[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…how DO you solve a problem like Jeff Bezos? How do you catch a donation and pin it down, in an era when the hills are NOT alive with the sound of donors? Is this bit working? We answer these questions, and more, in Chalk Talk… [@ 18 min] And then...Santa Fe Opera General Director Robert K. Meya takes a Free Throw on the recently announced 2027 festival season, and picks where HE wants to go see opera this summer. [@ 29 min] Shocking news from the Met. Yes, we’re sad,...
May 21, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Season 11Ep. 521
[@ 1 min] Alright, this week…we continue with the OBS playbook for the upcoming Summer Opera Season. This time the team picks the most anticipated performances in the Western European League! [@ 17 min] And then...soprano, stage director, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis artistic director Patricia Racette returns to take a Free Throw on performing MT at OTSL! [@ 28 min] Lakmé gets cancelled, and the Met gets a visit from Typhoid Mimi... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD Stream new episodes every Saturday at 10...
May 14, 2026•50 min•Season 11Ep. 520
[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…Conductor David Neely goes Inside the Huddle to share highlights from Des Moines Metro Opera’s upcoming festival season! [@ 22 min] And since we're already on the topic of the Summer opera season, in Chalk Talk, the team handicaps the opera festivals here in the US of A… [@ 38 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Bard College’s Leo Botstein steps down, and Friend of the Show Eric Einhorn steps up! GET YOUR VOICE HEARD Stream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on...
May 07, 2026•52 min•Season 11Ep. 519
[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Dane Lam! Just in time for AAPI Heritage Month, the Australian-Chinese-Singaporean conductor shares his perspective on the state of opera in the Asia-Pacific, as well as collaborating with thee Sir Thomas Allen, the stage director of the Marriage of Figaro for Scottish Opera. [@ 38 min] And then...the Listener Mailbag is full of Field Reports from the Giulio Gari Competition Finals AND the Yale Baroque Opera Project... [@ 49 min] Plus, in...
Apr 30, 2026•1 hr 8 min•Season 11Ep. 518
[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…Anthony Gregory goes Inside the Huddle. The British tenor is currently starring in the title role of 'Glaucus and Scylla' at Opernhaus Zürich, under the baton of Emmanuelle Haïm. This summer, he makes his US debut at Santa Fe Opera, but you can and SHOULD follow him on Instagram right now! [@ 32 min] And then... a Field Report from American Symphony Orchestra’s Der Freischütz, reimagined. [@ 40 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… an embezzlement scandal rocks Teatr...
Apr 23, 2026•57 min•Season 11Ep. 517
[@ 12 min] Alright, this week…Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced their 26/27 season, and we break down the stats, report who’s active on the roster, and ask the all-important question…will Luck Be a Lady at the Lyric next year? [@ 30 min] And then...Friend of the Show Randall Scotting returns to the OBS to take a free throw on Nicolò Grimaldi, the castrato who conquered the opera world under the stage name Nicolini. His latest album, 'Divine Impresario' is now available to conquer your earhole...
Apr 16, 2026•57 min•Season 11Ep. 516
[@ 6 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Adam Smith! The British tenor made his Met debut in Madame Butterfly last month and continues his breakout season, starring in the Spring run of the Zeffirelli Boheme production beginning this weekend. We’ve been tipped off that he compares the pressures of being a leading tenor to playing tennis, so brace yourselves for Oliver’s gloating... [@ 2 min] And then...it's a Field report from opening night(!) of Kaija Saariaho’s 'Innocence'... ...
Apr 09, 2026•1 hr 8 min•Season 11Ep. 515
[@ 6 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Marshall Pynkowski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, co-artistic directors of Opera Atelier, the company that built its reputation of lavish productions of operas from the French Baroque, and is now set to present…Pelléas and Melisande!?! [@ 42 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Violinist Lara St. John settles a lawsuit, and preservationists SUE to protect the Kennedy Center... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD Stream new episodes every Saturday at 1...
Apr 02, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Season 11Ep. 514
[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…it’s a very important Hall of Fame induction for the late, great Jose Van Dam! The legendary Belgian bass-baritone finally breaks our streak of inductees that are either sopranos, tenors, or Georg Solti… [@ 44 min] And then…Oliver Camacho’s in the Big Apple to give us a field report from the Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition! Who won, who lost, and who’s clamoring to be the next guest here on the OBS? Stay tuned to find out the answer to at least two of these qu...
Mar 26, 2026•1 hr 9 min•Season 11Ep. 513
[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…Alright, this week…We go Inside the Huddle with Rosa Feola! The Italian lyric soprano joins us from Naples, where she is singing the title role of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Tomorrow, her album of rare Donizetti Songs with Carlo Rizzi drops on the Opera Rara label. Find out WHO taught her how to be a Donizetti boss... [@ 22 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Lise Davidsen says singing “has been my world, my everything. And now it’s not.” And Ric Grenell used...
