Tag: opera

Anchorage Opera's next offering, "An American Dream," goes a long way toward explaining how opera tells relevant stories in modern times. Thanks for listening!

After six and a half years, first as co-host and then as host of Stage Talk, Steve Hunt has decided to exit stage left. With his departure the show will take a short hiatus and then re-appear in August in a new format with a new name, but still focusing on the arts. To help commemorate the last episode of the show, Hunt has invited as his guest, Stage Talk creator and first host, Catherine Stadem. Join Steve and Catherine today on Stage Talk as they talk about its beginnings almost twenty years ago through its history of celebrating the performing arts up to today. Thanks for listening!

It's the 100th anniversary of famed composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein and to help celebrate, Anchorage Opera is collaborating with Anchorage Symphony Orchestra to present Bernstein's operetta Candide with book by Hugh Wheeler. Join Stage Talk guests Teresa K. Pond (Stage Director) and Conductor Charles Prince (son of Broadway director Hal Prince) today as they talk about this work based on Voltaire's book of the same name. Candide performs in the Atwood Concert Hall April 7 and 8. Thanks for listening! KSKA: Friday, April 6 at 2:45pm

KSKA: Friday, February 9 at 2:45pm Anchorage Opera is presenting the powerful new opera, As One, by composer Laura Kaminsky in collaboration with librettist Mark Campbell and librettist/filmmaker Kimberly Reed (on whom the opera is loosely based). As One explores the life of "Hannah Before" and "Hannah After" as she discovers who she truly is. Conductor, stage director and production designer Andreas Mitisek drops by Stage Talk today to talk about how he is bringing this amazing story to the stage. Joining Mitisek is Anchorage Opera's General Director Reed Smith. As One performs in the Sydney Laurence Theatre in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts February 9, 10 and 11. LISTEN HERE

KSKA: Friday, October 27 at 2:45p.m. Anchorage Opera is opening its season with the comic opera Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti with lyrics by Giovanni Ruffini and Donizetti, a story that's full of love, disguise, trickery and a lot of fun. Join Philip Cokorinos, who plays the title character, David Lefkowich (Stage Director) and AO's General Director Reed Smith this week on Stage Talk to hear all about it. Don Pasquale runs November 3-5 in the Discovery Theatre in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. LISTEN HERE

KSKA: Friday, June 16 at 2:45pm Stage Talk continues its summer series of focusing on upcoming seasons and this week we invite Reed Smith, General Director of Anchorage Opera to drop by and let us know what they have in store for their "Happily Ever After" 2017-18 season. LISTEN HERE

KSKA: Friday, March 17 at 2:30pm Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita) are recognized as two of the most popular musical theatre composer/lyricists today and The Alaska Fine Arts Academy of Eagle River is producing one of their most enduring, and earliest works based on the story of Joseph from the Old Testament, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. On this week's Stage Talk, AFAA's Executive Director Lailani Cook brings two of the actors, Arthur Braendel and Emma Wasko to talk about how this show is as entertaining for the entire family today as it was when it premiered in 1968. Joseph runs March 24-April 1st. LISTEN NOW 

KSKA: Friday, February 10 at 2:45pm Anchorage Opera Company is presenting Tom Cipullo's opera Glory Denied based on the true story of the longest held American captive during the Vietnam War and what happens with his life when he returns. Stage Director Helena Binder and Conductor Douglas Kinney Frost drop by the studio this week to tell us about their unique concept of how they have chosen to present this moving story. Glory Denied performs in the Sydney Laurence Theatre starting February 10th and going through the 18th. LISTEN NOW

KSKA: Friday, December 16 at 2:45pm UAA Department of Music and Anchorage Opera have teamed up again under the leadership of Associate Professor Mari Hahn to present two one-act operas, Savitri by Gustav Holst and Dr. Miracle by Georges Bizet, both performing Friday, 12/16 through Sunday 12/18 in the UAA Fine Arts Building Recital Hall. Hahn, who rewrote both librettos and who directed both productions brings two of the performers, Linda Porter and Zaide Manzano to Stage Talk today. LISTEN NOW

