatre Project Jane the Queen, book and lyrics by Nia Harvey Musical Theatre Writers Collective Guest Bio Megan McCormick (she/they) is a composer, lyricist, singer, educator, and circus artist based out of Brooklyn, New York. As an educator, Megan holds the position of Assistant Director for the New York Youth Symphony's Musical Theater Songwriting program, Assistant Director for Tufts University's Creative Arts educational program, Teaching Artist for the Metropolitan Opera Guild, and staff for Trapeze School New York. Megan delights in performing and writing in many different genres with recent performing highlights including as a back up singer with Brooklyn-based rock band Geese on tour with Jack White, and the premiere of her original song and aerial straps act “Careful Lorelei” at the New England Center for Circus Arts. Recently, Megan has joined the Musical Theatre Writers Collective, where she is working on a full length musical about England's first queens. Find Megan Online: Instagram: @megancaseysings Thanks for listening! Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here. The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!

Today's episode of the Making After School Cool podcast features my discussion with Dr. Christine Phares regarding Young Audiences of Houston is collaboration with schools to make safe spaces for students for social emotional learning. The topic of this episode highlights spaces for students to access when they are experiencing severe anxiety, depression, or another extreme negative emotional outburst. During this podcast you will learn about the following: Information regarding the Self Care Labs, how it works, and how long as it been in existence. The steps for establishing a Self-Care Lab site The best way for anyone who would like to get more information regarding the Self Care Labs or have access to resources? Data on the benefits to the students Guest Dr. Christine Phares currently serves as the Program Director for Young Audiences of Houston, supporting programs across more than two hundred site partnerships, overseeing 184 teaching artists, and leading the YAH Education Committee. Prior to joining Young Audiences, Christine has worked as an Educator in public and independent schools, an Education Consultant, and with the Metropolitan Opera Guild. Christine also holds experience as an opera singer and has performed with The Miami Music Festival, Rockwall Symphony, UNT Opera, Lamar Opera, and the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. She holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees in music and education and a doctorate in education.  Published research includes a study on classroom management and gender with additional research on the impact of Music Education on Texas Standardized Test Scores. Christine is the recipient of the Harris County Department of Education Spirit of Excellence Award – Community Connection Champion, has recently served as a panelist on pathways for diversifying teaching artist networks at the Arts & Action Conference, serves as a Grant Panelist for Texas Commission on the Arts and Houston Arts Alliance, and volunteers on the Scholarship Review Committee with Greater Houston Community Foundation. Resources Dr. Christen Phares christine@yahouston.org Mike Wilson mwilson@hcde-texas.org Harris County Department of Education https://hcde-texas.org CASE for Kids https://hcde-texas.org/afterschool-zone  

Verdi's final opera, Falstaff, is based on Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV, Part 1, but it did not become a huge success until Arturo Toscanini insisted on reviving it at La Scala, and later The Metropolitan Opera, in the 1890s. On today's episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, we are joined by Voice Teacher, Stage Director and Educator, Doreen Hutchings as she discusses the humor, music, and staging challenges within Giuseppe Verdi's Falstaff.