Mar 19, 2026•47 min•Season 11Ep. 512
[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…Susanne Burgess goes Inside the Huddle! The British-American soprano is about to compete in the quadrathlon known as The Tales of Hoffman, singing the Four Heroines at Florentine Opera this weekend! Find out how she’s training so she doesn’t 'fach' up her voice. [@ 34 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… The Met’s financial woes are made embarrassingly public ,and Timothée Chalamet galvanizes the global performing arts community...against him. GET YOUR VOICE HEARD S...
Mar 12, 2026•1 hr 6 min•Season 11Ep. 511
[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…Countertenor Hugh Cutting takes a Free Throw! The OBS artist-to-watch is set to perform with the Irish Baroque Orchestra in Manhattan later this month ,and joins us from England with dodgy audio...but we’re thrilled to have him, at any rate. [@ 17 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… Yuja Wang makes sure that disc is fully slipped... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD Stream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.com operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 ope...
Mar 05, 2026•37 min•Season 11Ep. 510
[@ 7 min] Alright, this week…Just back from his trip to Milan, composer-conductor Christopher Tin takes a Free Throw on his collaboration with men’s figure skating silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama….and we’ll tack on our final thoughts on the 2026 Winter Olympics, including the victory of American women. [@ 37 min] Then...in Chalk Talk, we unpack recent announcements from the Met on next year's season offerings, ticket revenues from the current season, and even news about their 2030 season! [@ 52 mi...
Feb 26, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Season 11Ep. 509
[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Cecilia Molinari! Last Sunday, the Italian mezzo-soprano wrapped her US debut at Lyric Opera of Chicago, just in time to return home for the closing ceremonies in her hometown and the start of the Paralympic games. [@ 31 min] And while the Olympics continue, we’ll Chalk Talk on Christopher Tin’s Turandot remix, elder millennial olympians, and…cheating Canadian curlers? [@ 47 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’… lifechanging funds in Detr...
Feb 19, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Season 11Ep. 508
[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…Andrzej Filończyk goes Inside the Huddle as he is set to return to the Met for the limited bonus run of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay beginning next week. Can the Polish baritone think like The Escapist when it comes to unwanted advances from Oliver? [@ 37 min] Then, it's the return of the 90’s divas starring Mariah Carey, Cecilia Bartoli, and … Ricky Martin! That’s right, we’re talking about the intersection of music and sports in Sportzando, the Olymp...
Feb 12, 2026•1 hr 12 min•Season 11Ep. 507
[@ 6 min] Alright, this week…we handicap the Big Game between New England and Seattle, the best way we know how: OPERA COMPANY cage match! Benjamin Sokol, a member of the Ryan Opera Center, joins us to fill in the considerable gaps in Weston's and Oliver's football knowledge... [@ 18 min] Then, Denyce Graves takes a Free Throw on portraying opera’s strongest and most powerful women while being a vulnerable human being with a tender heart... [@ 31 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…Roberto Alag...
Feb 05, 2026•59 min•Season 11Ep. 506
[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…as the national 10th anniversary tour of the trailblazing opera 'Fellow Travelers' is set to launch next month, one of the stars of the tour, baritone Joseph Lattanzi, goes Inside the Huddle to talk Tennis, Hawkins Fuller, and his upcoming role debut as another gay mid-20th century American: Van Cliburn! [@ 36 min] Then, JOYCE DIDONATO, the Queen D herself, takes a Free Throw on how to make the most impact in one of her public masterclasses. [@ 41 min] Plus, in the ‘...
Jan 29, 2026•1 hr•Season 11Ep. 505
[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…we go Inside the Huddle with Christopher Sokoloski! The American Heldentenor had a breakout year in 2025, coming to international attention singing Captain Vere in the Story of Billy Budd at Aix-en-Provence, followed by an unscheduled role debut as Parsifal at Flanders Opera. Listen for the exact moment when Oliver falls in love…I promise you can hear Oliver’s heart break wide open, and its strange because we know he doesn’t even like Wagner operas. [@ 34 min] Then, ...
Jan 22, 2026•1 hr 16 min•Season 11Ep. 504
[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…In addition to everything else that’s happening in the world, there’s a War On Opera! We go Inside the Huddle with librettist (and war correspondent) Caitlin Vincent, author of 'Opera Wars: Inside the World of Opera and the Battle for its Future.' [@ 39 min] Then, in Listener Mailbag, an OBS fan asks us if Caleb Williams is the Pavarotti of football? Glad Ashlee is here to help us answer that one. [@ 44 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill’…WNO has officially abandone...
Jan 15, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Season 11Ep. 503
[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…we tip off 2026 with a Free Throw from WIll Liverman. The baritone, composer and pianist has a shot at winning TWO Grammys next month! He’ll share a story on the making of his grammy-nominated album, 'The Dunbar-Moore Sessions.' [@ 18 min] Then, it’s the first episode of the year, which means new resolutions....and an update on our resolutions from last year. Oliver, did you ever get around to listening to an entire Meyerbeer opera? [@ 45 min] Plus, in the ‘Two Minut...
