On this episode, I talk to Aubrey (they/them), friend and creator of our show art, about Strauss' opera Salome. In this second installment of Women's History Month, the story focuses on an evil woman, a femme fatale if you wish. She is female sexuality completely unhinged. We discuss art that is upsetting, sexuality and achieving power through others', recognizing women's capacity for evil, and many dysfunctional family dynamics ..read more

On this episode, I talk to my friend Kristina (she/her) about Stravinsky's English language opera The Rake's Progress. It's the story of one man's path from naive country man to disillusioned urbanite to doomed soul and all the people pulling him between good and bad along the way. Get ready for some fairy tale names and silly plot points. Afterwards, we discuss the city (and our home of Berlin) as a place to live outside societal norms and how opera prioritizes relatability over realism.  Let me know what you watch by connecting with me on social media: On Instagram @opera.aper ..read more

On this episode, I'm flying solo. We take a brief pause from working through operas to have an "Opera Appreciation" lesson on the different types of voices in operatic singing. These come from the German Fach system for categorizing voices by their range and depth. Beyond the currently sung voice types, I'll also get into the unfortunate history of the castrato voice and why it's no longer in existence. As I cover each voice type, you'll hear examples from operas this show has already covered and learn names of current singers from the soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, tenor, b ..read more

On this episode, I talk to my friend Jake about George Handel's opera Agrippina. It's a long-winding story of politics, betrayal, love and lotsa scheming (my favorite!). Taking place during the Roman Empire, we follow along as a broad cast of characters including the Emperor Claudius and the titular character the Empress Agrippina pursue their heart's desires. We discuss how it's similar to The Bachelor/Bachelorette (and how it's not), and whether or not these characters are good or bad ..read more

On this episode of Opera Apéro, I talk to my friend Maxwell (he/him) about Leos Janacek's opera Jenůfa. It's the story of a young woman in a small town in love and pregnant by a man who can’t commit. As time progresses, they face the consequences of the decisions made to avoid community shame. We discuss parallels with other operas like Madama Butterfly and Pagliacci, how story meaning can change based on opera director’s artistic choices, and we mispronounce many Czech names. This is also the first episode where we play a drinking game along to the opera so tune in to hear how many ..read more

On this episode of Opera Apéro, I'm talking about my recent opera "binge" where I attended 4 live operas in one month. They were all different and special in their own way: attending a local opera house vs one while traveling; going on a swanky Saturday vs a weeknight; seeing operas I've never seen before vs those I seen many times over; going with opera newbies vs attending alone. Hear all about how my nights out validated my advice (sometimes) from the last episode on attending opera tips. You can see photos from the opera and let me know what you thought on social media: on Instagram @opera ..read more

On this episode, I talk to my friend Kyle about Verdi's Il Trovatore. "Il Trovatore" translates to the troubadour, a person who sang lyric poetry in Medieval times. Fortunately, the plot of this opera is a lot more juicy than that might indicate. We've got love triangles! We've got dark family secrets! We've got decades long revenge plots! We've got witch burning! This is easily one of the juiciest opera plots there is and will leave you thinking about the plot twists for days.  ..read more

You never forget your first... On this episode of Opera Apéro, we're talking all about how to attend the opera. If you've ever wondered what it's like, listen in to hear all about how you can attend your first opera. We talk through everything from how to pick an opera to see, how to prepare, what to wear, and how to get away with falling asleep (just kidding...kind of...). I spend some time talking about my experience attending the opera in Berlin for the first time.  Let me know what you thought on social media: on Instagram @opera.apero and on Twitter @OperaApero.  If you like thi ..read more

On this episode of Opera Apéro, I talk to my friend Nelly (she/her) about Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's opera Iolanta. It's the story of a nobleman who falls in love with a young princess with a big secret that even she isn't aware of: she's blind. Mild spoiler, this is our second episode in a row that's a feel-good opera. Listen in to hear how this big romance goes down. We discuss how parents try to normalize their children's experiences and protect them, the importance of acknowleding a problem before fixing it, and strategies to protect your drunk friend on your next night out. And ..read more

Just like that, summer break is over and Opera Apéro is back with some fresh drama for your ears. On this episode, I talk to my friend and fellow Sagittarian, Shaurya (he/him) about Giacomo Puccini's famous stunner opera Tosca. This romantic tragedy tells the story of Roman opera singer Floria Tosca, her lover Cavaradossi, and the plot twists that pull them apart on the eve of Napoleon's invasion of Rome. Thats right: we also learn a page or two of Italian history. We discuss everything that makes Tosca a brilliant character, the parallels between opera and Bollywood, and plot twists - why we ..read more