Podcasts about puccini

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 586 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - New Guitar Day, Reverse Headstocks, and the End of Creativity?Brian accuses Richard of many things but one that cannot be denied is his hypnotic power to make other people buy a guitar. Including you. Yes, you know you want to - treat yourself. Blake has an all new shred machine and he shows it off much to the enjoyment of Brian and Richard. Do you ever play a guitar with a reverse headstock? The guys question the benefits and Richard gets very confused. Meanwhile Brian has been digging into the new Synyster Gates amplifier and keys us in with the details. There was a nice completion of a My Chemical Romance related circle when we took a look at their latest rig rundown. There was some sad news this week as we learned of the passing of Ken Parker, one of the most innovative guitar builders of all time, so the guys talk about the Parker Fly design briefly. Meanwhile there have been some new Ai developments which the guys are almost duty-bound to discuss.Gibson x Charvel, Whitfill guitars, Brown Lobster, Puccini, Brad Paisley's new favorite guitarist...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!We are on Patreon now too!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)Awesome Courses and DIY mods:https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcastFind us at:https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/Contact us at: podcast@wamplerpedals.comSupport the show

Giacomo Puccinis "Manon Lescaut" ist seine erste große Erfolgsoper, die bislang immer etwas im Schatten der ihr folgenden Opern stand. Das hat sich in jüngster Zeit sehr geändert und viele Häuser haben sich dieses französischen Stoffes angenommen, den Puccini in eine von Wagners "Tristan und Isolde“ angeregtes Orchestergewand gekleidet hat. Das Theater Heidelberg hat die Reise einer jungen, der Zwangsunterbringung im Kloster nach Paris entfliehenden Frau in den tödlichen Abgrund der amerikanischen Wüste in einer Neuproduktion von Regisseurin Friederike Blum und unter der Leitung des Generalmusikdirektors Mino Marani zur Spielzeiteröffnung herausgebracht.

Puccini's operas remain some of the most beloved in the repertoire, their soaring melodies and emotional intensity instantly recognisable to audiences worldwide.From the romance and tragedy of La Bohème, to the raw passion of Tosca and the exotic splendour of Turandot, Puccini created worlds of intense drama and unforgettable melody.In this episode we are joined by musician and broadcaster Sandy Burnett as he explores what makes Puccini's music so distinctive and enduring. With insights from musical experts, Sandy uncovers the orchestral colours, vocal writing and dramatic instincts that defined Puccini's genius.Academy Travel is a leading specialist in small-group cultural tours, allowing you to travel with like-minded companions and learn from internationally renowned experts. Like our podcast, our tours are designed to appeal to travellers with a strong interest in history, archaeology, architecture, the visual arts and the performing arts.Learn more here - https://academytravel.com.au/

It's movie week! Enjoy 5 movie-themed quizzes this week, with topics all picked by Patrons of the pod! This one is for KC Khoury. LOVE TRIVIA WITH BUDDS? CHECK OUT THE MNEMONIC MEMORY PODCAST!  “Grow your brain one leaf at a time—tune in to The Mnemonic Memory Podcast.” http://www.themnemonictreepodcast.com/ Fact of the Day: Homer (Dan Castellaneta) is the only member of The Simpsons family voiced by a man. Triple Connections: Verdi, Puccini, Rossini THE FIRST TRIVIA QUESTION STARTS AT 01:26 SUPPORT THE SHOW MONTHLY, LISTEN AD-FREE FOR JUST $1 A MONTH: www.Patreon.com/TriviaWithBudds INSTANT DOWNLOAD DIGITAL TRIVIA GAMES ON ETSY, GRAB ONE NOW!  GET A CUSTOM EPISODE FOR YOUR LOVED ONES:  Email ryanbudds@gmail.com Theme song by www.soundcloud.com/Frawsty Bed Music:  "EDM Detection Mode" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ http://TriviaWithBudds.com http://Facebook.com/TriviaWithBudds http://Instagram.com/ryanbudds Book a party, corporate event, or fundraiser anytime by emailing ryanbudds@gmail.com or use the contact form here: https://www.triviawithbudds.com/contact SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL MY AMAZING PATREON SUBSCRIBERS INCLUDING:   Mollie Dominic Vernon Heagy Brian Clough Nathalie Avelar Becky and Joe Heiman Natasha raina Waqas Ali leslie gerhardt Skilletbrew Bringeka Brooks Martin Yves Bouyssounouse Sam Diane White Youngblood Evan Lemons Trophy Husband Trivia Rye Josloff Lynnette Keel Nathan Stenstrom Lillian Campbell Jerry Loven Ansley Bennett Gee Jamie Greig Jeremy Yoder Adam Jacoby rondell Adam Suzan Chelsea Walker Tiffany Poplin Bill Bavar Sarah Dan  Katelyn Turner Keiva Brannigan Keith Martin Sue First Steve Hoeker Jessica Allen Michael Anthony White Lauren Glassman Brian Williams Henry Wagner Brett Livaudais Linda Elswick Carter A. Fourqurean KC Khoury Tonya Charles  Justly Maya Brandon Lavin Kathy McHale Chuck Nealen Courtney French Nikki Long Mark Zarate Laura Palmer  JT Dean Bratton Kristy Erin Burgess Chris Arneson Trenton Sullivan Jen and Nic Michele Lindemann Ben Stitzel Michael Redman Timothy Heavner Jeff Foust Richard Lefdal Myles Bagby Jenna Leatherman Albert Thomas Kimberly Brown Tracy Oldaker Sara Zimmerman Madeleine Garvey Jenni Yetter JohnB Patrick Leahy Dillon Enderby James Brown Christy Shipley Alexander Calder Ricky Carney Paul McLaughlin Casey OConnor Willy Powell Robert Casey Rich Hyjack Matthew Frost Brian Salyer Greg Bristow Megan Donnelly Jim Fields Mo Martinez Luke Mckay Simon Time Feana Nevel

Pour prendre contact (gratuitement) avec l'équipe de Bastien :  https://meetings.hubspot.com/bastien-puccini/recllit1zkbm3mzjrDans ce nouvel épisode, j'ai le plaisir de recevoir Bastien Puccini de ''Everage Gestion Privée'' pour un tour d'horizon des stratégies financières souvent perçues comme inaccessibles. 

Lucca is like a new pop single, climbing the charts of "must-see" tourist destinations. Every day we see the streams of tourists wandering in and out, while missing the essence of what makes Lucca such a magical, mystical, historic town. Two locals join me talking all things Lucca. We'll give you the inside information about things you'll see if you use our first audio tour. Tips for restaurants, Puccini gossip, walk where Julius Caesar did and of course, we'll argue about gelato. It's impossible not to. Check it out here if you're coming to Lucca or already here: https://italianlife.co/audio-tour/Listen in and we'll it like it is!

A cura di Paolo PellegriniG. Puccini – Tosca Floria Tosca – Renata Tebaldi Mario Cavaradossi – Giuseppe di Stefano Il barone Scarpia – Ettore Bastianini Il Sagristano – Carlo Badioli Cesare Angelotti – Nicola Zaccaria Spoletta – Rinaldo Pelizzoni Sciarrone – Giuseppe Morresi Un pastore – Antonio Negri Un carceriere – Franco Piva Direttore Gianandrea Gavazzeni L Orchestra – Teatro alla Scala Coro – Teatro alla Scala 

