Episode 88: Stage director, dramaturg – Sara Widzer
Sara Widzer is my guest, this week. Sara and I met once-upon-a-time, during a production of Faust. I had a tie-on beard. That's how long ago. She's since gone on to direct in A houses across the country. Directorial style, the process, and politics in opera are all on...
Episode 87: Soprano and KUSC radio host – Jennifer Miller
Jennifer Miller is my guest this week. Jen and I go back to 2009, where we performed together in a production of Faust- she as Marguerite and me as Faust. That's us in the picture, way back then. Jen has since moved on to KUSC, where she hosts a show entitled,...
Episode 86: Comedian, entrepreneur, filmmaker, author, and all-around polymath – Louise Palanker
Louise Palanker is a true polymath. Comedian, author, performer, radio host, and entrepreneur are just a few words to describe her many fields of expertise, and we talk about it all in this great episode. She was also a witness for the prosecution and her eventual...
Episode 85: Mezzo-soprano, illustrator, expert meditator – Veronica Christenson
Veronica Christenson has been a colleague of mine at the LA Opera for over a decade, and this was my chance to have a few minutes with this lovely lady all to myself. She's a world-class mezzo, but that's not the only reason I wanted to chat... she's also a student of...
Episode 82: Opera director, engineer, and designer – Thaddeus Strassberger
Opera director, engineer, and designer, Thaddeus Strassberger is my guest this week! Thaddeus has been to LA before, and he's one of my favorite directors working today. Art, commerce, politics- it's all here- enjoy!
Episode 81: Tenor, impresario – Mario Chang
Tenor, Mario Chang is my guest this week. We first worked with him in La Boheme, and now he's back, singing the role of Ismaele in our current production of Nabucco, here in LA. We also talk at great length about the opera company founded by him and his wife with the...
Episode 78: International Art Curator – Pedro Alonzo
My cousin Pete is on the show!! Pedro Alonzo is an internationally recognized art curator who works with the biggest names in contemporary art. Shepard Fairey, Banksy, Yoshitomo Nara, KAWS, Takashi Murakami are just a few of the folks he's worked with, but most...
Episode 77: POP Artistic Director – Josh Shaw
Josh Shaw is the Artistic Director of the Pacific Opera Project, right here, in sunny Los Angeles. He’s a singer turned director and opera company owner. We talk the ins and outs of running a company, the motivation for undertaking such a crazy idea, and his take on...
Episode 74: Susan Bennett- The original voice of Siri
Musician, voice-over artist and the original voice of Siri, Susan Bennett is my guest today! It was great getting the scoop on how one becomes the voice of Siri, the hiring process and the secretive process that Apple uses for this kind of thing. Thanks for listening,...
Summer Break Flashback: Tony Silvestri
Happy summer, y'all! For this week's episode of my Summer Flashback Series, I've got poet, scholar, professor and all-around great guy, Tony Silvestri on the show! We had this chat a year ago, but it's every bit as relevant as it ever was- we talk about life, death...
Episode 71: Roberto Cani, Concertmaster- LA Opera Orchestra
Roberto Cani, concertmaster of the LA Opera Orchestra, is my guest this week! We get into it- childhood, career, defeats, and triumphs. Roberto is an open book, and it's one of the qualities I enjoy most about this fascinating master musician. Enjoy!
Episode 70: Nino Sanikidze
Nino Sanikidze, pianist extraordinaire, is my guest. There's nothing better for a singer than finding a collaborator who LOVES singers, has a tremendous breadth of knowledge and is one of the very best at what he or she does. Nino is all of these things. Oh, and she's...
Episode 69: Miah Im
Pianist, conductor, coach, prompter and erstwhile violinist, Miah Im is my guest this week. She's one of those people who almost always has a smile on her face, despite the fact that she's a musical force to be reckoned with. That seem like a rare find in any field,...
Episode 67: Shola Richards
Positivity guru, Shola Richards, is my guest this week! This guy's the real deal- we talk about very personal memories and events in our lives, and the catalysts for change. Shola's hot button is bullying, especially in the workplace )something adults don't talk...
Episode 65: James Martin Schaefer 2017
Marty Schaefer is my guest this week. Marty and I have known each other for twenty years now. I thought I needed a little break this week, so this chat is just a convo between buddies- nothing more. We're not experts in any of the topics we discuss and we don't talk...
Episode 61: Ted Perlman
Producer, arranger, performer, Ted Perlman is my guest on this episode, and man is it a great one! Ted has worked with many of the greatest performers of all time, spanning four-plus decades. We talk about religion, forgiveness, fatherhood, and the meaning of life-...
Episode 57: Tali Tadmor
This week, I got to sit and chat with another one of my dear friends, the indomitable Tali Tadmor. An extraordinary pianist and collaborator, Tali makes the rounds around town with the best singers and organizations- and when I say around town, I mean from LA Opera to...