Jenny's Tools and Information: Jenny's Website w. journaling prompts: https://tr.ee/baMinNzyK4 Jenny's Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamjennyrebecca?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Jenny's Podcast: https://tr.ee/vnHLxSVRxy Jenny's email is mail@jennyrebecca.com Instagram feeds @iamjennyrebecca and @artistsrisingco More links and info: https://linktr.ee/jennyrebecca?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=711f7dc5-0380-4409-b30d-3d230ad9def5 Listen on to CHALLENGE YOUR NORM podcast on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/challenge-your-norm/id1627318065 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4VxdC5g3aVHVPQR8NRdqF2?si=aqg4Kw_WQMGE1vtyp7nplQ Amazon music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/04b1a880-a4d6-4deb-97fb-b90022fe675f/challenge-your-norm ♡ WORKOUT PROGRAM AND NUTRITIONAL GUIDE: https://www.pernillastryker.com/pernilla-s-abs-meal-plan-guide ♡ MY APP: SHAPE ABLE: *Workout Programs, Recipes, Guides, Challenges, motivation, guidance and more!!* https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shape-able/id1557102565 (Free week) ♡ INSTAGRAM: @pernillastryker https://www.instagram.com/pernillastryker/ ♡ RECIPE EBOOK: https://www.pernillastryker.com/pernilla-s-abs-meal-plan-guide JennyRebecca's journey as an artist started off in the opera world in NYC, then Berlin, where, in the midst of her classical music career, she discovered songwriting and spontaneous creativity through a daily song diary project (writing over 1,000 songs) that completely changed the course of her career from solely classical to folk- pop and songwriting. She has recorded with Grammy award winning producers like Charlie Peacock (The Civil Wars, Switchfoot) and Gordon Raphael (The Strokes, Regina Spektor), and has received favorable reviews from The New York Times and Musikfonds, Deutschland. She has released two albums and continues to write and release original music as well as perform classically at Monbijou Theater in Berlin. JennyRebecca was a teaching artist for the Metropolitan Opera Guild in NYC and in Berlin, directed a theater project for middle eastern refugees called Theater Verbindet (Theater Connects) focused on healing and integration through creative arts. Her passion for wellness and healing through creativity led her to start a podcast and artist collective called ARTISTS RISING Co. She teaches voice & songwriting, as well as somatic singing and musical neuroplasticity, coaching artists in mental and emotional resilience and creative recovery. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/challenge-your-norm/message

Returning to the Met after an absence of 25 years, Giordano's opera Fedora is full of murder, political intrigue and many more melodramatic twists and turns. Perhaps best known for its famous tenor aria, “Amor ti vieta,” the opera is nonetheless a stage vehicle for the prima donna. On today's episode of the Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, join the Guild's Director of Learning and Engagement, Stuart Holt, as he explores the drama and music of Fedora.

Opera Outlooks, Master Classes, Boot Camps, and more are back LIVE and online at the Metropolitan Opera Guild! Find out more about the exciting array of Met Opera Guild learning opportunities in this season on today's episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast!

We have reached podcast episode #200! In today's episode of the Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, lecturer Dr. Mark Pottinger leads us through the second part of his Study Day all about Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and the fascinating history of madness in opera.

On today's episode of the Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, lecturer Dr. Mark Pottinger uses Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor as a jumping-off point to take a deeper look at madness, murder, and the supernatural.

Shakespeare's Hamlet is one of the most influential and important works of literature and has inspired ballets, orchestral works, choral works, and more than one opera. On today's episode of the Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, lecturer Michael Bolton tackles the significant history of this masterwork and the Met's inspiring new production of this brand new opera by composer Brett Dean.

Instead of all of the mythological figures we are used to seeing in Wagner's operas, the story of Die Meistersinger is set in a community of artisans. The main character, Hans Sachs is even based on a real life historical figure. On today's episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild's podcast, we welcome back Guild lecturer Desiree Mays for the second part of our discussion on Die Meistersinger.

Though thought of as Wagner's only comic opera, Die Meistersinger can also be seen as an artistic manifesto. With a six-hour running time, Die Meistersinger is the longest opera in the Met's repertory. On today's episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, we welcome Guild lecturer Desiree Mays for the first of two episodes on Die Meistersinger.