Operaspymaster you may ask? Read on and listen to this episode. In this powerful and multifaceted episode of Unstoppable Mindset, we welcome Kay Sparling, former opera singer, PTSD survivor, and now debut novelist—as she shares her incredible life journey from international stages to the shadowy world of espionage fiction. Kay talks about the creation of her first novel, Mission Thaw, a gripping spy thriller based on her own real-life experiences volunteering with refugees in post-Cold War Europe. Kay and Michael discuss the inspiration behind her protagonist, CIA agent Caitlin Stewart, and how real-world trauma and service led Kay to use fiction as both a vehicle for healing and a call to action on the modern crisis of human trafficking. This is a conversation that transcends genres—music, espionage, activism, and resilience—all converging through the unstoppable spirit of a woman who refuses to stay silent. About the Guest: Kay Sparling was raised in the Midwest. At the age of seven, she began her professional singing career as Gretl in “The Sound of Music” and she continued to perform through high school. After graduation Kay attended University of Kansas and earned a BME in music education and a minor in Vocal Performance. She then attended graduate school in opera voice performance for one year at UMKC Conservatory of Music. She was awarded a grant to finish my graduate studies in Vienna, Austria. From there she won an apprenticeship at the Vienna State Opera. After moving to NYC to complete her second apprenticeship, Kay lived in Germany, Austria, and Italy for many years. In 1999 Kay returned to NYC and continued singing opera and became a cantor for the NYC diocese. After 9/11, she served as a cantor at many of the funeral and memorial masses for the fallen first responders. In 2003, Kay moved from NYC to the upper Midwest and started a conservatory of Music and Theatre where her voice students have been awarded numerous prestigious scholarships and won many competitions. In 2020, the pandemic shut down her conservatory, so she began training to be a legal assistant and now works in workers compensation. Back in 2013, Kay had started writing a journal as a PTSD treatment. She was encouraged to extend the material into a novel. After much training and several drafts, Mission Thaw was published in 2024. Kay is currently writing the second book in the Kaitlyn Stewart Spy Thriller Series. Ways to connect with Kay: Website: https://www.kaysparlingbooks.com X: https://x.com/MissionThaw/missionthaw/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/missionthaw.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/505674375416879 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kay-sparling-8516b638/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionthaw/ Litsy: https://www.litsy.com/web/user/Mission%20Thaw About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:16 Well, hi everyone. Welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. I'm your host, Mike hingson, and our guest today is a very fascinating individual. I was just teasing her a little bit about her email address, which is operaspy master@gmail.com I'm telling you, don't cross her. That's all I gotta say. Anyway, we'll, we'll get into all of that. But I really am glad that she is with us. Kay Sparling is a fascinating woman who's had an interesting career. She's written, she's done a number of things. She's used to be an opera, gosh, all sorts of stuff. So anyway, we'll get to all of it and we'll talk about it. I don't want to give it all away. Where would the fun in that be? Kay, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Kay Sparling ** 02:11 Well, thank you. I'm glad to be here. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 02:13 we're glad you're here. You're from up in Wisconsin. We were going to do this a couple of weeks ago, but you had all the storms, and it stole your internet and your power away, didn't   Kay Sparling ** 02:23 it? It sure did. Yeah, that was a terrible storm we had.   Michael Hingson ** 02:28 Yeah, that's kind of no fun. I remember years ago, I was talking to somebody on the phone. We were doing a sales call, and he said, I might not be able to stay on the phone because we're having a really serious storm, and he said it is possible that the lightning could hit the phone lines, and if it does, it could come in the house. And we talked for a few minutes, and then he said, I'm going to have to hang up, because I just felt a small shock, because the lightning obviously hit the phone line, so we'll have to talk later. And and he was gone. And we did talk later, though he was okay, but still, wow, yeah, there's a lot of crazy weather going on, isn't there? And we were just talking about the, we were just talking about the Canadian wildfires. They're No fun.   Kay Sparling ** 03:15 No, no. Just everywhere is having crazy weather.   Michael Hingson ** 03:20 Well, tell us a little bit about you growing up and all that sort of stuff, and telling me about the the early K   Kay Sparling ** 03:32 Well, growing up, I grew up in a farm community in the in the central Midwest, just you know, right in the middle of the bread basket, you might say, not near where you are now. No no, no further south and in very much agriculture time, I mean skipping ahead. I remember talking to a famous opera conductor when I was an apprentice, and I made some reference, and he goes, Well, how would you know that? And I said, because I grew up on a farm. And he went, Oh, get out here. Nobody makes it, you know, to a major European opera house from a farm. And I went, Well, I did. And later, I asked my mom to send me a picture, because we had had an aerial view taken of our homestead, and it was obvious for miles, all the way around the house and the barn and all, it was just corn fields and soybeans. You know what they showed   Michael Hingson ** 04:40 Illinois, Illinois, and so you showed it to him, yeah,   Kay Sparling ** 04:44 I showed it to him, and he was like, well, doggone, you're not lying. Like, No, I wasn't kidding you. I really did.   Michael Hingson ** 04:51 It shows how good I really am. See how far I progressed.   Kay Sparling ** 04:55 Well, you know, I was one of these kids. I. At five years old, I my parents took me to see sound and music at the theater, and during the intermission. Now I'm five years old, it's pretty late for me, right? But when we're in the concession stand, I tug at my mom's skirt, and I say, Mom, that's what I want to do. And she looks at me kind of funny, and she's kind of funny, and she's kind of confused. Well, what do you want to do work in a theater? You know, a movie theater? No, no, I want to do what those kids are doing on that on the movie screen. And she was like, Well, honey, you know, that's that's really hard to get somewhere like that. So that was when I was five. And then when I was seven, she just, you know, the all the school and the church were telling her, this kid's got a great voice, and they kept giving me solos and stuff. And so when I was seven, she put me in the Sangamon County Fair Little Miss competition. And of course, my talent was singing, so I just sang away. I really can't remember what I sang, but afterwards, a fellow came up to my parents and introduced himself, and he said that he was there, he had family, not, you know, in the area, and that he had grown up there, but since then, he he was in St Louis, and he said, we are, I'm a scout, and I'm looking, I'm an entertainment Scout, and I'm actually looking for, you know, the von trop children. We're going to do a big production, and we'd love to audition your daughter. Well, we were about, think it was an hour and a half away from St Louis, so my parents are like, wow, that'd be quite a commitment. But long story short, I did it, and that started my professional career. I was the youngest Bon Troy. You know, over cradle, yeah. And so it just went from there. And, you know, it was all Broadway, of course, and I did a lot of church singing, you know, it got to be by the time I was, you know, in high school, people were hiring me for weddings, funerals, all that kind of thing. And so I was a Broadway and sacred singer. Went to college. My parents said, you can't depend on a vocal performance degree. What if things don't work out? You have to have something fall back. So I went into vocal music ed at a very, very good school for that, and also music therapy, and, you know, continue being in their shows. And when I when I graduated, continued the Broadway, and one night I was also singing a little bit of jazz in Kansas City, where I was living, someone approached me. She was a voice teacher at the conservatory there, and that conservatory had an apprenticeship with the Kansas City Lyric Opera. And she said I knew you was an undergrad. My husband works where you, where you went to school, and I have been watching you for a long time. And I wish you quit this nonsense of singing Broadway and jazz and rock and everything and get serious, you know, and try opera. So I thought she was crazy to bring that up, but it wasn't the first time it had been brought up. So I have been teaching for a year, and at the end of that school year, I announced everyone I was going to graduate school and I was going to study opera. And so   Michael Hingson ** 08:55 what were you teaching?   Kay Sparling ** 08:57 I was teaching high school choir, okay, at a very big high school, very, very good choir department.   Michael Hingson ** 09:03 Now, by the way, after doing Gretel, did you ever have any other parts as you grew older in Sound of Music?   Kay Sparling ** 09:11 Okay, that's a very cool question. I am one of the few people that I know that can say I have sang every major role in Sound of Music sometime in my life. Ah, okay, because it was so popular when I was Oh, yeah. And as I would grow older, well now you're going to sing, you know, you just kept graduating up. And then pretty soon I sang quite a few Marias. And then after I was an opera singer. During covid, I was asked to sing Mother Superior. Mother Superior. Yeah, literally, have sung, you know, in a decades long career, I've sung every role in Sound of Music.   Michael Hingson ** 09:56 Cool. Well, that's great.   10:00 Yeah, so, so, anyway, so   Michael Hingson ** 10:02 you said that you were going to go study opera,   Kay Sparling ** 10:07 and I did a graduate school, and then I got the chance to get an international grant over to Europe, and so I decided to not finish my masters at that time and go over there and finish it, and most of all, importantly, do my first apprenticeship in Europe. And so I thought that was a great opportunity. They were willing. They were going to willing to pay for everything. And I said I would be a fool to turn this down. Yeah, so off I went, and that's kind of the rest of the story. You know, got a lot of great training, left Europe for a while, moved to New York City, trained best coaches and teachers in the world at the Metropolitan Opera and then, you know, launch my career.   Michael Hingson ** 11:04 So you Wow, you, you've done a number of things, of course, going to Europe and being in Vienna and places like that. Certainly you were in the the right place.   Kay Sparling ** 11:16 Yes, yes, definitely. You know, at that time in the in the middle 80s, United States was we had some great opera houses Iran, but we had very few. And it just wasn't the culture that it was in Europe, in Europe. And so, yes, there was a lot more opportunity there, because there was such a culture established there already.   Michael Hingson ** 11:44 So you went off and you did Europe and saying opera, what were you a soprano? Or what were you that sounds like a way a little high for your voice?   Kay Sparling ** 11:59 Well, you have to remember, I'm a senior citizen now. So this is the way it worked for me, because we're talking decades from the age 27 and I quit singing at 63 so that's a very long time to sing opera. So I started out, as you know, there is a voice kind of category, and each one of those, we use a German word for that. It's called Foch, F, A, C, H, and you know, that is determined by the kind of vocal cords you have, and the kind of training and the literature you're singing, and hopefully that all meshes together if you have good coaches and a good agent and such. And I literally have seen so many different Fox lyric, lyric mezzo, then to, very shortly, lyric soprano, and then for a long time, spinto soprano, which would be the Puccini and a lot of them really popular things. And then I was, I felt I was quite lucky that my voice did have the strength and did mature into a Verdi soprano, which is a dramatic soprano, not many of those around. And so that was, that was an endeavor, but at the same time, that was a leg up. And so most of the time in my career, I sang the bigger Puccini, like, let's say Tosca, and I sang a lot of Verdi. So I was an Italian opera singer. I mostly sang in Italian, not to say that I didn't sing in German or French, but I did very little in comparison to the   Michael Hingson ** 13:56 Italian Well, there's a lot of good Italian opera out there, although mostly I don't understand it, but I don't speak Italian well.   Kay Sparling ** 14:07 The great thing about most houses now is, you know, you can just look at the back of the seat in front of you, and there's the translation, you know, yeah, that   Michael Hingson ** 14:18 doesn't work for me. Being blind, that doesn't work for you. Yeah, that's okay, though, but I like the music, yeah. So how long ago did you quit singing?   Kay Sparling ** 14:32 Um, just about, well, under, just a little under three years ago, okay?   Michael Hingson ** 14:38 And why did you quit? This was the right time,   Kay Sparling ** 14:42 senses or what I had a circumstance, I had to have throat surgery. Now it wasn't on my vocal cords, but it was on my thyroid, and unfortunately, the vocal cord nerve. They had to take out some Cyst On. My right thyroid, and then remove it too. And unfortunately, my vocal cords were damaged at that time, I would have probably be singing still now some you know, I mean, because dramatic sopranos just can go on and on and on. One of my mentors was Birgit Nielsen, famous singer from Sweden, and she was in my grandmother's generation, but she didn't, I went to work with her, and she demonstrated at 77 she could still pop out of high C. And I believe, I believe I would have been able to do that too, but you know, circumstances, you know, changed, but that's okay. Yeah, I had sung a long time, and at least I can speak. So I'm just very happy about that.   Michael Hingson ** 15:51 So when you did quit singing, what did you decide to go do? Or, or, How did, how did you progress from there?   Kay Sparling ** 16:01 Well, I had already made a transition where I had come in 2003 to the Midwest. I came back from New York City, where I lived many, many years, and I started a conservatory of music and acting, and then that kind of grew into a whole conservatory of music. So I was also a part time professor here in Wisconsin, and I taught voice, you know, one on one vocal lessons, so high school and college and graduate school, and so I had this huge studio. So when that happened, I wasn't getting to sing a whole lot, because I was much more focused on my students singing me at that point, especially the older ones, professional ones, and so, you know, I just kept teaching and and then I had started this book that I'm promoting now, and so that gave me more time to get that book finished   Michael Hingson ** 17:10 and published. What's the name of the book?   Kay Sparling ** 17:13 The book is called Mission, thaw.   Michael Hingson ** 17:16 Ah, okay, and what is it about   Kay Sparling ** 17:22 mission thaw is feminist spy thriller set at the very end of the Cold War in the late 80s, and the main protagonist is Caitlin Stewart, who it who has went over there to be an opera singer, and soon after she arrives, is intensely recruited by the CIA. They have a mission. They really, really need a prima donna Mozart soprano, which is what Caitlin was, and she had won a lot of competitions and won a grant to go over there, and so they had been vetting her in graduate school in the United States. And soon as she came to Europe, they they recruited her within a couple weeks of her being there, and she, of course, is totally blindsided by that. When they approach her, she had she she recognized that things were not exactly the way they should be, that people were following her, and she was trying to figure out who, are these people and why are they following me everywhere? Well, it ends up being young CIA agents, and so when the head chief and his, you know, the second chief, approach her, you know, she's not real happy, because she's already felt violated, like her privacy has been violated, and so she wasn't really too wonderful of listening to them and their needs. And so they just sort of apprehend her and and throw her in a car, in a tinted window Mercedes, and off they go to a park to talk to her, right? And so it's all like crazy movie to Caitlin. It's like, what is going on here? And, you know, she can tell they're all Americans, and they have dark suits on, even though it's very, very hot, and dark glasses, you know? So everything is just like a movie. And so when they approach her and tell her about what they need her to do, you know, and this would be in addition to the apprentice she is doing that, you know, she just gets up and says, I'm sorry I didn't come over and be in cloak and dagger. A, you know, ring, I'm getting out of here. And as she's walking away, the chief says, Well, what if you could help bring down the Berlin Wall? Well, now that stops her in her tracks, and she turns around. She goes, What are you kidding? I'm just a, you know, an opera apprentice from the Midwest grew up on a farm. What am I gonna do? Hit a high C and knock it down. I mean, what are you talking about?   Michael Hingson ** 20:28 Hey, Joshua, brought down the wealth of Jericho, after all. Well, yeah, some   Kay Sparling ** 20:34 later, someone tells her that, actually, but, but anyway, they say, well, sit down and we'll explain what we need you to do. And so the the initial job that Caitlin accepts and the CIA to be trained to do is what they call a high profile information gap. She has a wonderful personality. She's really pretty. She's very fashionable, so she can run with the jet set. And usually the jet set in Europe, the opera jet set is also where all the heads of states hang out, too. And at that time, the the Prime Minister was pretty much banking the Vienna State Opera where she was apprenticing. So he ends up being along with many other Western Austrian businessmen in a cartel of human trafficking. Who they are trafficking are all the the different citizens of the countries that USSR let go. You know, when you know just got to be too much. Remember how, oh yeah, we're going to let you go. Okay? And then they would just pull out. And there was no infrastructure. There was nothing. And these poor people didn't have jobs, they didn't have electricity. The Russian mafia was running in there trying to take, you know, take over. It was, it was chaos. And so these poor people were just packing up what they could to carry, and literally, sometimes walking or maybe taking a train into the first Western European country they could get to. And for a lot of them, just because the geographical area that was Austria. And so basically, the Austrians did not want these people, and they were being very unwelcoming and arresting a lot of them, and there was a lot of lot of bad behavior towards these refugees. And so the Catholic church, the Catholic Social Services, the Mennonite Relief Fund, the the UN and the Red Cross started building just tent after tent after tent on the edge of town for these people to stay at. And so the businessmen decide, well, we can traffic these people that have nothing over to the East Germans, who will promise them everything, but will give them nothing. But, you know, death camps, basically, just like in World War Two. So you have work camps, you have factories. They they don't feed these people correctly. They don't they don't give them anything that they promise to them in in the camps. And they say, Okay, be on this train at this time, this night. And then they stop somewhere in between Vienna and East Germany, in a very small train station in the middle of the Alps. And they have these large, you know, basic slave options. And unfortunately, the children in the older people get sent back to the camp because they don't need them or want them. So all the children get displaced from their families, as well as the senior citizens or anyone with a disability. And then, you know, the men and the women that can work are broken up as well, and they're sent to these, you know, they're bought by these owners of these factories and farms, and the beautiful women, of course, are sold to either an individual that's there in East German that just wants to have a sex aid, pretty much. Or even worse, they could be sold to an underground East Berlin men's club. And so terrible, terrible things happen to the women in particular, and the more that Caitlin learns. As she's being trained about what's happening, and she interviews a lot of these women, and she sees the results of what's happened, it, it, it really strengthens her and gives her courage. And that's a good thing, because as time goes through the mission, she ends up having to be much, much more than just a high profile social, you know, information gather. She ends up being a combat agent and so, but that that's in the mission as you read, that that happens gradually and so, what? What I think is really a good relationship in this story, is that the one that trains her, because this is actually both CIA and MI six are working on this, on this mission, thought and the director of the whole mission is an very seasoned mi six agent who everyone considers the best spy in the free world. And Ian Fleming himself this, this is true. Fact. Would go to this man and consult with him when he was writing a new book, to make sure you know that he was what he was saying is, Could this really happen? And that becomes that person, Clive Matthews become praying, Caitlyn, particularly when she has to start changing and, you know, defending herself. And possibly, you know,   Michael Hingson ** 26:38 so he becomes her teacher in   Kay Sparling ** 26:42 every way. Yes. So how   Michael Hingson ** 26:45 much? Gee, lots of questions. First of all, how much of the story is actually   Kay Sparling ** 26:50 true? All this story is true. The   Michael Hingson ** 26:53 whole mission is true. Yes, sir. And so how did you learn about this? What? What caused you to start to decide to write this story?   Kay Sparling ** 27:08 So some of these experiences are my own experiences. And so after I as an opera singer, decided to be a volunteer to help out these refugees. I witnessed a lot, and so many years later, I was being treated for PTSD because of what I'd witnessed there. And then a little bit later in Bosnia in the early 90s, and I was taking music therapy and art therapy, and my psychiatrist thought that it'd be a good idea if also I journaled, you know, the things that I saw. And so I started writing things, and then I turned it in, and they had a person that was an intern that was working with him, and both of them encouraged me. They said, wow, if, if there's more to say about this, you should write a book, cuz this is really, really, really good stuff. And so at one point I thought, Well, why not? I will try. So this book is exactly what happened Caitlin, you know, is a real person, and everyone in the book is real. Of course, I changed the names to protect people and their descriptions, but I, you know, I just interviewed a lot of spies that were involved. So, yes, this is a true story.   Michael Hingson ** 29:06 Did you do most of this? Then, after your singing career, were you writing while the career, while you were singing?   Kay Sparling ** 29:13 I was writing while I was still singing. Yeah, I started the book in 2015 Okay, and because, as I was taking the PTSD treatment and had to put it on the shelf several times, life got in the way. I got my my teaching career just really took off. And then I was still singing quite a bit. And then on top of it, everything kind of ceased in 2018 when my mother moved in with me and she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but Louie body Alzheimer's, which is a very, very rough time, and so I became one of her caretakers. So I quit singing, put that on hold, and I. I had to really, really bring down the number in my studio I was teaching and spend time here at home. And so I would take care of her, but then after she would go to bed, and she'd go to bed much earlier than I wanted to, that's when I write, and that's when I got the lion's share of this book written. Was during that time, it was a great escape from what I was dealing with, believe it or not, you know, even though there's some real graphic things in the book and all it wasn't, it was a nice distraction.   Michael Hingson ** 30:36 Wow, so you, you lived this, needless to say,   Kay Sparling ** 30:41 Yes, I did, and yes.   Michael Hingson ** 30:45 So you've talked a little bit about what happened to these countries after the collapse of the USSR and communism and so on, these eastern companies, companies, countries. Has it changed much over the years.   