At Its (s)Core

This episode features Boston Lyric Opera's Director of Artistic Operations Jessica Johnson Brock and Stage Director Nathan Troup. They reflect on their shared experience working on BLO's 2016 presentation of Calixto Bieito's Carmen at the Boston Opera House. Both former BLO Emerging Artists, they also discuss the nuances of the artistic process and the importance of making more room for all at the table in the opera industry. This episode features musical excerpts from Boston Lyric Opera's 2016 production of Carmen.

This episode highlights Boston Lyric Opera Resident Teaching Artists Patricia Au and Lydia Jane Graeff. They give the inside scoop on all of the BLO education and community partnership programs, share their favorite experiences, and reflect upon the challenges and triumphs of their work. This episode features the following music: “Be a Changemaker” By: First Graders at Graham and Parks School in Cambridge, MA "Hänsel und Gretel: Abends, will ich schlafen gehn 'Evening Prayer'" By: Engelbert Humperdinck Performed By:Nicole Cabell, Alyson Cambridge, Lake Forest Symphony, Vladimir Kulenovic Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Boston Lyric Opera Artistic Advisor John Conklin and filmmaker Greg Emetaz give the behind-the-scenes view of their new series on operabox.tv: RETRO+ Short Cuts. They discuss their artistic process, share their wishes for opera audiences, and asses the relationship of opera and film. The episode features musical excerpts from the following Boston Lyric Opera productions: The Barber of Seville (2002), Norma (2020), The Magic Flute (2013), Tosca (2017), and Rigoletto (2014). Watch RETRO+ Short Cuts on operabox.tv

Music has the power to bring family and friends together, especially this time of year. In this special holiday bonus episode of AT ITS (s)CORE, Boston Lyric Opera Stanford Calderwood General & Artistic Director Esther Nelson is joined by her daughter and husband to recount their seasonal family traditions centered around music.

Boston Lyric Opera's Director of Financial Operations Steve Atwater and former Artistic Associate Sydney Mukasa reunite to discuss BLO's 2019 immersive production of Pagliacci. They reflect upon their time in the artistic department and examine the importance of creating accessible opera. This episode features musical excerpts from Boston Lyric Opera's 2019 production of Pagliacci.

Boston Lyric Opera’s current Chorus Master Brett Hodgdon and former Chorus Master Michelle Alexander reunite to discuss their shared experience working together on BLO’s 2015 Production of La Bohème. They reflect on the joys and challenges of leading an opera chorus and provide a glimpse into the rehearsal process from their respective roles. This episode features musical excerpts from Boston Lyric Opera’s 2015 production of La Bohème.

BLO’s Wardrobe Supervisor Dianna Reardon and Staging Staff member Bruno Baker dive into the intricacies of opera wardrobe coordination. They reflect upon the nuances of their roles in the rehearsal and performance process, and recall the joys and challenges of the wardrobe duties for BLO’s 2018 production of Tod Machover’s Schoenberg in Hollywood. This episode includes musical excerpts from Boston Lyric Opera’s world premiere production of Tod Machover’s Schoenberg in Hollywood.

American Stage Director Matthew Ozawa and Santa Fe Opera's Director of Production Chelsea Antrim Dennis come together to reflect upon the start of their careers working together on a production of Richard Strauss' Salome. They discuss the unique process of score study from the perspective of an opera director and stage manager, and they share the importance of representation across all areas of opera production. This episode includes musical excerpts of “Salome’s Dance” from Salome by Richard Strauss, performed by the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (Zdenek Kosler), courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

American theater director Anne Bogart and Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano reconnect to discuss their experience working together on Poul Ruders' opera adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. They discuss the nuances of the score, their process in creating this world, and reflect upon the "impossibility" of the Boston Lyric Opera production. This episode includes musical excerpts from Boston Lyric Opera's 2019 production of Poul Ruder's The Handmaid's Tale.

Stage Director Sarna Lapine and Grammy Award-winning Mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor reunite for a discussion centered around their experience working together on BLO's 2019 production of Britten's The Rape of Lucretia. They discuss their process and reflect on the opera's parallels in today's society, especially pertaining to the #MeToo movement. This episode includes musical excerpts from Boston Lyric Opera's 2019 production of Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia.

2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid joins Boston Lyric Opera Music Director David Angus in a conversation around their love for Maurice Ravel's symphony/ballet Daphnis et Chloé. Reid shares her compositional influences, and they discuss the importance of new, innovative works in today's society. This episode includes musical excerpts from the London Symphony Orchestra's 1957 recording of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé.

Boston Lyric Opera Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artists Brianna J. Robinson and Zaray Rodriguez share their passion for music-making through discussing "Mira, O Norma" from Bellini's Norma. They recount their career beginnings, reflect on their experiences in the opera industry as young women of color, and share their hopes for the future of the art form. This episode includes musical excerpts from Boston Lyric Opera's 2020 recording of Norma.

Boston Lyric Opera Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist Alumni Simon Dyer and Vincent Turregano reflect on their time with the company and working together for the first time during BLO's 2019 production of Fellow Travelers. From discussions of Fellow Travelers's difficult, yet melodic score to representation in opera for the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities, these conversations continue to make ripples throughout the industry and the nation. This episode features musical excerpts from Boston Lyric Opera's 2019 production of Fellow Travelers.

Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro sparks a varied and important conversation with Boston Lyric Opera Music Director David Angus and guest conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni, Assistant Professor of Orchestral Studies and Contemporary Music at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. This second episode focuses on the complexities of Mozart's masterpiece while also addressing the chaos and unrest of our current national crises and the future of opera. This episode includes musical excerpts from Flanders Symphony Orchestra 2003 recording of Mozart's Overture to Le Nozze di Figaro.

Boston Lyric Opera’s new podcast, AT ITS (s)CORE, is a music-focused bi-weekly series centered around a single piece of music that sparks conversations between artists about their shared experiences in the process of making opera, and living a life filled with music. Boston Lyric Opera Music Director David Angus and BLO Concertmaster Annie Rabbat helm the first episode. Angus and Rabbat discuss a selection of music from Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which Rabbat used as an audition piece for her role in the BLO Orchestra. This episode includes musical excerpts from Boston Lyric Opera's 2012 production of Madama Butterly.

Boston Lyric Opera’s new podcast, AT ITS (s)CORE, is a music-focused bi-weekly series centered around a single piece of music that sparks conversations between artists about their shared experiences in the process of making opera, and living a life filled with music. Boston Lyric Opera Music Director David Angus and BLO Concertmaster Annie Rabbat helm the first episode. Angus and Rabbat discuss a selection of music from Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which Rabbat used as an audition piece for her role in the BLO Orchestra.