Jan 08, 2026•1 hr 5 min•Season 11Ep. 502
Happy New Year! This week, enjoy a Replay of some of our favorite segments of 2025! [@ 2 min] First up, from August, a 'Chalk Talk' on the history of Grammy winning operas and singers...If you had to guess who had more nominations, would you say Leontyne Price or Kathleen Battle? [@ 32 min] Then, we go Inside the Huddle with Michael Spyres! When he joined us in February, the latest volume of Opera Rara’s Donizetti Song Project had just dropped. Now we are looking forward to his Tristan, opposite...
Jan 01, 2026•1 hr 9 min•Season 11Ep. 501
[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…it’s the best of OBS, Holiday Edition! The team recommends their favorite performances by opera singers singin’ Christmas… [@ 11 min] Plus, Ashlee Hardgrave gives us a roundup of the most important remixes of Handel’s Messiah, including A Soulful Celebration and Blue Claw Philharmonic…and since we don’t want any news to spoil the fun, we’ll skip the ‘Two Minute Drill.’ GET YOUR VOICE HEARD Stream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.com operabo...
Dec 24, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 11Ep. 500
[@ 5 min] Alright, this week…a field report from the New Opera Dialogues convention with free throws from some of this year’s panelists, including composer Kevin Puts, librettist Mark Campbell, and singer-composer Diana Syrse, and more… [@ 31 min] And then…as 2025 reaches its final inning, the Team drafts their own BEST OF lists in what will go down in history as one hell of a year…in opera, that is. [@ 54 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...Christine Goerke takes flight, Riccardo Chailly takes...
Dec 18, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 11Ep. 499
[@ 3 min] Alright, this week…Gregory Spears goes Inside the Huddle! The American composer is in the middle of a banner season, which includes the 10th anniversary of his opera, Fellow Travelers. Find out about his new opera, Sleepers Awake, a reimagining of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, which gets its world premiere this spring... [@ 35 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...a protestor apologizes for disrupting a performance at the Met, and WE apologize for clowning on Rienzi at Bayreuth… GET Y...
Dec 11, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 11Ep. 498
[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…Soula Parassidis goes Inside the Huddle! Find out how the Greek-Canadian soprano amassed a loyal Instagram fan base by poking fun at the opera industry, and then pivoted to create a platform to address all the real issues for those who want to enter into this career. [@ 34 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...it’s curtains for the Royal ballet and Opera, plus more studies show how listening to opera can improve your life, AND the economy... GET YOUR VOICE HEARD Strea...
Dec 04, 2025•48 min•Season 11Ep. 497
[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…It’s Thanksgiving! There are so many ways to find, experience, and learn about opera in the 21st century, and we at Opera Box Score are feeling grateful for all of them. And, hey, if you’re feeling grateful for opera content, I can suggest at least one donation link on operaboxscore.com that you can use to prove it… [@ 28 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...protestors breach security at the Met, and a study shows that listening to opera at the gym can, like, totally...
Nov 27, 2025•53 min•Season 11Ep. 496
[@ 4 min] Alright, this week…James Gaffigan goes Inside the Huddle! The American conductor, who was recently named Music Director of Houston Grand Opera, is set to conduct Salome at the Komishe Oper, which opens this Saturday in Berlin. Gaffigan shares his perspective on making music in Germany, and what Americans always bring to the table... [@ 41 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...The Hymens, I mean, the International Opera Awards, have been handed out and we’re demanding a recount, as someh...
Nov 20, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 11Ep. 495
[@ 2 min] Alright, this week…Victor Ryan Robertson goes Inside the Huddle! The genre-defying tenor is wrapping up performances of La Traviata with Louisville Opera and is set to star in a double-bill of two rarely performed American works: William Grant Still’s 'Highway 1,' and Kurt Weill’s 'Down in the Valley 'with Detroit Opera. AND it turns out that he gave up a career in tennis to pursue singing. Uh-oh. Weston's outnumbered. [@ 36 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...Grammy nominations are i...
Nov 13, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 11Ep. 494
[@ 10 min] Alright, this week…Jeanine De Bique goes Inside the Huddle! The Trinidadian soprano is on her way to the US for a recital tour, including stops in New York and Chicago before making her subscription series debut with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Orchestra in Mozart’s Requiem! [@ 35 min] And then…we reach into the Listener Mailbag for a report on the Met’s 'Don Giovanni' from our good friend PJ... [@ 39 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...saluting the American flag is now compulsor...
Nov 06, 2025•59 min•Season 11Ep. 493
[@ 6 min] Alright, this week…it’s our Halloween Spooktacular! This year, we ask what the scariest moments in opera are…if you’re performing in one. It’s the showiest moments that bring delight to the audience, but dread to the tenor. Listen … if you dare! [@ 30 min] Plus, in the Two Minute Drill...Katie Mitchelll quits opera, and Francesca Zambello asks everyone else not to. GET YOUR VOICE HEARD Stream new episodes every Saturday at 10 AM CT on amplisoundsradio.com operaboxscore.com facebook.com...
Oct 30, 2025•52 min•Season 11Ep. 492