Kay Sparling ** 31:03 Oh, yeah, for instance, one, you know, I went to Budapest after they were freed, I guess is what usr would say. Stayed in a five star hotel, and we were lucky if we had running water and electricity at the same time. And every time you went down on the streets, all you'd see is lines, you know, I mean, just because there'd be all like, Red Cross, etc, would be there, and they'd have these big trucks they drove in every day, and it just got to be because they had nothing. If you saw a truck, you'd start running towards it and get in line. You didn't care what it was, you know, and it was. And then fights would break out because they wouldn't have enough for everyone. And then, like, you know, maybe someone's walking away with a bag of rice, and some of us knock them over the head and take, you know, and it was very hard, you know, I was a volunteer there, and it was very, very hard to see this, you know, desperation, one story that I'd like to tell, and I put it in the book. I was riding my bike, you know, on a Friday afternoon to get some groceries at the nearest supermarket where my apartment was, and at that time, they still had the European hours, so they were going to close at five o'clock, and they weren't going to open until seven or eight on Monday morning. So you had to make sure you got there to get your weekend supply. So I was on my way, and I was parking my bike, and this woman, refugee woman, runs up and she has two small children with her, and she's carrying a baby, and she's speaking to me in a language I did not know. I do speak several languages, but I don't know Slavic languages and so, but I'm getting the gist of it that she has nothing to eat, neither do her children, and so I'm patting her on the shoulder, and right when I do that, a policeman that was guarding the door of the supermarket came up to me and, like, grabbed me really hard, and told me in German that I was not To speak to them, and I was not to help them, because if you help them, they'll stay. And I said to him in German, I'm an American. I am not Austrian. I am here on a work visa, and I can do whatever the hell I want to do. Well, he didn't like that. And so I just walked away from him, and I went in the store. And so I got up everything I get. Think of the big need, you know, I never had a baby, so I was trying to kind of figure that out, yeah, and I had to figure it out in German, you know, looking at labels now. And so finally I got, I got some stuff, you know, the stuff I needed, and, and, and the stuff that I got for the family, and I checked out, and I'm pushing the cart, you know, towards them. And he runs up beside me and stops me, and he says, I am going to arrest you if you bring that. I told you not to help them. And I said, again, I don't think I'm breaking any laws. And he said, Oh yes, you are. And I said, Well, I didn't read that in the papers. I didn't see it on TV where anyone said. That you cannot help a refugee. And so we're going back and forth. And so, you know, I'm pretty strong, so I just keep pushing it towards it. Well, she's kind of running down the park, and I'm like, wait, wait, you know, because she's getting scared of this guy, you know, he has a gun, he has a nightstick. Of course, she's scared, and so, you know, I would say, No, no, it's okay, because I can't speak for language, right? And so I'm just trying to give her body language and talk. Well, finally she does stop, and I just throw I give the one sack to the little boy, and one second little girl, they just run and and then, you know, I'm talking to her and saying, you know, it's okay, it's okay. And he grabs me, and he turns me around and he spits in my face.   Michael Hingson ** 35:53 Wow. Talk about breaking the law. But anyway, go ahead.   Kay Sparling ** 36:00 Welcome to Austria in the late 80s. You have to understand their Prime Minister Kurt voltheim won on the Nazi ticket. Mm, hmm. At that very time, if you got on a bus and you saw these businessmen going to work, at least 50% of them were reading the Nazi paper. Okay, so we kind of know what, where his affiliations lie. You know, this policeman and, you know, and I was very aware, you know, of of that party being very strong. And so you have to watch yourself when, when you're a foreigner. And I was a foreigner too, just like her. And so after wiping my face, I mean, I really, really wanted to give him a kick or something, yeah, and I do, I do know martial arts, but I was like, no, no, gotta stay cool. And I just told her to run. And she did and caught up with the children, and, you know, kept running. So that was the first experience I had knowing how unwelcome these people were in Austria. Yeah, so I got involved, yeah, I got involved because I was like, this is absolutely not right.   Michael Hingson ** 37:31 And so the book is, in part, to try to bring awareness to all that. I would think   Kay Sparling ** 37:36 absolutely there are, there are bits of it are, they're pretty darn graphic, but it's all true, and it's all documented. Sometimes people about human trafficking, they think, oh, it's not in my backyard. I'm not going to think about that. Well, I live in a very small college town, around 17,000 people, and two months ago, on the front page of this small paper here in town, there were seven men that were arrested for many counts of human trafficking of underage women and prostitution. So guess what, folks, it is in your backyard. If it's in this little town, it's probably in yours too. And we have to be aware before we can do anything. So we have to open our eyes. And I hope this book opens the eyes of the reader to say, Oh, my God, I knew things were bad, but I didn't realize that torture, this kind of thing went on. Well, it does, and I the International Labor Union estimates that 21 million people are being you. You are victims of human trafficking right now, as we speak, throughout the world, that's a lot of people, a lot of people. So most likely, we've all seen some hint of that going on, it didn't register as it at the time. You know, if you're just walked out of a restaurant, and you're walking to your car that's parked on the street, and you happen to go by an alley and there's restaurants on that row, and all of a sudden you see people being kind of shoved out and put in a truck. That's probably human trafficking, you know? And you know, a lot of people don't pay attention, but like, if they stop and think that doesn't look right, and if those people look like they may be from another country, yeah. And all you have to do is call the authorities, you know, and other ways that you can help are by you know, that that you can get involved. Are, you know, donate to all the different organizations that are finding this now.   Michael Hingson ** 40:19 Was the book self published, or do you have a publisher?   Kay Sparling ** 40:25 I self published, but it's more of a hybrid publishing company that's kind of a new thing that's going on, and so I cannot learn all those different facets of publishing a book, right? It just wasn't in my, you know, skill set, and it also wasn't even interesting to me. I don't want to learn how to do graphic illustration. Okay? So what I did is I hired a hybrid company that had all these different departments that dealt with this, and I had complete artistic control, and I was able to negotiate a great deal on my net profits. So I feel that, after looking into the traditional publishing world and not being exactly pleased with it to say the least, I think that was the right business choice for me to make, and I'm very happy I did it.   Michael Hingson ** 41:46 How do you market the book then?   Kay Sparling ** 41:48 Well, that was, that was the tricky part that that publisher did have some marketing they started, but obviously now they agreed it wasn't enough. So at that point, I attended a virtual women's publishing seminar, and I really paid attention to all the companies that were presenting about marketing. And in that time, I felt one that I just was totally drawn to, and so I asked her if we could have a consultation, and we did, and the rest is history. I did hire her team and a publicist, Mickey, who you probably know, and, yeah, it's been going really great. That was the second smart thing I did, was to, you know, hire, hire a publicity.   Michael Hingson ** 42:50 Well, yeah, and marketing is one is a is a tricky thing. It's not the most complicated thing in the world, but you do have to learn it, and you have to be disciplined. So good for you, for for finding someone to help, but you obviously recognize the need to market, which is extremely important, and traditional publishers don't do nearly as much of it as they used to. Of course, there are probably a lot more authors than there used to be too. But still,   Kay Sparling ** 43:19 yeah, their their marketing has changed completely. I remember I had a roommate that became a famous author, and just thinking about when he started, you know, in the 80s, how the industry is completely changed. Mm, hmm, you know. So, yeah, it's, it's really tricky. The whole thing is very tricky. One thing that I also did is one of my graduate students needed a job, and so I've known her since, literally, I've known her since eighth grade. I have been with this student a long time, and she's done very well, but she really is a wiz at the social media. And so she made all my accounts. I think I have 12 altogether, and every time I do something like what I'm doing tonight, soon as it's released, she just puts it out there, everywhere and and I have to thank her from again that that's probably not my skill set.   Michael Hingson ** 44:37 Well, everyone has gifts, right? And the the people who I think are the most successful are the people who recognize that they have gifts. There are other people that have gifts that will augment or enhance what they do. And it's good that you find ways to collaborate. I think collaborating is such an important thing. Oh, yeah. All too many people don't. They think that they can just do it all in and then some people can. I mean, I know that there are some people who can, but a lot of people don't and can't.   Kay Sparling ** 45:12 Well, I've got other things. I've got going, you know, so maybe if I only had to do the book, everything to do with the book, that would be one thing, but I, you know, I have other things I have to have in my life. And so I think that collaboration is also fun, and I'm very good at delegating. I have been very good at delegating for a long time. When I started my school. I also started a theater company, and if you know one thing, it's a three ring circus to produce an opera or a musical, and I've done a lot of them, and yeah, I would have not survived if I didn't learn how to delegate and trust people to do their own thing. So what are you   Michael Hingson ** 45:58 doing today? What are you doing today? Besides writing?   Kay Sparling ** 46:04 Well, during covid, everything got shut down, and I didn't have an income, and I had to do something. And one of, believe it or not, one of my parents, of one of my students, is an attorney for the state of Wisconsin, and she was very worried. I mean, it looked like I might lose my house. I mean, I literally had no income. And so, you know, I was a small business person, and so she offered me very graciously to come work in the department of workers compensation in the legal Bureau at the state of Wisconsin. So I never have done anything like that in my life. I have never sat in a cubicle. I've never sat in front of a computer unless it was in its recording studio or something like that. So it was a crazy thing to have to do in my early 60s, but I'm a single woman, and I had to do it, and and I did, and it put me on solid ground, and that was one reason I couldn't finish the book, because I didn't have to worry about a live cookie. And so I am continuing to do that in so as in the day, that is what I do. I'm a legal assistant, cool.   Michael Hingson ** 47:32 And so when did mission thought get published?   Kay Sparling ** 47:38 Mission thought almost a year ago, in August of 2024 it launched, yes, okay, yeah. And it was very scary for me, you know, because my hybrid publishers up in Canada, and they were telling me, Well, you know, we're going to get you some editorial reviews and we're going to have you be interviewed. And you know, those very first things where my editor at at the publisher had told me it was one of the really a good book, and that was one of the cleanest books she ever had to edit. And so that kind of gave me some confidence. But you understand, look at my background. I I didn't go to school to be a writer. I had never studied writing. I hadn't done any writing up until now, and so to that was my first kind of sigh of relief when the editor at the publisher said it was really a good book, and then I started getting the editorial reviews, and they were all stellar, and they continue to be. And I'm, I'm still a little shocked, you know, because it takes time, I guess, for a person to switch gears and identify themselves as an author. But you know, after a year now, I'm feeling much more comfortable in my shoes about that. But at first it was, it was trying because I was scared and I was worried, you know, what people were going to think about the book, not the story, so much as how it was crafted. But it ends up, well,   Michael Hingson ** 49:15 it ends up being part of the same thing, and yeah, the very fact that they love it that that means a lot. Yeah, so is, is there more in the way of adventures from Caitlin coming up or what's happening?   Kay Sparling ** 49:30 Yeah, this is hopefully a trilogy, um of Caitlin's most important standout missions. And so the second one is set in the early 90s during the Bosnian war. And this time, she cannot use opera as a cover, because obviously in a war zone, there's no opera. And so she has to. To go undercover as either a un volunteer or Red Cross, and this time, her sidekick is not the Clive Matthews. He has actually started a special squad, combat squad that's going in because, of course, we, none of us, were really involved with that war, right? But that's what he's doing. And so, believe it or not, her, her sidekick, so to speak, is a priest that very early, goes on and sees, you know, this absolute ethnic cleansing going on, you know, massacres and and he tries to get the Catholic Church to help, and they're like, no, no, we're not touching that. And so he goes AWOL. And had been friends in Vienna with the CIA during the first book. He goes to the CIA and says, This is what's going on. I saw it with my own eyes. I want to help. And so he becomes Caitlin's sidekick, which is a very interesting relationship. You know, Caitlin, the opera singer, kind of, kind of modern girl, you know, and then you know, the kind of staunch priest. But they find a way to work together, and they have to, because they have to save each other's lives a couple times. And this is my favorite book of the three. And so basically what happens is called Mission impromptu, and I hope to have that finished at the end of this month. And the reason we call it impromptu is because her chief tells her to just get the information and get out, but her and the priest find out that there is a camp of orphaned boys that they are planning to come massacre, and so they they they basically go rogue and don't follow orders and go try to help the boys. Yeah. And then the third book, she has actually moved back to New York, and she's thinking, well, she does retire from the CIA, and it's the summer of 2001 and what happened in September of 2001 911 and so they call her right back in she literally had been retired for about three months.   Michael Hingson ** 52:35 Well, to my knowledge, I never met Caitlin, so I'm just saying Mm hmm, having been in the World Trade Center on September 11, but I don't think I met Caitlin anyway.   Kay Sparling ** 52:43 Go ahead. No, she wasn't in the towers, but no, I was in New York. And yeah, so they called her back right away. And so the third one is going to be called Mission home front, because that's been her home for a very long time. She's been living in New York.   Michael Hingson ** 53:01 Are there plans for Caitlin beyond these three books? I hope so.   Kay Sparling ** 53:08 I think it would be fun for her to retire from the CIA and then move back to the Midwest. And, you know, it turned into a complete fiction. Of course, this is not true stuff, but, you know, like kind of a cozy mystery series, right, where things happen and people can't get anyone to really investigate it, so they come to Caitlin, and then maybe her ex boss, you know, the chief that's also retired, they kind of, you know, gang up and become pi type, you know, right? I'm thinking that might be a fun thing.   Michael Hingson ** 53:46 Now, are mostly books two and three in the mission series. Are they also relatively non fiction?   53:53 Yes, okay,   Michael Hingson ** 53:57 okay, cool, yes. Well, you know, it's, it's pretty fascinating to to hear all of this and to to see it, to hear about it from you, but to see it coming together, that is, that is really pretty cool to you know, to see you experiencing have the book, has mission thought been converted by any chance to audio? Is it available on Audible or   Kay Sparling ** 54:21 anywhere it has not but it is in my plans. It's there's a little bit of choice I have to make do. I use my publisher and hire one of their readers you know to do it, someone you know, that's in equity, that type of thing. Or you know, my publicity, or people are also saying, well, because you're an actor, and, you know, all these accents, it might be nice for you to do to read your own book. Well, the problem is time, you know, just the time to do it, because I'm so busy promoting the book right now. And really. Right writing the second one that you know, I just don't know if I'm going to be able to pull that off, but I have my own records, recording studio in my voice studio downstairs, but it's just and I have all the equipment I have engineers. It's just a matter of me being able to take the time to practice and to get that done. So it's probably going to be, I'll just use their, one of their people, but yes, yeah, it's coming. It's coming. Well, it's,   Michael Hingson ** 55:29 it's tough. I know when we published last year, live like a guide dog, and the publisher, we did it through a traditional publisher, they worked with dreamscape to create an audio version. And I actually auditioned remotely several authors and chose one. But it is hard to really find someone to read the book the way you want it read, because you know what it's like, and so there is merit to you taking the time to read it. But still, as you said, there are a lot of things going on,   Kay Sparling ** 56:09 yeah, and I have read, you know, certain portions of the book, because some podcasts that I've been on asked me to do that, and I and I practiced and that, it went very well. And of course, when people hear that, they're like, Oh, you're the one that has to do this. You know Caitlin. You can speak her, you know her attitudes and all. And then you also know how to throw all those different accents out there, because there's going to be, like, several, there's Dutch, there's German, there's Scottish, high British and Austrian. I mean, yeah, yeah, Austrians speak different than Germans. Mm, hmm,   Michael Hingson ** 56:53 yeah, it's it's a challenge, but it's still something worth considering, because you're going to bring a dimension to it that no one else really can because you wrote it and you really know what you want them to sound like, Yeah, but it's a it's a process. I and I appreciate that, but you've got lots going on, and you have to have an income. I know for me, we started live like a guide dog my latest book when the pandemic began, because I realized that although I had talked about getting out of the World Trade Center and doing so without exhibiting fear, didn't mean that it wasn't there, but I realized that I had learned to control fear, because I learned a lot that I was able to put to use on the Day of the emergency. And so the result of that was that, in fact, the mindset kicked in and I was able to function, but I never taught anyone how to do that. And so the intent of live like a guide dog was to be a way that people could learn how to control fear and not let fear overwhelm or, as I put it, blind them, but rather use fear as a very powerful tool to help you focus and do the things that you really need to do. But it's a choice. People have to learn that they can make that choice and they can control it, which is kind of what really brought the book to to mind. And the result was that we then, then did it. And so it came out last August as well.   Kay Sparling ** 58:27 Oh, well, if you read my book, you'll see Caitlin developing the same skills you were just talking about. She has to overcome fear all the time, because she's never been in these situations before, and yet she has to survive, you know?   Michael Hingson ** 58:44 Yeah, well, and the reality is that most of us take too many things for granted and don't really learn. But if you learn, for example, if there's an emergency, do you know where to go in the case of an emergency? Do you know how to evacuate, not by reading the signs? Do you know? And that's the difference, the people who know have a mindset that will help them be a lot more likely to be able to survive, because they know what all the options are, and if there's a way to get out, they know what they are, rather than relying on signs, which may or may not even be available to you if you're in a smoke filled environment, for example, yeah,   Kay Sparling ** 59:22 yeah, you should know ahead of time. Yeah, you know, I know the state where I work. I I mostly work at home. I'm able to do that, but we do have to go in once a week, and we just changed floors. They've been doing a lot of remodeling, and that was the first thing, you know, the supervisor wanted us to do was walk through all the way for a tornado, fire, etc, and so we did that, you know, and that's smart, because then you're like, you say you're not trying to look at a chart as you're running or whatever,   Michael Hingson ** 59:56 and you may need to do it more than once to make sure you really know it. I know for me. I spent a lot of time walking around the World Trade Center. In fact, I didn't even use my guide dog. I used a cane, because with a cane, I'll find things that the dog would just automatically go around or ignore, like kiosks and other things. But I want to know where all that stuff is, because I want to know what all the shops are down on the first floor. Well, now that that is the case anymore, but it was at the time there was a shopping mall and knowing where everything was, but also knowing where different offices were, knowing who was in which offices, and then knowing the really important things that most people don't know about, like where the Estee Lauder second store was on the 46th floor of tower two. You know, you got to have the important things for wives, and so I learned what that was. Well, it was, it was, those are important things, but you'll learn a lot, and it's real knowledge. Someone, a recent podcast episode that they were on, said something very interesting, and that is that we're always getting information, but information isn't knowing it. Knowledge is really internalizing the information and making it part of our psyche and really getting us to the point where we truly know it and can put it to use. And that is so true. It isn't just getting information. Well, that's great. I know that now, well, no, you don't necessarily know it now, until you internalize it, until you truly make it part of your knowledge. And I think that's something that a lot of people miss. Well, this has been a lot of fun. If people want to reach out to you, is there a way they can do that?   Kay Sparling ** 1:01:40 Yeah, the best thing is my book website, K, Sparling books.com spelled and it would K, a, y, s, p, as in Paul, A, R, L, I N, G, B, O, O, K, s.com.com, okay, and you can email me through there. And all the media that I've been on is in the media section. The editorial reviews are there. There's another thing that my student heats up for me is the website. It's it's really developed. And so lots of information about the book and about me on on there. And one thing I want to mention is, just because of my background and all the all the people that you know, I know, a friend of mine is a composer, and he wrote a song, a theme song, because we do hope that someday we can sell this, you know, yeah, to for movie and, or, you know, Netflix, or something like that. And so he wrote a theme song and theme music. And I just think that's fun. And then I wanted my students saying, saying it. And then, you know, it's with a rock band, but it's, it's very James Bond, the kind of with a little opera, you know, involved too. But, you know, not a lot of authors can say that on their website, they have a theme song for their books.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:16 And where is   Kay Sparling ** 1:03:18 it? It would be under, it's going to be about the author. And there's a nice one of my other students is a graphic artist. She She did a graphic a scene of Caitlin with her ball gown, and she's got her foot up on a stool, and she's putting her pistol in her thigh holster, in I think, you know, it's kind of like a cartoon, and it quotes Caitlin saying, I bet you I'm going to be the only bell at the ball with this accessory pistol. And then right underneath that, that song, you can click it and hear it. We also are on YouTube mission. Thought does have its own YouTube channel, so you can find it there as well.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:05 So well, I want to thank you for being here and for telling us all the stories and especially about mission. I hope people will get it and read it, and I look forward to it coming out in audio at some point. Yes, I'll be lazy and wait for that, I I like to to get books with human readers. You know, I can get the print book and I can play it with a synthetic voice, but I, I really prefer human voices. And I know a lot of people who do AI has not progressed to the point where it really can pull that off.   Kay Sparling ** 1:04:38 Well, no, it cannot. Yeah, I totally agree with you there.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:42 So Well, thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching us today. This has been fun. And as some of you know, if you listen to many of these podcasts, we have a rule on the podcast, you can't come on unless you're going to have fun. So we did have fun. We. You have fun? Yeah. See, there you go. I was gonna ask if you had fun. Of course, yes. So thank you all for listening. Love to hear from you. Love to hear what your thoughts are about today's episode. Feel free to email me at Michael H, i@accessibe.com that's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, also, please give us a five star rating. We appreciate it. K, I'll appreciate it. And when this goes up, when you hear it, we really value those ratings and reviews very highly. If you know anyone else who ought to be a guest and KU as well, love to hear from you. Please introduce us. Kay, you'll have to introduce us to Caitlin, but But seriously, we always are looking for more guests. So if anyone knows of anyone who ought to come on and tell a story, we'd love to hear from you. But again, Kay, I want to thank you one last time. This has been great, and we really appreciate you being here.   Kay Sparling ** 1:05:59 Well, thank you for having me.   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:04 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