Amy Kaiser, Director of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, stopped by to talk to Nancy about her 50 year plus long career, as well as the The Arts and Education Council lifetime achievement award that she recently received.  Also discussed is her radio show, Musical Moments on Classic 107.3 fm. Amy Kaiser Director of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus since 1995, Amy Kaiser is one of the country's leading choral directors. She has conducted the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in Handel's Messiah, Schubert's Mass in E-flat, Vivaldi's Gloria, and sacred works by Haydn and Mozart, as well as Young People's Concerts. Guest conductor for the Berkshire Choral Festival in Massachusetts, Santa Fe and at Canterbury Cathedral and Music Director of the Dessoff Choirs in New York for 12 seasons, she led many performances of major works at Lincoln Center. Other conducting engagements include Chicago's Grant Park Music Festival, Peter Schickele's PDQ Bach with the New Jersey Symphony, and more than 50 performances with the Metropolitan Opera Guild. Principal Conductor of the New York Chamber Symphony's School Concert Series for seven seasons, Kaiser also led Jewish Opera at the Y, and many programs for the 92nd Street Y's acclaimed Schubertiade. She has prepared choruses for the New York Philharmonic, Ravinia Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, and Opera Orchestra of New York. Kaiser is a regular pre-concert speaker for the SLSO and presents popular classes for the Symphony Lecture Series and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. A former faculty member at Manhattan School of Music and The Mannes College of Music, she was a Fulbright Fellow at Oxford University and holds a degree in musicology from Columbia University. A graduate of Smith College, she was awarded the Smith College Medal for outstanding professional achievement.   Podcast Curator and Editor: Jon Valley with Technical Support by Mid Coast Media  

Opera News is the world's most read magazine devoted to opera and music theater. 

A brand new season of Metropolitan Opera Guild programs is ready to go on sale next week! After a successful season of virtual programming, we are excited to return with a combination of in-person and virtual events.

Tenor Timothy Stoddard has recently joined pianist Ellen Fast to record the world premiere of Michael Markowsky's "Mortaly Wounded" with poetry from Federico Garcia Lorca. Timothy has made Pittsburgh his home after living in New York. He sang as soloist with Pittsburgh Camerata and the Shadyside Presbyterian Choir. He worked with Sir Simon Rattle at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland, premiered the tenor role in Karson Kievman's opera "Tesla" about inventor Nikola Tesla, performed in Trondheim, Norway. In this conversation with Jim Cunningham, he talks about his career and the wold premiere. He has sung as a young artist at the Utah Festival of Opera and Musical Theater. He has performed outreach for the Metropolitan Opera, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, and Opera Idaho. He has served as resident tenor for the American Opera Project's Composers and the Voice Fellowship. Timothy has received artist awards from the NATS competitions of Chicago and Spokane, Arleen Auger Foundation, the American Scandinavian Society, and the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust. He holds degrees from the University of Idaho and the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

In today's episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, we are joined by lecturer Ira Siff to discuss his experiences and memories of watching Marilyn Horne perform, and divas Shirley Verrett, Montserrat Caballe, Magda Olivero, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and Virginia Zeani!

Known for operatic works such as Peter Grimes, Turn of the Screw, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Benjamin Britten drastically modernized opera in England, evolving it to become incredibly important in the operatic canon. Today on the Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, lecturer Dr. Naomi Perley will explore why the works of Benjamin Britten have had such tremendous popularity.

John Blow, Thomas Arne, Henry Purcell, and George Fredric Handel all had great success composing in England. They all also have music strongly associated with British Monarchy - Blow, Arne, and Purcell all wrote Coronation Anthems and Arne wrote: “Rule Britannia”. Today we present the first of a two-part series on Opera in England. On this episode of the Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, Stuart Holt explores these four composers in early British operatic history.

Featuring jazz rhythms, blues, banjos, and African American spirituals, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess challenged pre-existing notions of what an American opera could be. Although Porgy and Bess has a complicated history, Gershwin’s innovative music has had a lasting impact on opera. I’m your host, Stuart Holt, and on today’s episode of the Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, lecturer Deidre Bird will explore how jazz played a role in making Porgy and Bess such a successful work. Many thanks to composer and performer Matt Herskowitz for his gracious contribution of an entirely original and improvised cadenza for this episode of the Metropolitan Opera Guild's podcast - www.mattherskowitzpiano.com

In recent years, Didonato, Racette, and Upshaw have all released jazz albums, such as Songplay, Diva on Detour, and Winter Morning Walks. Sometimes we think that singers are either categorized as opera singers, or as singers of popular music, including jazz. However, these two genres are actually very closely linked together and share a lot of similarities. I’m your host, Stuart Holt, and on today’s episode of the Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, lecturer Diedre Bird will discuss how aspects of jazz, such as improvisation, have also had a long-standing history in other forms of vocal music. This podcast also features Matt Herskowitz https://www.mattherskowitzpiano.com/

While the stage of the Met Opera may be dark we are excited to give you a sneak peak of the virtual content that will be coming in this new year as part of the Metropolitan Opera Guild's Season of Learning.

