Words First: Talking Text in Opera
Conversations between host, Keturah Stickann, and librettists, lyricists, producers, and performing artists about opera text and storytelling to music.
Episodes
63 episodes
Alaina Viau and Reaching for an Equitable Operatic Landscape
Keturah speaks with director, creator, and Executive Artistic Director of Loose Tea Music Theatre, Alaina Viau, about her creative work and Loose Tea’s BIPOC Composer Librettist Development Program.Alaina Viau:
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Episode 63
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34:20
Kate Holland, Susan Werbe, and Sifting Through The Great War
Kate Holland and Susan Werbe were co-librettists on Letters That You Will Not Get, composed by Kirsten Volness, and produced by American Opera Projects. In this episode, I speak to them both about their collaboration, and what it was like...
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Episode 62
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35:06
Eric Einhorn and Letting The Space Dictate the Show
Keturah speaks with General and Artistic director of OnSite Opera, Eric Einhorn, about his relationship to text with site specific work. They also discuss Rhoda and The Fossil Hunt, which he wrote with John Musto for presentation at the M...
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Episode 61
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40:26
Matthew Jocelyn and How to be Undaunted by Hamlet
Keturah speaks with Matthew Jocelyn, the celebrated director, writer, and theater administrator, who wrote the libretto for Brett Dean’s Hamlet, originating in Glyndebourne in 2017, and currently playing at the Metropolitan Opera.
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Episode 60
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44:06
Deborah Brevoort and her Journey from Politics to Theater
Keturah interviews playwright and librettist, Deborah Brevoort, about her early political career in Alaska, her switch to theater, and her more recent work writing opera libretti. They go in depth on three operas: STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME, t...
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Episode 59
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38:20
Amy Stebbins and New Work Both Here and There
Keturah interviews director, dramatist, and librettist, Amy Stebbins, about the differences between libretti in the United States and libretti in Europe (particularly new work being written in Germany and Austria). They discuss the differ...
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Episode 58
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59:10
Catherine Filloux and Writing Social Justice
Keturah interviews playwright and librettist, Catherine Filloux about her many works tackling social justice issues, as well as her work with Olga Neuwirth on the new opera, Orlando.Catherine Filloux:
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Episode 57
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49:12
Jennifer Cresswell and Kathleen Kelly on Writing Real Women
Keturah speaks with singer and librettist, Jennifer Cresswell, and conductor and librettist, Kathleen Kelly about the creation of their new work with Kamala Sankaram, Interstate. They co-wrote them libretto and performed in the filmed wor...
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Episode 56
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1:00:00
Max Hoehn and Opera21
Keturah speaks with British Swiss director, translator, and librettist, Max Hoehn, about the development of his new opera laboratory: Opera21, and the state of new opera in Europe.Max Hoehn: https://w...
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Episode 55
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36:06
Marella Martin Koch and the Genesis of Dolores
Keturah speaks with librettist, playwright, and director, Marella Martin Koch, who recently won the inaugural West Edge Opera Aperture commission, alongside her writing partner, composer Nicolas Lell Benavides. Their work, DOLORES, about ...
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Episode 54
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52:20
The Decameron Opera Coalition and the “Heroes” Project
Keturah speaks with librettists: Matt Boresi, Bilal Dardai, Briana Hunter, and Steve Wallace about the currently streaming “Heroes” with the Decameron Opera Coalition. All, saving Matt, are new librettists, and we talk about the inspirati...
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Episode 53
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55:02
Taura Stinson and The Meaning Beyond The Rhyme
Keturah speaks with composer and lyricist, Taura Stinson, about her first foray into opera with “On The Edge,” composed by Laura Karpman for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis last season. They also discuss Taura’s life as a songwriter for the ...
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Episode 52
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34:50
Rinde Eckert and Changing Up the Wallpaper
Keturah speaks with multi-faceted composer, librettist, and performer, Rinde Eckert. They discuss the state of opera today, how much it’s changed (or hasn’t), and Rinde’s recent works as a librettist: Moon Tea with Steven Mackey for...