durée : 00:19:53 - Les Nuits de France Culture - par : Philippe Garbit - En 1992, le clown, écrivain et psychologue Howard Buten, auteur du best-seller "Quand j'avais cinq ans je m'ai tué" évoque son parcours à travers ses chansons et musiques préférées : des comédies musicales de son enfance à Brassens en passant par l'opéra avec "La Bohème", et "Tosca" de Puccini. - réalisation : Virginie Mourthé - invités : Howard Buten

Alejandro Puerta Cantalapiedra es un joven director de orquesta español nacido en 1994 en Soria. Con una formación académica en arquitectura por la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, ha combinado su pasión por la música con estudios de dirección orquestal, destacándose por su enfoque estructural y carismático en la interpretación del repertorio sinfónico. Formación y primeros pasos Inició sus estudios musicales en el Conservatorio de Música de Soria y posteriormente se trasladó a Madrid para cursar arquitectura. Durante su estancia en la capital española, fundó la Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) y la Joven Orquesta de Estudiantes Universitarios (JOECOM), con el objetivo de acercar la música clásica a nuevos públicos. Con estas agrupaciones, logró interpretar obras de gran envergadura como la Sinfonía n.º 3 de Beethoven y la Sinfonía n.º 2 de Mahler en el Auditorio Nacional de Música de España. [1] Posteriormente, se trasladó a los Países Bajos para continuar su formación en dirección orquestal en Codarts Rotterdam, estudiando con maestros como Hans Leenders, Sander Teepen y Wiecher Mandemaker. Ha participado en clases magistrales con reconocidos directores como Antony Hermus y Karel Deseure. [1] Desde la temporada 2023-2024, Cantalapiedra es director asistente de la Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (NedPhO) y de la Dutch National Opera, trabajando junto al director titular Lorenzo Viotti. En este rol, ha colaborado en producciones de ópera y repertorio sinfónico, incluyendo obras como Lohengrin de Wagner e Il Trittico de Puccini. [2] En diciembre de 2022, debutó en el prestigioso Concertgebouw de Ámsterdam con la Nederlands Kamerorkest y el Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam, dirigiendo el estreno absoluto de Ausschweifungen del compositor Rick van Veldhuizen. [3] Además, ha sido director titular de la Utrecht Young Orchestra desde 2019 y ha colaborado con diversas orquestas, incluyendo la Sinfonia Varsovia, Residentie Orkest, Orquesta de Cámara de Cascais e Oeiras y la Varna Symphony Orchestra. [4] ? Reconocimientos En 2021, obtuvo el primer premio en el II Concurso Internacional de Dirección de Orquesta de Estoril, destacándose entre participantes de diversas nacionalidades. Este galardón le permitió debutar como director invitado con la Orquesta de Cámara de Cascais y Oeiras. [5]? Trayectoria profesional Alejandro Cantalapiedra continúa consolidando su carrera internacional, combinando su formación arquitectónica con una visión musical que le permite abordar el repertorio clásico con una perspectiva única y contemporánea.