KSKA: Friday, August 26 at 2:45pm Anchorage Opera is celebrating its 55th anniversary with something old, something new and something... well, extravagant! Join Reed Smith, AO's General Director and Judy Berry, AO's Marketing and Development Director this week on Stage Talk as they sing the praises of the upcoming season. LISTEN NOW

KSKA: Friday, April 8 at 2:45pm Take a magical trip to a fantasy Japan (seen through 19th Century British satire) as Stage Talk welcomes three of the stars from Anchorage Opera's upcoming production of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera The Mikado. The Mikado runs April 15-17 in the Discovery Theatre in the Performing Arts Center. DOWNLOAD AUDIO

Stage director David Lefkowich and conductor Brian DeMaris from Anchorage Opera's production of George Bizet's once scandalous opera Carmen drop by Stage Talk this week. Carmen performs in the Discovery Theatre October 23, 24 and 25. KSKA: Friday, Oct. 23 at 2:45 p.m. Listen Now:

West High School and Anchorage Opera have come together to produce two moving productions that have one thing in common: Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in Czechoslovakia during WWII. Join Director Dave Block and actors Suparat Prasannet and Luke Haneck as they give us the story about these extraordinary events: the one-act opera Brundibar, music by Hans Krasa with a new libretto by Tony Kushner and the one-act play I Never Saw Another Butterfly by Celeste Raspanti performing this weekend at West High School. KSKA: Friday, Jan. 23 at 2:45pm Listen Now:

As its season premier, Anchorage Opera is presenting one of the most produced operas worldwide in Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly. Also making a premier, of sorts, is new General Director of AO, Reed Smith. Join both Reed as he talks about joining AO and returning favorite Kurt Dougherty who plays Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly this week on Stage Talk. KSKA: Friday, Oct. 31, at 2:45 p.m. Listen now:

Summertime is the perfect time for a...barbecu? It is if it is a Texas take-off of one of Richard Wagner's classic opera's, Der Ring des Nibelungen called Das Barbecu. Seems the good folks who like opera also like to have a little fun and so Jim Luigs and Scott Warrender decided to write a musical that features characters from Wagner's classic tale but set in Texas. Confusing? Then listen this week to Stage Talk as director Regina MacDonald and actor Tiffany Chancey stop by to talk about Cyrano's Theatre Company's latest offering which opens July 17th and runs through August 24th. KSKA: Friday, July 11, at 2:45 p.m. Listen now:

Anchorage Opera has re-worked the classic Strauss opera, Die Fledermaus (which means "the bat") with an Alaskan flair to become The Polar Bat. Join librettist Deborah Brevoort and stage director Bill Fabris to find out how they made the change this week on Stage Talk. KSKA: Friday, April 4, at 2:45 p.m. Listen now:

Four guests, two shows, fifteen minutes. That's what happens this week on Stage Talk when folks from Anchorage Opera come by to talk about Rossini's The Marriage Contract and Schubert's Die Winterreise, two offerings from the company this January and March. KSKA: Friday 1/17 at 2:45pm Listen Now

Join Jane Drebert (Lucia) and Kirk Dougherty (Arturo) from the Anchorage Opera Company's production of Donizetti's gothic tale Lucia di Lammermore this week on Stage Talk and find out more about this story of romance, betrayal murder and madness-all the things that go into a good opera... KSKA: Friday 11/8 at 2:45 pm Listen Now

Anchorage playwright Arlitia Jones and San Francisco Bay area director Jayne Wenger talk about the art of collaboration as they prepare to present Arlitia's newest play, Come to Me Leopards at Cyrano's Theatre Company opening October 25th and running through November 17th. KSKA: Friday 10/18 at 2:45pm Listen Now

Join Anchorage Opera's Executive Director Kevin Patterson on this week's Stage Talk as he talks about their upcoming 2013-14 season which will include works by Donizetti, Rossini, Schubert and Johann Strauss. KSKA: Friday July 19 at 2:45pm Download Audio