LA Opera Podcasts: Behind the Curtain

With the "Behind the Curtain" team taking the summer to compose a great new podcast season for you, we're sharing Julia Friedman's thoughtful analysis of David Hockney's set design from the 2024 run of "Turandot" at LA Opera, on this episode from the Vault. Julia shares what Hockney saw as the commonalities between theater, photography, and painting, what inspired him to start designing the floor of a set, and why he represented the essence of an object—not the object itself—on stage. She also reveals what artistic experience Hockney described as "one of the best days of his life." "Turandot" returns to the LA Opera stage in 2027, with tickets on sale now as part of a season package at LAOpera.org. So, listen in and celebrate the great David Hockney with us on this episode of "Behind the Curtain."

This episode of Behind the Curtain is a toast to new beginnings. It's a special introduction to LA Opera's new Music Director, Domingo Hindoyan, joined in conversation by LA Opera President and Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Koelsch. Domingo shares deeply about his youthful discipline on the violin, his first experience conducting (which he describes as a "wave of sound"), and his equal love of symphonic work and opera. The conversation then lights on the joy of collaboration and having the utmost respect for the orchestra's skills. So settle in and meet the Maestro, and then get tickets for LA Opera's 26/27 season at laopera.org.

Lost and recovered voices. Contemporary composers and community opera. This episode of Behind the Curtain is a special one because it is the final episode in our miniseries with Maestro Conlon, as he rounds out his final season as Music Director with LA Opera. It's also one of the last episodes of our podcast season as the opera season sings to a close. We'll bring you some episodes from the vault this summer before starting up again with new episodes for our 26/27 season in the fall. But first, enjoy this fascinating exploration of 20th century music with the Maestro, and join us, with all of Los Angeles, in thanking him for an incredible 20 years as Richard Seaver Music Director of LA Opera. What a legacy. Thank you, Maestro, from all of us.

In this episode, LA Opera Connects affiliated scholars Dr. Tiffany Kuo and Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano discuss "The Magic Flute," lighting up the LA Opera stage. They tackle the tough issues of gender raised by depictions of the Queen of the Night. Is she good, or is she evil? Empowered or beholden? Or is it far more complicated than any binary? They also touch on the influence of Freemasonry in Mozart's magical fairy tale, with plenty of musical interludes to whet your appetite. Enjoy, and then get your tickets to "The Magic Flute" at LAOpera.org.

Today on the podcast, Gail Eichenthal is joined by leaders at the intersection of Arts & Health to celebrate LA Opera’s partnerships and impact as we reflect on 5 years of LA County Arts and Health Week Summits. Listen in to conversations covering our 5th annual Summit's Core Themes. From Research to Practice with Sunil Iyengar of the NEA; Five Years of Progress with Kristin Sakoda, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; and Advocacy Across Sectors with Co-Director of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab Dr. Nisha Sajnani. Then, we'll hear from LA Opera Connects Vice-President Dr. Andréa Fuentes as we look the future of caring for our communities through the arts.

LAOpera.org/Summit
Arts.gov/Impact/Research
LACountyArts.org
JameelArtsHealthLab.org