Send us a textDescriptionFaraway Fantasies: Exoticism in Opera in 60 Seconds. Take a minute to get the scoop!Fun FactWhen Carmen premiered, critics complained it was too scandalous and “vulgar” for the Paris stage. Yet the opera's Spanish flair and exotic energy soon captivated Europe. Ironically, Bizet never visited Spain—the rhythms and melodies came from French collections of “Spanish” tunes. Authentic or not, it became a timeless hit.About Steven, HostSteven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram.

durée : 00:04:57 - Classic & Co - par : Anna Sigalevitch - Ce matin, Anna Sigalevitch nous parle de la Bohème de Puccini, dans la mise en scène de Claus Guth qui se joue à l'opéra Bastille jusqu'au 14 octobre prochain, sous la direction de Domingo Hindoyan. Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

Pour sa rentrée, l'Opéra national de Paris nous propose de redécouvrir la production de La Bohème de Puccini mise en scène par Klaus Guth et dirigée ici par Domingo Hindoyan. Mention légales : Vos données de connexion, dont votre adresse IP, sont traités par Radio Classique, responsable de traitement, sur la base de son intérêt légitime, par l'intermédiaire de son sous-traitant Ausha, à des fins de réalisation de statistiques agréées et de lutte contre la fraude. Ces données sont supprimées en temps réel pour la finalité statistique et sous cinq mois à compter de la collecte à des fins de lutte contre la fraude. Pour plus d'informations sur les traitements réalisés par Radio Classique et exercer vos droits, consultez notre Politique de confidentialité.Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

durée : 01:28:24 - Jonas Kaufmann, célèbre ténor passionné par le lied - par : Aurélie Moreau - Un nouveau disque de Jonas Kaufmann : les Dichterliebe et Kerner-Lieder de Robert Schumann, accompagnés par le pianiste Helmut Deutsch (Sony Classical). Au programme aujourd'hui, ainsi que des airs et lieder de Verdi, Puccini, Wagner et Schubert. Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

durée : 00:20:01 - Disques de légende du vendredi 29 août 2025 - Avec Lorin Maazel à tête du Philharmonia Orchestra et Placido Domingo en partenaire idéal, la soprano Renata Scotto livre, en 1978, une "Madame Butterfly" inoubliable, une version de référence où éclat vocal et intensité dramatique se rejoignent pour un duo d'anthologie. Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

durée : 00:20:01 - Disques de légende du vendredi 29 août 2025 - Avec Lorin Maazel à tête du Philharmonia Orchestra et Placido Domingo en partenaire idéal, la soprano Renata Scotto livre, en 1978, une "Madame Butterfly" inoubliable, une version de référence où éclat vocal et intensité dramatique se rejoignent pour un duo d'anthologie. Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

