Episode 22: Peabody Southwell

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Peabody is a globally recognized mezzo-soprano and burgeoning set and costume designer. She has a strong personality, strong opinions and highly formed ideas about her work, and the worlds she inhabits. I’ve known her for years and I find her fascinating- She’s basically a female version of me, but taller, smarter and with a deeper voice. Enjoy!

Episode 18: Jamie Chamberlin

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The lovely and talented soprano, Jamie Chamberlin is my guest on this episode. Jamie is a very successful working singer here in LA, singing with the Los Angeles Opera, Long Beach Opera and in recordings such as Mark Abel’s new opera, “Home Is a Harbor”. She’s lively, funny, hard-working and vivacious, and she’s one of my favorite people. Enjoy!

Episode 17: Lesley Leighton

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Lesley Leighton is the Associate Conductor for the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Artistic Director of the Los Robles Master Chorale. She is also a certified chef and a former member of Michael Bloomberg’s inner circle, during his mayorship of NYC. Lesley is interesting, candid and a nice lady to spend an hour with. I hope you enjoy our chat- Thanks for listening!

Episode 8: Adriana Manfredi

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Adriana Manfredi is a great friend of mine from Los Angeles. She sings all over the place- LA Opera, LA Master Chorale, Long Beach Camerata… and I guarantee you’ve heard her voice on your favorite movies. The interview itself is a departure from any interview style in that it is truly a conversation between friends. You may find it interesting if you grew up in Costa Mesa, Newport or Irvine, or had an affinity for Lion Country Safari, I guess. Anyway, it’s a bonus, so cut me some slack.

Episode 5: John Holiday

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Like many of my guests, I met John Holiday at LA Opera. We happened to be staged together, and every night we’d exchange pleasantries before the curtain rose. We hit it off and managed to keep in touch here and there, mostly through Facebook. I greatly admire his talent, work ethic and attitude, but mostly, he’s an easygoing and very decent human being. Enjoy.

Episode 4: Hila Plitmann

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Hila Plitmann is a Grammy award-winning soprano, and one of my closest friends. Full disclosure: she’s married to Eric Whitacre, who is also one of my closest friends. She and I have a lot in common, but she’s just a lot more interesting. A great thinker, shrouded in modesty- she’s truly one-of-a-kind, as far as I’m concerned. I hope you enjoy our chat, because I’m sure there are many more to come.

Episode 3: Ben Bliss

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What can I say, I messaged Ben about being on this brand-new, nothing-yet podcast and he basically came right over. That’s the kind of guy he is. A supportive colleague, funny, kind and an amazingly hard-working and talented guy. That’s Ben Bliss, and I was so happy to get the chance to chat and get to know this fine, gentleman-singer.

Episode 1: James Martin Schaefer

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For my pilot episode, I picked James Martin Schaefer. I’ve known Marty for twenty years and we’ve been through a lot together. We both perform regularly at the Los Angeles Opera Company as soloists and choristers. This was my first-ever in preparation for this podcast series, so it’s weird and sometimes not-so-great. I’m posting it anyway.