In today’s episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, we have lecturer Harlow Robinson discussing the intricacies of Wagner’s evergreen hit opera, Tristan und Isolde.

Not only is Kate one of my dearest friends, but this little lady is an absolutely brilliant teacher, a total witch, and on a path that I think you'll enjoy hearing about in this uncertain time. Kate Bass, originally from Anchorage Alaska, now based in Los Angeles, performs extensively in America and abroad in many varying musical genres. She made her solo debut with the New York Philharmonic in Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center under the baton of Case Scaglione; she also appeared in the Emmy-nominated production of Carousel, televised on PBS’s “Live at Lincoln Center.” In recent years, she has sung numerous times at Carnegie Hall (Der Vampyr, The Messiah, Verdi’s Requiem, Elijah), as well as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center (La Farsa Amarosa). Kate made her New York City Center principal debut as Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore, a role she has taken to Wolf Trap Opera and the Colorado Symphony, and continues to tour nationally and internationally with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players. She recently appeared as Princess Ida in Princess Ida at the New York Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, and Off-Broadway at the Saint George Theatre in the world premiere of Trains the musical, as well as the Musical Guest for 24 Hour Plays at the Atlantic Theater Company.Equally at home in jazz music, Kate has performed in cabaret at the Metropolitan Room and (le) poisson rouge in New York, and at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles. She has recorded as a soloist for numerous film scores with music by Arturo Cardelús, David Stone Hamilton, and others; her voice was recently featured in the film “Pecado Original,” winning awards at both the Austin Film Festival and the Milan International Film Festival. Kate was also the soprano soloist for Iranian singer and setar player Hafez Nazeri’s Grammy-nominated SONY Worldwide release of “Untold” with the Rumi Symphony. Kate Bass is a composer and singer-songwriter; her debut album, “Maya,” was released in August 2012, and her first single aired on British radio in early September 2013. She released her new EP, “More”, in February 2016 and her May 2017 crowd-funded album, “Songs of the Open Road,” debuted Off-Broadway at the Triad Theater in New York City. She has performed her music live to sold out crowds across America, and has been hailed by the press as “easy to love,” “infectious,” and “one of the best vocalists on the scene today.” Kate maintains a full private voice studio based out of Pasadena, California; as well as coaching many young up-and-coming singer-songwriters and musical theater performers, she has taught as a Teaching Artist in Residence for the Metropolitan Opera Guild in New York City. She teaches master classes and workshops on voice, songwriting, and musical theater all over the world, from Classical Singer Conventions throughout the country to programs in Lebanon and Africa. She currently teaches on vocal faculty at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. www.katebassmusic.com@katebassmusicLike this episode? Share it! And please do leave us a 5 star review wherever you listen. It'll help it get in more ears, and that's what we want. Yes we do. Thank you so much for listening... and stay Savage. X See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today’s episode is an interview I did with Ira Siff, artistic director of La Gran Scena Opera Company di New York, alter ego of the beloved “traumatic soprano” Vera Galupe-Borszkh, lecturer for the Metropolitan Opera Guild and Weekly Commentator on the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts. My association with Ira and Gran Scena goes back more than thirty years, when he provided me with my first employment as a singer when my alter ego Daniela della Scarpone sang for two years with the renowned travesty opera company. I sat down with Ira in his East Village apartment last this past January for a wide-ranging interview in which we discuss his early days as a standee at the old Met (where some of his opera-going experiences included Maria Callas’s final Tosca performances, Renata Scotto’s 1965 debut as Madama Butterfly, and Leonie Rysanek’s wild traversals of Verdi and Wagner). He discusses his first performing experiences in the early 1970s in association with Al Carmines and others, the genesis of La Gran Scena and their development into a worldwide phenomenon, and his subsequent “legitimate” career as lecturer, stage director, vocal coach and voice teacher and commentator all stemmed from in his words, “getting in a dress and singing soprano,” which he dubs “the strangest part.” This is a free-wheeling and extremely Opera Queeny interview, peppered with Ira’s unique anecdotes and snippets from Gran Scena (and other!) performances. There is no better way to celebrate Gay Pride in isolation than to listen to this episode! Ira Siff is a native New Yorker, who grew up on the standing room line of the old Metropolitan Opera, worshiping the famous singers of the 60’s. A graduate of the Cooper Union, with a degree in Fine Arts, Mr. Siff began to study voice, and made his debut as a tenor in 1970. For the next decade, he performed roles in opera, operetta and musicals in the New York, at The New York Shakespeare Festival, Circle in the Square, Playwrights Horizons, and many other venues. Turning to cabaret, Ira created an act using vocal parody of opera, jazz, and other styles of music, gaining critical acclaim, and a loyal following. In 1981, he founded La Gran Scena Opera Co. di New York, the internationally acclaimed travesty troupe, whose gifted falsetto “divas” have spoofed opera with great affection for over two decades, in New York annually, and on tours to some of the great festivals, theatres and opera houses of the world. For the past thirty years, Mr. Siff has been a voice teacher and interpretive coach, teaching in New York, Italy, Israel, Holland and China, giving Master Classes for the Metropolitan Opera Guild, and was on the faculty of the Renata Scotto Vocal Academy. Ira was a guest teacher of bel canto technique at The Royal Conservatory in Den Haag in 2008, and then at the Dutch National Opera Academy for five seasons, and at the Amsterdam Conservatory in The Netherlands where he returned annually, and was appointed Permanent Guest Teacher. In 2000, he turned to stage directing, gaining critical acclaim for his productions of operas ranging from Tosca, Turandot, and La Fanciulla del West to Lakmé, Werther, and La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Sarasota Opera, The Caramoor Festival, and the Tanglewood Music Festival, where he directed productions of Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, and Ariadne auf Naxos. All in all, he has directed operas for companies in New Jersey to New Zealand, with stops along the way in Puerto Rico, Lima, Peru and Utah. Singers whom he has directed include Sumi Jo, Dolora Zajick, Aprile Millo, Eglise Gutierrez, Krassimira Stoyanova, and the late Marcello Giordani. Conductors with whom he has collaborated as a stage director have included Richard Bonynge, Christoph von Dohnányi, and James Levine. He has also given master classes in bel canto and verismo for the Metropolitan Opera Guild every season since 2008 and has presented sold-out lectures for the M...