La Voz Humana en la Música - Turandot de Puccini by Radiotelevisión de Veracruz

I'm on holiday this week, but it would be most unGundlachian of me not to provide an episode to sustain my listeners in my absence. I recently purchased a mammoth 13-LP set on the Concert Hall Society label. The release promises a variety of excerpts that illustrate the history of opera from Monteverdi through Puccini. As such it makes use of a number of complete operatic recordings made for the now-nearly-forgotten label, as well as some impressive individual performances recorded in the early 1960s. One of the attractions of this release to me is that it presents rare recordings by three of the supreme African American divas of that era: Mattiwilda Dobbs, Reri Grist, and Felicia Weathers, the latter two at the very beginning of their international careers in the early 1960s, when they were both fest at the Zürich Opera (where, my astute listeners will remember, contralto Carol Smith) was also ensconced. None of these recordings has received wide distribution (in fact, to my knowledge the majority of them were never re-released in any form). So it is my particularly pleasure to present to you each of these three estimable artists in peak form on recordings that I (at least) had never before encountered: Dobbs as Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Olympia and Antonia in Tales of Hoffmann; Grist as Norina in Don Pasquale; and Weathers as Dido, Manon (by Massenet, not Puccini!), and Butterfly! A number of interesting male singers are nearby to provide assistance in duets: the Swiss tenor Fritz Peters, the American Glade Peterson (both of whom were also fest in Zürich at that time), the legendary French-Canadian Léopold Simoneau and Italian dramatic baritone Scipio Colombo. Far be it from me to throw together an episode that was not as fascinating as some of my more deeply-researched efforts! I'm also celebrating this week 100,000 downloads of the podcast. I've often referred to Countermelody as “the Little Podcast that Could,” so this milestone is particularly gratifying to me. Finally, this episode also serves as a belated birthday tribute to Felicia Weathers, who just last week turned 88 years old. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and author yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

EME MEDIOS

¡Qué pedazo de playlist, ! El programa 338 de La Hora del Rock es una auténtica travesía sonora que mezcla lo clásico, lo épico y lo más potente del metal actual. Aquí va un resumen con sabor a backstage y olor a cuero y amplificador: Lo que sonó: Clásicos inmortales: KISS con “Escape From the Island” (1981) abre el programa como una patada en la puerta.La SINTONIA QUE NUNCA ME DEJO Michael Schenker y su “Rock Bottom” nos recuerdan por qué el UFO fue nave nodriza del hard rock.CON KAI HANSEN Judas Priest con “Bullet Train” (1997) nos lleva directo al infierno metálico. Status Quo y Magnum aportan ese toque británico de elegancia y contundencia. Metal moderno y sin concesiones: Ellefson-Soto y A-Z muestran que el 2025 viene cargado de riffs afilados y voces poderosas. WarKings, Battle Beast y Arch Enemy traen la épica, la furia y la técnica. Warmen desde Finlandia nos regalan un cover de Stratovarius que es puro homenaje. Fusión y sorpresas: Rhapsody of Fire junto a Huecco en “Fuego Valyrio” — ¿power metal con sabor ibérico? ¡Sí, por favor! Laguna y Jimmy Westerlund en “Punk Boy” — un guiño punk dentro del universo rock. Saltimbankya y Opera Magna aportan la teatralidad y el dramatismo que tanto nos gusta. Virtuosismo extremo: The Great Kat con sus versiones de Paganini y Puccini — shred clásico llevado al límite. Protocol Shift y Leo Z5 PM nos sumergen en sonidos más progresivos y experimentales. Espíritu español: Tierra Santa con “El Regreso de un Héroe” y dArtagnan con “Mosqueteros” — himnos para levantar espadas. Parking Fox y su “Sexo” — directo desde 2012, con actitud y provocación. Tributos y rarezas: Horcas y Andrés Giménez versionando “Children of the Grave” — homenaje sudamericano a Sabbath. Helloween en directo desde Budokan — ¡qué lujo de grabación Esto fue lo que sonó: Programa 338 La Hora del Rock fernando Nadales Zenón perez y Paco Jimenez. 1981 - Music From The Elder1981 - Music From The Elder10 - Escape From the Island. Ellefson-Soto (USA)2025 - Unbreakable1 Unbreakable. A-Z - A2Z² (2025)9. Learning to Fly. WarKings - 2025 - Armageddon (Limited Edition)CD14 - Kingdom Come Rhapsody of fire y Huecco fuego valyrio.(2025) Battle beast Here We are.(2025) Leo z5 Pm corazon de fuego , sangre de leon. Protocol Shift - Recode. Michael Schenker - My Years with UFO (50th Anniversary Celebration 1972-1978) (Compilation) (2024)8. Rock Bottom. dArtagnan - Herzblut (2CD) (2024)CD14 - Mosqueteros. Ellefson-Soto (USA)2025 - Unbreakable8 Snakes and Bastards. Helloween - Live at Budokan 2023 (Live) (2024)2 - Skyfall Red Shark 8.Beware the shrak .(2025) SAXON HELL FIRE AND DAMNATION. Laguna - The Ghost Of Katrina (2025)4 Punk Boy (ft. Jimmy Westerlund) Doro Warriors of the sea.(2025) Arch Enemy 2025 - Blood Dynasty (Japanese Edition)13. Moths (Bonus track). Warmen (Finland)2025 - Band of Brothers1 - Band of Brothers. Warmen (Finland)2025 - Band of Brothers11 - The Kiss of Judas (Stratovarius cover). The Great Kat - Encores (2025)30. Paganini's Caprice No. 24. The Great Kat - Encores (2025)1. Paganini's Caprice No. 9 The Great Kat - Encores (2025)18. Puccini's Nessun Dorma Tierra Santa - Un Viaje Épico (2024)6 - El Regreso de un Héroe MAGNUM Live At The Symphony Hall12 - Vigilante.(2019) Opera Magna - Heroica (2024)6 - Heroica. Saltimbankya - Pomba Gira's Vision (2021)6 - A New Begining. Various Artists - Sabbath Crosses - Tributo A Black Sabbath (2004)7 - Horcas and Andres Gimenez - Children of the Grave. Parking Fox 2012 Gigantes o Molinos3 Sexo Parking Fox Gigantes o Molinos. Judas Priest Bullet Train (Jugulator) (1997) Status Quo - Driving To Glory (Compilation) (2024)12 - Lucinda. *SI TE GUSTA LO QUE HACEMOS COMPARTE,A SI CREAREMOS UNA GRAN FAMILIA ROCKERA STAY FUCKING METAL* SIGUENOS !!

Giacomo Puccinis Oper "La Bohème" wird bei den Erfurter Domfestspielen gezeigt. In dieser Episode erfahren Sie einiges über die Hintergründe.

Italiener oder Imbiss. Puccini oder Punkrock. Die Herkunft prägt den Geschmack ein Leben lang. Davon ist der Franzose Pierre Bourdieu überzeugt. Wer ist der Mann, der die Soziologie als Kampfsport bezeichnet? Autorin: Maike Brzoska (BR 2020)

Tosca: Gilda Cruz-Romo Cavaradossi: Placido Domingo Scarpia: Ingvar Wixell Sacristan: Renato Capecchi Angelotti: Allan Monk Spoletta: Andrea Velis Sciarrone:Russell Christopher Shepherd: Godehard Rau Conductor: James Levine Metropolitan Opera 1 March 1977 In-house recording

A cura di Paolo PellegriniG. Puccini – ToscaLuciano PavarottiMario CavaradossiJosephine BarstowFloria ToscaAlain FondaryScarpiaPiero de PalmaSpolettaGottfried HornikCesare AngelottiWolfgang ScheiderSciaronneBerliner PhilarmonikerHerbert von Karajan

So many great singing artists lost to the world of late! Almost a month ago now, the great Welsh tenor Stuart Burrows (07 February 1933 - 29 June 2025) left this mortal coil at the age of 92. Burrows was an artist of extraordinary technique, elegance, and sincerity and it has been an honor and a delight to put together this episode which celebrates his career. Because he was a favorite partner of so many exceptional divas, I decided to focus this episode on Burrows singing duets with some of the most important divas of his era. Included in the episode are Beverly Sills, Gundula Janowitz, Joan Sutherland, Renata Scotto, Leontyne Price, Nelly Miricioiu, Gwendolyn Killebrew, Margaret Price, and Reri Grist, singing Mozart, Massenet, Offenbach, Gounod, Berlioz, Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, and even some Puccini. “The boys” are represented by José van Dam and Countermelody favorite Donald Gramm. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Burrows was a popular television star in the UK, starring in the eponymous BBC2 series, Stuart Burrows Sings. The episode also features two snippets from that show, one a duet with the beautiful lyric mezzo Diana Montague (whose husband tenor David Rendall died earlier this week). The episode begins with a tribute to the beloved Welsh pop contralto Iris Williams, who died on July 11 at the age of 79. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

As we joyfully prepare for our 40th Anniversary Season, which includes an original LA Opera production of La Bohème, we're going into the vault to bring you a special episode from 2016: a La Bohème talk by Duff Murphy. Here, he shares fascinating knowledge about Puccini, La Bohème's reception in its time, who the opera is dedicated to, and how the lush, enduring classic almost didn't come to be. How well do you know La Bohème? Listen in and get your tickets now to La Bohème, playing this November 22 through December 14. Tickets available at LAOpera.org.