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Episode 51
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57:36
Deborah Burton and the Librettists of Puccini
Keturah interviews music theorist and Puccini expert, Deborah Burton, about the many librettists Puccini worked with throughout his career, with special emphasis on Giacosa and Illica, as well as Fontana, who started it all with Edgar, a disast...
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Episode 50
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34:30
Douglas Kearney and Poetry Both Seen and Heard
Keturah interviews Douglas Kearney, a renowned poet and librettist who is the inaugural recipient of the Campbell Libretto Prize through Opera America. They talk about his work with Yuval Sharon and The Industry in LA, his work as a poet,...
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Episode 49
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1:03:06
Tony Asaro and The Path To Opera
Keturah speaks with Bay Area librettist and composer, Tony Asaro, about his work in musical theater, how he found opera, and the two operas he’s currently working on: Zheng, and The Halloween Tree.Tony Asaro:
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Episode 48
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59:06
Amanda Quaid and Adapting The Extinctionist
Keturah talks to playwright, librettist, and actor, Amanda Quaid about her left turn into writing opera libretti, and her new adaptation for Heartbeat Opera, The Extinctionist with Daniel Schlosberg.Amanda Quaid:
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Episode 47
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26:22
Karen Chilton and the Kaleidoscopic Career
Keturah speaks with librettist, playwright, and actor, Karen Chilton, about her collaboration with Damien Sneed on THE TONGUE AND THE LASH at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for this year’s NEW WORKS, BOLD VOICES LAB.Karen Chilton -
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Episode 46
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36:10
Nicolas Reveles and Writing Trauma
Keturah interviews composer and librettist, Nicolas Reveles, about some of his past work, as well as several upcoming pieces. They end up talking about the physicality of trauma, a theme that shows up in a number of his pieces.A r...
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Episode 45
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52:42
Rachel J. Peters asks “Where Are the Women?”
In this first episode of Season 3, Keturah interviews composer and librettist, Rachel J. Peters. They discuss a number of her works, including the recently premiered STAGGERWING, composed by Lisa DeSpain, and MEN I’M NOT MARRIED TO, which...
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Episode 44
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1:02:24
Crystal Manich, Ned Canty, Joseph Mechavich, and The Sounds That Move Us
In the final episode of the season, Keturah speaks with director, Crystal Manich, director and General Director of Opera Memphis, Ned Canty, and conductor, Joseph Mechavich, about three texts that move them in opera. The conversation goes...
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Episode 43
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37:34
Aliana de la Guardia and Geovonday Jones discuss Guerilla Opera’s Libretto Writing Workshop
This episode, nearly a year from the first episode highlighting Guerilla Opera’s first Libretto Writing Workshop with Brenda Huggins, is again looking at the virtual workshops that Guerilla Opera is offering this season.The first interv...
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Episode 42
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50:50
Talking Diction with Stefano de Peppo and Kathryn LaBouff
In this episode, Keturah speaks with bass-baritone and Italian diction coach, Stefano de Peppo, as well as English diction coach, Kathryn LaBouff, about the importance of good diction.Stefano discusses his journey from Milan to the Unit...
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Episode 41
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56:14
Jacqueline Goldfinger and Alexandra Deshorties
Keturah begins the podcast with an interview with soprano, Alexandra Deshorties. They start discussing Donizetti’s Roberto Devereaux, and move into Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine, using each libretto to discuss how the text tells the story, an...
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Episode 40
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58:52
Lynn Nottage, William Burden, Poetry, Music, and Self-Adaptation
Keturah discusses two forms of adaptation in this episode.Her first conversation is with tenor, William Burden, who chats with her about Igor Stravinsky and W.H. Auden’s adaptation of William Hogarth’s paintings, The Rake’s Progress.&nb...
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Episode 39
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37:10