In this episode, we'll be "zooming in" with Thomas Hampson, one of the finest baritones of our time. We talked about a variety of topics including the impact of Zoom and other digital platforms on the classical music industry in these current times. Thomas is a real advocate of digital technology within his many varied projects from live-streaming masterclasses around the world to the Hampsong Foundation, an online treasure trove focused on the art of song. With his wealth of knowledge and experience on song, Thomas is currently presenting a series with a unique classical music streaming platform IDAGIO. We briefly discussed some of the topics he'll be exploring in this series over the next few weeks such as comparing classical song to pop songs, the relationship between music and poetry, and performance practice. Thomas also sheds new light on the construct of memorising songs in recital, that this shouldn't be necessary in order to stay true to the composer and keep searching new ideas for the work. Additionally, we discussed issues of and performers' reception to music criticism. Thomas also shared some wonderful insights into his long and illustrious career, working with some of the greatest musicians of our time, from Nikolaus Harnoncourt to Daniel Barenboim to Leonard Bernstein. Many thanks to Jenna at Lenny's Studio for helping to organise this interview over the last few months, and Thomas for taking the time out of his very busy schedule to talk to me! Interview recorded 14th April 2020; published 19th April 2020. Thomas Hampson, America's foremost baritone, has received international honors and awards for his captivating artistry and cultural leadership. Lauded as a Metropolitan Opera Guild "Met Mastersinger" and inducted into both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Gramophone's "Hall of Fame," Hampson is one of the most respected and innovative musicians of our time. With an operatic repertoire of over 80 roles sung in all the major theaters of the world, his discography comprises more than 170 albums, which include multiple nominations and winners of the Grammy Award, Edison Award, and the Grand Prix du Disque. He was appointed the New York Philharmonic’s first-ever Artist-in-Residence, and was honored with a Living Legend Award by the Library of Congress, where he has served as Special Advisor to the Study and Performance of Music in America.