Das Raumzeit-Kontinuum verschiebt sich bei dieser erneuten Highlight-Folge aus dem Hause Eulensau, da aus Gründen eine sogenannte Voraufzeichnung stattfand. Trotzdem fühlt sich das Ganze ungemein frisch, tagesaktuell und live an, was an den magischen Kräften der drei Vieraugen liegen muss. Wie genau die begnadeten Hobby-Zauberer Boromir, Taresh und Fridtjof Fidsgiver das bewerkstelligen, kann man nur erahnen, aber die Mannigfaltigkeit der Themen sucht wieder einmal mehr ihresgleichen. Hier noch ein paar Stichpunkte: Familienpodcast Ellenbogenwaffen Sarah Connor Seat Squatting Gossensprache Beinchenheld Gefühlsmuskeln Rehaugen *** Du möchtest mehr über unsere Werbepartner erfahren? Hier findest du alle Infos & Rabatte: https://linktr.ee/EulenvordieSaeue

The multi-Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for Drama winning Musical “RENT” by Jonathan Larson comes to life from the Highland Park Players playing at McGrath Performing Arts Center in Wilmette from July 18-27. The beloved musical is based on Puccini's opera La Boheme but is set in the more modern day 1996-1998as it presents the […]

In this episode of Crack the Book, we take a look at Week Fourteen of Ted Gioia's Humanities Course, covering Virgil's The Aeneid (Books 1–2), Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book 1), and selections from The Portable Roman Reader. The focus is on key texts from Roman literature, their historical context, and their connections to earlier Greek works, providing an overview of their content and significance.Key Discussion Points: Virgil's The Aeneid (Robert Fagles' Translation): Written between 29–19 BCE, The Aeneid serves as Rome's foundational epic, modeled on Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Book 1 opens with Aeneas, a Trojan survivor, shipwrecked on Carthage's shore due to Juno's interference, meeting Queen Dido, an exile from Tyre. Book 2 recounts Troy's fall, including the Trojan Horse stratagem and Aeneas' escape with his father Anchises and son Ascanius, losing his wife Creusa. The text emphasizes Aeneas' pietas (duty to gods, family, state). Divine rivalries, notably Juno's grudge from the Judgment of Paris and Venus' protection of Aeneas, drive the narrative. The Fagles translation includes maps and a glossary for accessibility. Ovid's Metamorphoses (David Raeburn's Translation): Composed around 8 CE, Metamorphoses is a 15-book poem chronicling transformations from creation to Ovid's era. Book 1 covers the creation of the cosmos from Chaos, the division into four elements (fire, water, earth, air), and humanity's decline from the Golden to Iron Age. It includes a flood narrative with Deucalion and Pyrrha and the story of Io, transformed into a cow by Jupiter to evade Juno. The Raeburn edition organizes vignettes with titled sections for clarity. The Portable Roman Reader (Basil Davenport, Ed.): Published in 1951, this anthology includes poetry from Rome's Republic, Augustan, and later Empire periods. Catullus (c. 60s–50s BCE) offers direct, personal verses, translated by Byron. Horace (65–8 BCE) writes complex, philosophical odes, less accessible due to style. Martial (c. 38–104 CE) provides epigrams on public life, including two elegies for a deceased young girl. Davenport's notes contextualize each era, and the anthology features prose by Livy, Caesar, and Tacitus for future study. Contextual Notes: The texts reflect Rome's engagement with Greek literary traditions, adapting gods' names (e.g., Hera to Juno) and themes. The course's schedule prioritizes rapid coverage to identify key works and connections.Takeaways:I loved this week so much! It felt great to come "home" to Rome. I've got specific ideas about how to approach each of these books, but in my opinion they are all worth the time for certain people. The music was gorgeous, arias and overtures from Puccini and Verdi! You must listen...check out my link below. And the cave paintings were worth examining as well, especially the handprints from Indonesia. See that link below, too.This is a year-long challenge! Join me next week for WHATEVER IS NEXTLINKSTed Gioia/The Honest Broker's 12-Month Immersive Humanities Course (paywalled!)My Amazon Book List (NOT an affiliate link)Spotify Play List of Puccini and Verdi without wordsCave...

The Honest Broker's Humanities Course shifts to the Middle East and Persia, exploring the Quran (circa 800 A.D.) and the 13th-century poet Rumi, before returning to Rome next week. The reading, kept under 250 pages, includes 14 of the Quran's 114 surahs (1-5, 12, 17, 18, 32, 36, 55, 67, 103, 112) and self-selected Rumi poems. New to both texts, I approached them with curiosity, trusting the curator's selection after prior Bible readings, but found the experience underwhelming.The Quran portrays Allah as focused on division between believers and unbelievers, with frequent mentions of hell for those lacking faith. Submission to Allah's will is paramount, and praying toward Mecca symbolizes spiritual alignment and community unity. The text excludes Jews from Abraham's promise if they do wrong, though some verses suggest salvation for believers, possibly including Jews and Christians. Jesus is depicted as a prophet, not divine, contrasting Christian beliefs. Allah seems to emphasize punishing unbelievers, with hell referenced often, and fasting is highlighted as a path to righteousness, noted during Ramadan.Familiar Biblical stories—Cain and Abel, Joseph, Moses—appear but differ from their older Genesis versions. Joseph, for example, is nearly perfect in the Quran, unlike the flawed figure in the Bible. The origins of these variations remain unclear after online research. Some Quranic verses, like “God does not burden any soul beyond its capacity” (Surah 2:286), contrast with Christian teachings, such as Galatians 6:2's call to “bear one another's burdens.”Rumi's poetry feels modern and dreamlike but elusive compared to upcoming Roman poets. Plans are in place to revisit Rumi when studying Dante, a contemporary. The Quran was read on a Kindle (Clear Quran translation), which hindered the experience due to reliance on spatial memory for physical books, making note-taking and recall difficult. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's music and Islamic architecture were briefly explored but felt overwhelming. Next week's reading covers Virgil's Aeneid (Books 1 and 2), Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book 1), and selections from Horace, Catullus, and Sulpicia in Davenport's Portable Roman Reader, with Verdi and Puccini arias and cave art.LINKSTed Gioia/The Honest Broker's 12-Month Immersive Humanities Course (paywalled!)My Amazon Book List (NOT an affiliate link)Rumi's PoemsCONNECTTo read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com.Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/ LISTENSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bdApple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321 Captivate - https://crackthebook.captivate.fm

Durant gaireb

durée : 01:28:46 - Daniel Harding, précision et liberté - par : Aurélie Moreau - Chef d'orchestre accompli et pilote de ligne, Daniel Harding est directeur musical de l'Orchestre de l'Académie Sainte-Cécile. Il a dirigé l'enregistrement de Tosca de Puccini avec Jonathan Tetelman, Eleonora Buratto, Ludovic Tézier… (DGG, 3/2025).

highlights? maybe lowlights? Thanks to Puccini's Pizza Pasta for sponsoring our HUGE broadcast!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ADV - Prova Veggy Goods! ⁠⁠https://veggygood.sancarlo.com/⁠ Live! del 22 Febbraio 2025 al Teatro Puccini di Firenze, con la storia della magia nera del Padrino di Matamoros Adolfo de Jesùs Constanzo, preparate i vostri Nganga! --------- Patreon: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/crimeandcomedy⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/crimeandcomedy.podcast/⁠⁠ Telegram: ⁠⁠https://t.me/crimeandcomedy⁠⁠ Sito: ⁠⁠https://www.crimeandcomedy.it⁠⁠ Instagram: Clara Campi: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/claracampicomedy/⁠⁠ Marco Champier: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mrchreddy/⁠⁠ Caricature - Giorgio Brambilla: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giorgio_brambilla_bookscomedy/⁠⁠ Tutti i Podcast: ⁠⁠https://link.chtbl.com/CrimeandComedy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

durée : 00:17:28 - Les Midis de Culture - par : Marie Labory - Les critiques discutent de "Il Trittico", trois opéras en un de Giacomo Puccini, mis en scène par Christof Loy et dirigés par Carlo Rizzi à l'Opéra Bastille. Un voyage de la tragédie au drame entre la France et l'Italie, magnifié par l'émotion que procure la soprane Asmik Grigorian. - réalisation : Laurence Malonda, Camille Mati - invités : Marie Sorbier Productrice du "Point Culture" sur France Culture, et rédactrice en chef de I/O; Zoé Sfez Productrice de La Série musicale sur France Culture

Vivid Sydney, the annual festival of lights, starts on 23 May. This year's theme is 'Dream.' For this episode, Ms Ohtake picked 'Chi il bel sogno di Doretta' from 'La Rondine' composed by G. Puccini. - ５月23日から始まる毎年恒例の光の祭典、ビビッド・シドニー（Vivid Sydney）。今年のテーマは「夢」ということで、ビビッド・シドニーにちなんだ選曲です。

ADV - Prova Veggy Goods! ⁠https://veggygood.sancarlo.com/ Live! del 21 Febbraio 2025 al Teatro Puccini di Firenze, con l'agghiacciante storia di Neal e Ling Williams, i loro due figli e la collezione di Katane di Neal --------- Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/crimeandcomedy⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/crimeandcomedy.podcast/⁠ Telegram: ⁠https://t.me/crimeandcomedy⁠ Sito: ⁠https://www.crimeandcomedy.it⁠ Instagram: Clara Campi: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/claracampicomedy/⁠ Marco Champier: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mrchreddy/⁠ Caricature - Giorgio Brambilla: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/giorgio_brambilla_bookscomedy/⁠ Tutti i Podcast: ⁠https://link.chtbl.com/CrimeandComedy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are very few singers that mean more to me than does Elisabeth Söderström. I was first made aware of her at the tender age of ten, when I became obsessed with Pelléas et Mélisande after hearing the (at the time) brand new recording of the opera conducted by Pierre Boulez which featured Söderström and George Shirley in the title roles. Further explorations yielded further delights: the complete Rachmaninov songs with Vladimir Ashkenazy, the Janáček heroines under Charles Mackerras. I began grabbing every recording of hers that I could get, and every time I encountered her unique voice, frail yet passionate, I fell further and further under her spell. And then I saw her onstage, both in recital and as the Marschallin on the Met Tour and I became an even more passionate devotee. When I was recently reminded that May 7 was her birthday, I determined that it was time to revisit her legacy and artistry. Because she was so quintessentially Swedish, I have chosen a program featuring Söderström singing primarily in Swedish, including a healthy sampling of music by Swedish composers (Blomdahl, Nordheim, Lindberg, Alfvén, Larsson, Nystroem, and Rangström). And because she sang so many of her operatic roles in Swedish translation, we also get to hear her as Charpentier's Louise and Puccini's Cio-Cio-San. Vocal guest stars are fellow great Swedish singers Erik Sædén and Hugo Hasslo. Also expect some delicious and delightful surprises, as this most spontaneous and inspired of singers always had something unexpected up her sleeve! Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.  

A Coimbra, Mario Draghi lancia un appello forte all’Europa: serve un’azione rapida e concreta su competitività, difesa e decarbonizzazione. Il contesto globale - con il declino dell’ordine multilaterale e il ricorso a dazi unilaterali - impone una svolta. Draghi sottolinea che il debito comune UE è cruciale per finanziare spese condivise, soprattutto per la difesa. I prezzi alti dell’energia e le lacune infrastrutturali minacciano la tenuta industriale e la transizione green. Il presidente Mattarella, intervenuto dopo, rilancia l’urgenza citando Puccini: “Nessun dorma” deve essere il motto dell’Europa. Ne parliamo con Mario Deaglio professore emerito di Economia Internazionale, Università di Torino.Ex Ilva, con stop altoforno 1 sale subito la cassa integrazione Dopo l’incendio all’altoforno 1 dello stabilimento ex Ilva di Taranto, la cassa integrazione straordinaria nel gruppo Acciaierie d’Italia sale subito a 4.046 lavoratori. Il blocco dell’impianto, sequestrato dalla Procura, incide su produzione e indotto. L’azienda segnala ritardi nei permessi per la messa in sicurezza e valuta un’ulteriore estensione della cassa, che potrebbe arrivare fino a 5.500 dipendenti. Il ministro Urso assicura che i 100 milioni per l’integrazione del prestito ponte sono in arrivo. Interviene Domenico Palmiotti, Il Sole 24 Ore, Taranto.A NetZero Milan si parla della sfida della decarbonizzazioneParte oggi a Milano NetZero Milan 2025, evento internazionale sulla decarbonizzazione promosso da Fiera Milano. In programma fino al 16 maggio, ospita oltre 140 speaker e 12 conferenze verticali. L’obiettivo è creare un dialogo tra imprese, istituzioni e finanza per accelerare la transizione green. Per centrare i target 2030 serviranno 480 miliardi l’anno in investimenti sostenibili. Crescono intanto gli investimenti privati: nel 2024 il private equity italiano ha toccato i 14,9 miliardi, +83% rispetto al 2023. Approfondiamo il tema con Carlo Cici, Partner & Head of Sustainability Practice, The European House - Ambrosetti.