Episode 56: Christopher Koelsch
CEO of LA Opera, Christopher Koelsch, is my guest this week. He's eloquent, steady and has a clear, unwavering artistic vision for the company. In our world, the man who directs traffic at the intersection of art and commerce is always in the hot-seat, and Christopher...
Episode 55: Julia Aks
Multidisciplinarian, Julia Aks, is my guest this week. She's a mezzo-soprano, friend, and colleague from LA Opera, but that's not all she does. She's an aerialist, actor, intermittent dancer, and probably also does a bunch of other stuff that we didn't cover. She very...
Episode 46: Brandon Ogborn – Part 1
This is Brandon Ogborn. We had a two-hour-long conversation. We may be partnering up on a new show idea he has, which I think you all will enjoy, and he wrote a play called The Tomkat Project, which is the story of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. I loved it, and I know...
Episode 42: Phelim McDermott
Phelim is the director of our current production of Akhnaten at LA Opera. I love this show. I also love the passion, conviction, and freedom that Phelim has given us to help deliver a truly powerful emotional message to our audience. Phelim also operates an...
Episode 40: Sean Gandini
World-renowned juggler, Sean Gandini joins me today, and I couldn't be more thrilled. We all juggle in our current (and magnificent) production of Akhnaten by Philip Glass, and Sean and his troupe are leading us in our efforts. It's a first for all of us, and it's...
Episode 37: Claire Friday
Claire Friday is my guest this week. She's gone from working backstage at the LA Opera to covering the RNC, DNC and the presidential debates for Facebook, all in the short time that I've known her. She's smart, driven and easy to chat with. I like Claire and I bet you...
Episode 27: Tim Campbell
Tim Campbell is an audio book narrator, working singer and all-around nice guy. He's narrated a ton of books in all different genres, using accents and the whole bit. Please check him out at www.timcampbell.me- his sample readings are amazing! I learned a lot about...
Episode 24: Nicholas C. Pappas
Episode 24: Nicholas C. Pappas Nicholas C. Pappas is a director, dramaturge and Heideman Award-winning playwright. His plays include The Ballad of 423 and 424, Fatty, Including Shooter, and The Dreams in Which I'm Dying. Nick is a thoughtful, bright guy who I'm glad...
Episode 21: Robert Thies
Robert Thies has been a friend of mine for about ten years or so. We see each other around town and the last time we worked together was on Happy Feet 2, with John Powell. Rob is a tremendous pianist with a great career. He won the Prokofiev competition, plays with...
Episode 20: Blair Tindall
Author Blair Tindall is my guest this week. You may know her from her controversial 2005 book, "Mozart in the Jungle", or the hit Amazon series of the same name, created by Jason Schwartzman and starring Gael Garcia Bernal. Blair has had a stellar career as a...
Episode 19: Carla Jimenez
Carla Jimenez is a working actress in Los Angeles. You may have seen her in films such as, Lady in the Water, Nacho Libre and Accepted, and in the television shows Lincoln Heights, My Name is Earl and Desperate Housewives, and currently on Raising Hope and Last Man...
Episode 15: Leila Charles Leigh
Leila Charles Leigh and I talk a lot about juggling kids with work, and where the two intersect. For me, it's a reminder that I'm not alone in dealing with disappointment and the trap of myopic perspective where success and failure are concerned. Leila is charming and...
Episode 14: Trevore Ross
Stage director Trevore Ross came by the studio today. We talked about growing up in South Carolina and his journey from pianist to stage director and how he settled in Los Angeles. He offers up poignant ideas about life, love and work, and I really found this...
Episode 12: Bradon McDonald
On this episode, I interview Bradon McDonald of Project Runway fame. We also discuss his time with the Mark Morris Dance Group, growing up in a crowded house, getting out of a small town to eventually become one of the country’s premier dancers and fashion designers....
Episode 10: Georgia Stitt
Pianist, composer, arranger, orchestrator and friend: Georgia Stitt. What can I say- she does it all. Oh, and she juggles a busy home life with Jason Robert Brown and their two beautiful daughters- I swear, my guests usually give me a deep, lingering inferiority...
Episode 9: Joshua Winograde
Joshua Winograde is the Senior Director of Artistic Planning at the Los Angeles Opera. In other words, he helps decide (along with Christopher Koelsch, Placido Domingo and James Conlon) on the singers who get hired to sing at the LA Opera. I had a real interest in...
Episode 7: Charles Anthony Silvestri
Polymath Charles Anthony Silvestri is a poet, historian, professor and painter. Oh, and he plays and dances traditional Irish music. And he has a PHD. I honestly don’t know what he’s doing hanging out with the likes of me, but I’m sure glad I have him fooled, somehow....