La Fenice in Venice, Italy is one of the first stops on The Metropolitan Opera Guild's upcoming “Treasures of the Mediterranean Cruise,” from September 30th to October 9th, 2020. During the cruise, Guild lecturer and podcast co-host Dr. Naomi Barrettara will be presenting a series of lectures accompanying onboard concerts and land excursions, as travellers visit Italy, Croatia, and Greece. This episode features Naomi giving you a sneak peak of what you can expect in the upcoming Metropolitan Opera Guild travel program! https://www.metguild.org/travel/

Richard Tucker was unquestionably one of the world’s most eminent tenors. After beginning his musical career as a cantor in New York’s most prestigious synagogues, he went on to reign over the Golden Age of opera as one of the Metropolitan Opera’s superstars. This episode is Part 1 of a live event at The Metropolitan Opera Guild, celebrating the astounding life and career of America’s greatest tenor presented by one of Tucker’s sons, Dr. David Tucker, and biographer James A. Drake. They take us on an intimate journey, highlighting the life and career of this unparalleled artist!

John Dexter’s classic production of Poulenc's DIALOGUES OF THE CARMELITES is currently on stage at the Met during the final weeks of the 2018-19 season and can be seen in cinemas worldwide on May 11th, 2019, through the Met’s upcoming Live in HD broadcast. Poulenc’s opera tells the story of a group of Carmelite nuns who refused to renounce their faith during the Reign of Terror. On this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, lecturer Desirée Mays takes a closer look at this 20th-century French masterpiece.

From Puccini's SUOR ANGELICA to Wagner's PARSIFAL, opera is full of works with religious themes, drawn from a variety of different cultures, and using music to express the emotional contours of faith and devotion. On this episode of The Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast, lecturer Desiree Mays continues a discussion on religion and opera throughout history.

This week, Lidi and Emily sit down with Carami Hilaire and discuss opera, her jazz career, how we use our instruments, literature, and hydration. Buy Mimi’s album here! http://mimijazz.com/album/ Full Lyric, Spinto Soprano, Carami Hilaire, praised for her, “marvelous sound, rich and luscious,” is poised to launch as an international contender in the principal, Verdi, Puccini, and Verismo soprano repertoire. The Soprano is quickly becoming known for her “resonantly burnished bottom, and full throttled high notes with easily dispensed high Cs." Upcoming this fall, Carami joins the Metropolitan Opera Guild to perform excerpts from, Tosca, one of her signature roles, as well as well as her first Musetta in La Boheme, also in New York. Another titular heroine that Carami is very much at home, is that of Aida, where it was written that, “Hilaire’s intimate phrasing floated over the tumult of the strings, and in the moments where her voice soared, she earned the applause which nearly brought the show to a stop." Carami is also becoming equally versed in select Wagnerian roles, as she has received awards from the Wagner Society of New York and has sung with the Internationale Opernwerkstatt throughout Switzerland. She has also been recognized by the Hans Gabor Belvedere, the Julian Autrey, and Premiere Opera International Vocal Competitions. The uniquely soulful Soprano hailing from Brooklyn, New York, has received formal training at theaters like Teatro Nuovo, Loft Opera, New Jersey Verismo Opera, Sarasota Opera, Saratoga Opera, and has earned a Professional Studies Diploma from the Mannes School of Music.

This episode marks two major milestones for The Metropolitan Opera Guild: we have reached episode 100 on our podcast, and we have reached over ½ a million listens in the previous 99 episodes! Because these are such exciting milestones for us, we wanted our 100th episode to celebrate the many efforts in arts education that The Metropolitan Opera Guild and The Metropolitan Opera have worked on over the years. We have quite the line up of special guests featured throughout the episode, along with clips from a variety of events, all in an effort to give you a special behind the scenes look at the Met Opera Guild’s rich history and current work in opera education.