President Trump’s attempts to freeze federal dollars for “sanctuary” jurisdictions were thwarted in court last week. Where is the battle headed?  The Supreme Court is considering two cases about public education this week. One involves the bar to prove discrimination related to disability, and the other involves state funding for a religious charter school. “Sinners” takes the box office for a second week, sparking debate about originality, biased media coverage, and what its success means for Hollywood’s future. Rufus Wainwright’s new album, “Dream Requiem,” is interwoven with Lord Byron’s poem “Darkness.” It’s partly inspired by Giuseppe Verdi, and is dedicated to Wainwright’s dog named Puccini. 

️ La Teoría de la Mente – Episodio: ¿Estamos condenados a no entendernos? El amor romántico bajo la lupa ❤️‍ ¿Y si el amor que nos enseñaron no fuera más que una hermosa trampa? En este episodio de La Teoría de la Mente, nos adentramos en el alma del amor romántico y sus consecuencias, explorando por qué muchas veces amar duele, esperar desespera y desear nos deja vacíos. Desde la desgarradora historia de Madame Butterfly de Puccini hasta la leyenda urbana de Rebeca en el muelle de San Blas , descubrimos cómo la cultura ha alimentado modelos de relaciones basados en la ausencia, la espera eterna y la dependencia emocional. Esas narrativas en las que las mujeres esperan y los hombres deciden; donde el sufrimiento se vuelve sinónimo de amor. ¿Por qué seguimos atrapados en estos roles, incluso en un mundo que ha cambiado tanto? ¿Es la pasión trágica el único camino hacia el “amor verdadero”? Este episodio nos invita a cuestionar mitos, desafiar arquetipos y construir un amor más auténtico, más humano y menos idealizado. Reflexionamos sobre: El mito del amor que espera vs. el amor que elige. Cómo la cultura y la biología se entrelazan en nuestras relaciones. La figura femenina como sujeto pasivo del deseo. El peso de las historias infantiles en nuestras elecciones adultas. La trampa emocional de los finales trágicos que tanto nos conmueven. Con Madame Butterfly como símbolo, hablamos de lo que significa amar desde la presencia y no desde la carencia. Porque el amor no debería doler, ni exigir sacrificios eternos para ser real. Este episodio es una llamada a dejar de esperar y empezar a descubrirnos. Porque, como dijo Butterfly, “un bello día veremos”… pero quizás ese día no llegue solo, hay que construirlo. Recursos y enlaces recomendados: Nuestra escuela de ansiedad: www.escuelaansiedad.com Nuestro nuevo libro: www.elmapadelaansiedad.com Página oficial: www.amadag.com Facebook: facebook.com/Asociacion.Agorafobia Instagram: instagram.com/amadag.psico ▶️ Youtube AMADAG TV: youtube.com/AMADAGTV Palabras clave para SEO: amor romántico,Madame Butterfly,Puccini,ideal romántico,insatisfacción amorosa,Rebeca muelle San Blas,relaciones de pareja,dependencia emocional,mitos del amor,amor verdadero,vínculos auténticos,ausencia en el amor,carencia emocional,historias románticas,literatura clásica,cultura del amor,relaciones humanas,amor y biología,amor cultural,parejas infelices,fantasías de amor,el hombre desea,la mujer es deseada,arias de ópera,Madame Butterfly análisis #️⃣ Hashtags: #AmorRomántico #MadameButterfly #RelacionesDePareja #ReflexionesSobreElAmor #MitosDelAmor #TeoríaDeLaMente Títulos alternativos sugeridos: Madame Butterfly y el Mito del Amor que Espera ¿Por Qué el Ideal Romántico Nos Hace Infelices? ❤️ Amor, Ausencia y Fantasías: ¿Estamos Condenados a Repetirlo? De Cuentos a Realidades: Cómo Romper con los Mitos del Amor Romántico Esperar o Descubrir: El Dilema del Amor en el Siglo XXI ¿Quieres que te prepare una versión reducida para redes sociales o un clip con frase destacada del episodio? También puedo ayudarte con eso

  The Doctor, Audacity and Charley visit many times and places, always with the best of intentions. But others have a different agenda... Puccini and the Doctor by Matthew Jacobs Inspired by his friends, the Doctor takes Charley and Audacity to Milan to meet Puccini and hear the music of love. But the Doctor is not the only alien entranced by humanity. The mysterious Tura is setting riddles, and for those who answer, the experience is transformative... Women's Day Off by Lisa McMullin Iceland, 1975. Charley and Audacity are thrilled to discover that the women have gone on strike. All of them. With potentially disastrous consequences for a girl called Kyla - and everyone she comes into contact with. The Gloaming by Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle The Doctor, Charley and Audacity arrive on Gloaming, a luxury sleep clinic in orbit around a dead world. Gloaming is filled with wealthy Sleepers, dreaming through the dark ages of their world in suspended animation. But something is growing here, creeping into minds and poisoning dreams. Something the Doctor fought long ago...

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Dans l'histoire mongole, peu de figures féminines sont aussi fascinantes que Khutulun. Cette princesse guerrière du XIIIe siècle, nièce de Kubilai Khan et fille du puissant Kaidu Khan, était célèbre pour sa bravoure, son talent exceptionnel au combat et surtout… son exigence unique en matière de mariage : pour obtenir sa main, un prétendant devait la vaincre à la lutte.Une guerrière hors du communKhutulun n'était pas une princesse ordinaire. Née vers 1260 dans un empire mongol en pleine expansion, elle grandit dans un contexte où les femmes aristocrates avaient un rôle actif dans la société et parfois même dans la guerre. Fille préférée de Kaidu Khan, un chef influent de la lignée de Gengis Khan, elle reçut un entraînement militaire rigoureux et s'illustra très jeune par sa force physique et ses talents de stratège.Lors des batailles, Khutulun était redoutable : on raconte qu'elle se jetait dans la mêlée, capturant elle-même ses ennemis. Sa réputation de guerrière surpassait celle de nombreux hommes de son époque. Mais c'est surtout par sa maîtrise de la lutte mongole, un sport traditionnel, qu'elle marqua l'histoire.Un défi unique pour les prétendantsSelon les récits, Khutulun refusait de se marier, malgré les pressions de sa famille et des chefs mongols. Mais pour apaiser les attentes, elle posa une condition radicale : elle n'épouserait que celui qui réussirait à la vaincre à la lutte. Chaque prétendant devait miser 100 chevaux avant de l'affronter ; s'il perdait, elle conservait les bêtes.Aucun homme ne parvenant à la battre, Khutulun accumula des milliers de chevaux, constituant ainsi un troupeau impressionnant. Cette exigence ne relevait pas seulement d'un caprice, mais d'une affirmation de son indépendance et de sa supériorité physique, dans une société où la force déterminait souvent le pouvoir.Une fin mystérieuseFace aux rumeurs grandissantes et aux intrigues politiques, Khutulun aurait fini par se marier, mais pas par défaite. Certains récits disent qu'elle choisit un guerrier de son camp, d'autres qu'elle mourut au combat.Son histoire inspira Marco Polo, qui la mentionna dans ses écrits, et plus tard des œuvres modernes, notamment en tant que source d'inspiration pour la princesse Turandot dans l'opéra de Puccini. Khutulun demeure aujourd'hui une figure emblématique de la puissance féminine dans l'histoire mongole. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

¡Muy buenos días cuentahabientes! Está Gerardo Kleinburg en cabina porque nos trae la vida y obra de Puccini, uno de los compositores de Ópera más importantes de la historia de la música, y que este año se cumplen 100 años de su muerte. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No dejen de escuchar el programa de hoy, vamos a aprender sobre legado emocional, el ahorro, la geografía del turismo y todo sobre Puccini y sus obras. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[@3 min] Alright, this week...Pene Pati takes a Free Throw on Rodolfo, the role which marks the star Samoan tenor's debut at Lyric Opera of Chicago next month. As Rodolfo and Mimi are top two on the call sheet for La Boheme, we'll handicap some of the commercial recordings of Puccini's perennial people pleasing masterpiece. [@39 min] And then…Meridian Prall goes Inside the Huddle. Named an OBS artist to watch in 2025, so we are going to check in with the American mezzo-soprano in advance of her debut in Washington Concert Opera's La clemenza di Tito. [@65 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill'…speaking of Washington..well, we'd rather not, but at least we can talk about the new Met season if America is still a thing in the fall. GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 bsky @operaboxscore

Rufus Wainwright is a difficult artist to categorize at the best of times. As a musician, he's recorded pop songs, folk music, operas and stage musicals. But his new album, “Dream Requiem,” is a little different, even for him. It's a religious work inspired by a range of subjects, including a poem by Lord Byron, the music of Giuseppe Verdi, and his beloved late dog Puccini. He also managed to recruit Meryl Streep to narrate the project. Rufus joins Tom Power over Zoom to talk about the different influences behind “Dream Requiem,” his upbringing in Quebec, and how this project really mourns the death of the American Dream.

Simon Reeve is a broadcaster and writer best known for his TV documentaries which combine travel and adventure with investigations into the challenges faced by the places he visits.His journeys have taken him across jungles, deserts, mountains and oceans, and to some of the most dangerous and remote regions of the world. He's dodged bullets on frontlines, dived with seals and sharks, survived malaria, walked through minefields and tracked lions on foot.Simon grew up in Acton in west London. He experienced anxiety and depression as a teenager and left school with few qualifications. He eventually found a job in the post room at the Sunday Times and from there progressed to working with the news teams, filing stories on a range of subjects from organised crime to nuclear smuggling. In the late 1990s he wrote one of the first books about Al-Qaeda and its links to Osama Bin Laden. His expertise in this area was quickly called upon after the 9/11 attacks in the USA, and he became a regular guest on American television and radio programmes.The current pandemic put Simon's overseas trips into abeyance and he has turned his attention to the UK, recently making programmes about Cornwall and the Lake District. DISC ONE: Eskègizéw Bèrtchi by Alèmayèhu Eshèté DISC TWO: Vissi d'arte - from Puccini's Tosca, performed by Kiri Te Kanawa with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sir John Pritchard DISC THREE: It Takes Two by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock DISC FOUR: We Will Rock You by Queen DISC FIVE: Mr Brightside by The Killers DISC SIX: Wiley Flow by Stormzy DISC SEVEN: You're Lovely to Me by Lucky Jim DISC EIGHT: Rocket Man by Elton John BOOK CHOICE: Moonshine for Beginners and Experts by Damian Brown LUXURY ITEM: Bird seed CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Rocket Man by Elton John Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Paula McGinley