From TOLEDO OPERA
The first episode of the podcast series, Opera Out of the Box produced by Toledo Opera and WGTE Public Media, available to stream today (Wednesday, Jan. 17) on wgte.org or wherever podcasts are found.
The limited series of six episodes will be released over the period of the Toledo Opera’s 2023-24 season.
The series aims to demystify the genre of opera, as well as to provide information about Toledo Opera’s mainstage productions, educational programs, community engagement programs, Resident Artist program, and much more. Hosted by WGTE Public Media’s Radio Station Manager, Brad Cresswell, each episode will feature experts in both Toledo Opera and opera overall.
The series’ first episode will provide insight into Toledo Opera’s suite of low-cost and free youth educational programs: An Opera Is a Story (preschool), Opera On Wheels (kindergarten – grade 6), and Student Night at the Opera (middle school – college students).
For Toledo Opera executive director, the Opera Out of the Box podcast is the perfect medium to bring the nuance of opera into the spotlight: “Opera is a complicated and rich art-form that has many layers in its creation. For any given mainstage production at Toledo Opera, for instance, we work with as many as 150 industry professionals to create a production of the highest caliber. With Opera Out of the Box, we will go through those layers to talk about how we build opera both on stage and in the community. This podcast is the perfect opportunity to give the greater Toledo region a light-hearted and entertaining behind-the-scenes glimpse of the work we do at Toledo Opera,” said Rorick.
“Opera has been a charter interest of WGTE since the radio station formed in 1976. We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Toledo Opera, and to give listeners a deeper understanding of the many contributions that the performing arts have made, both to our local community and to the genre of opera in general,” shared WGTE Public Media Radio Station Manager Brad Cresswell. “Personally, with my background in opera (both as a singer and in the radio), I’m very excited to see where the program will take us and what avenues we’ll explore.”
For more information, visit toledoopera.org.