This season at the Met, soprano Ailyn Pérez sings the title role of Massenet's "Thaïs," which is based on a novel by Anatole France. On today's episode, Metropolitan Opera Guild lecturer Dr. Jeffrey Langford delves into the famous French opera about a monk desperate to help a seductive courtesan find religion.

This week we are excited to have Ira Siff on the Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast for the first time. Ira is currently a commentator on the Met’s Saturday broadcasts but also teaches and coaches opera, and even used to run his own opera spoof company! His love of opera and the Met started in his teenage years as he stood in line for standing room tickets at the Old Met in the early 1960’s. Just in case any of you don’t know, the current Metropolitan Opera House opened in 1966, and before that, the opera company was based out of its original home dubbed the “Golden Horseshoe.” Today’s episode is the first of three lectures in which Ira Siff regales us with his Memories of the Golden Horseshoe, talking about his experiences and and the legendary singers that he saw along the way. And of course we will feature many musical clips from these singers as we take this walk down memory lane. So please enjoy part one of Memories from the Golden Horseshoe!

Voice Teacher, Beth Roberts, faculty at the Mannes College of Music, always knew she wanted to be a teacher, she studied music education as well as vocal performance and made an effortless transition from performer to voice teacher. We discussed; her rules for teaching various voice ranges, her path to teaching voice, her performance career, apprentice performance programs, what she looks for in young singers, how to audition, the importance of being a ‘good’ colleague, her work with the Metropolitan Opera Guild, the art of giving of a Master Class, the importance of studying Art Songs, the importance of vocal health and the speaking voice and when to know at what age to start voice lessons.

In anticipation of the Met’s Live in HD broadcast of Manon Lescaut this Saturday, March 5th, we are happy to bring to you a Manon Lescaut pre-performance lecture that took place not even 24 hours prior to the release of this episode. Today’s lecturer, Nimet Habachy, is known in the New York City area for her more than 25 years as the host of New York at Night on the old WQXR. She now frequently gives lectures at both the Metropolitan Opera Guild as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and has even joined the Met Museum as a lecturer on international tours. I hope you enjoy Ms. Habachy’s insights into Puccini’s first great hit, Manon Lescaut.

Today’s episode corresponds with the Met’s current holiday production of the The Barber of Seville, although it focuses on the original Il Barbiere di Siviglia rather than the Met’s shortened and translated version. Another revival from the Talking About Opera archives, this lecture is presented by Albert Innaurato. Mr. Innaurato has enjoyed a successful career as a playwright, stage director, journalist, and frequent lecturer at the Metropolitan Opera Guild, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center among many others. His play, Gemini, brought to the Broadway stage in the late 1970s was one of the longest continually running non-musical plays with 1,819 performances. His writings have appeared in numerous publications including Opera News, The New York Times, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. Currently, Albert serves as a creative consultant with Center City Opera Theater in Philadelphia, and directs nontraditional productions of classic operas and new works alike. We hope you enjoy Mr. Innaurato’s take on Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, or, The Barber of Seville.

In this episode, host Naomi Barrettara provides all the information that you need to know about the soprano voice type, including the different types of sopranos, common repertoire, and stylistic tendencies. Part of the Metropolitan Opera Guild's popular Opera Boot Camp series, this session is the first of several Voice Type episodes to come in the future.

In this episode, the Metropolitan Opera Guild is excited to present a recorded lecture by the late David Hamilton, in which he shares an abundance of information about Tannhäuser and Wagner's life leading up to its composition. Originally recorder for the Met Guild's "Talking About Opera" series, this lecture is a perfect preparation for those attending the Met's Live in HD presentation of Tannhäuser on October 31, 2015.

This week’s episode of the Metropolitan Opera Guild podcast features an engaging interview with Deborah Voigt that was presented and recorded here at the Guild on October 5th, 2015. In it, Ms. Voigt discusses some of the struggles and triumphs she experienced in her life and storied career,

Portland Ovations would like to thank the Metropolitan Opera Guild for access to its "La Bohème" study guide