Adventures in Podcasting

Apr 30

In our age of social distancing, how do we manage to keep discussion about the arts alive? Well, one thing that has not changed since quarantine is that there is no shortage of podcasts out there. And what better time than the present to take them in? I happened to have the pleasure of appearing on two very different ones over the last few weeks. And my collaborator Lisa DeSpain was featured on another spectacular one. If you’re holed up inside and seeking opera- or musical theatre-related distraction, look no further!

First is Marc Eliot Stein’s Lost Music: Exploring Literary Opera. This episode is a detour for Marc, as he is an opera enthusiast but non-practitioner who usually explores the standard repertoire he takes in at the Met, examining its faithfulness to Shakespearean and other literary sources. Usually his guests are scholars, not creators of opera. When I found him through an idle Internet search one day and approached him about being a guest, I think his head exploded a little. He insisted that “modern opera” was an oxymoron. “But how can that be?” I asked. “I’m right here, living today, and I’m writing operas!” He needed some time to mull over my argument, but he eventually came around. You can listen to the results here.

Next up is Shoshana Greenberg’s Scene to Song, a fantastic deep dive into musical theatre history and its relationship to issues on the minds of musical theatre writers today. Shoshana was inspired to reach out to me after an “Old Man Yells at Cloud”-style Facebook rant about the mismatch between classic musicals written for legit voices and the way musical theatre singers are being trained today. This musing happened to encompass my enduring love for the work of Cole Porter and the way he sneaks so much drive-by violence into his clever lyrics and romantic music. I believe that’s an essential component of his body of work, yet so often we think more prominently of his erudite drawing-room humor and tap dancing girls. In this episode, we pick it apart and tie it back together to what’s going on now. You can listen to the whole thing here. And if Cole Porter’s not your bag and I could never convince you otherwise, I STRONGLY encourage you to browse Shoshana’s other episodes and find a topic that interests you; you’re bound to learn a lot in this highly enjoyable format with plenty of very smart guests.

In addition, composer Lisa DeSpain talks about her compositional process for our Staggerwing and No Ladies in the Lady’s Book here.

Hats off to these podcasters for their meticulous work, and thank you for allowing us to spend this time with you!

Bonus round: a few years ago I shot the breeze with some friends on The Indie Opera Podcast. I admit that at the time, some of my thoughts around my personal mission(s) were not quite fully formed, and it is perhaps not an A+ expression of who I am and what I do now, but if you’re curious about the creation of Rootabaga Country or Ethel Smyth Plays Golf in Limbo, step into the wayback machine and take a ride!

Do you have a podcast exploring any topics surrounding writing for opera or musical theatre? Are you an avid listener with favorites to recommend or further thoughts to share? If so, I’d love to hear from you via the contact form!