KUSC FM 91.5 and LA Opera collaborate again to bring you the third season of "LA Opera on Air," a radio program broadcasting LA Opera productions on KUSC FM 91.5 beginning Saturday, May 9 at 10:30am and nationally on WFMT Radio Network Saturday, June 27, 2009. Introduced by Plácido Domingo and hosted by Duff Murphy "LA Opera on Air" will include commentaries and interviews with Music Director James Conlon, singers, directors and conductors.

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Broadcast Schedule on Classical KUSC 91.5 FM and the WFMT Radio Network*
*Broadcast dates and times on WFMT Radio Network vary in differing national media markets; check local listings.

Il Trittico KUSC: May 9, 10:30am WFMT: June 27*

Bringing fresh insight to Puccini's trilogy of one-act operas are two Academy Award-winning filmmakers. William Friedkin directs Il Tabarro and Suor Angelica and Woody Allen makes his opera debut directing Gianni Schicchi. Il Tabarro ("The Cloak"), the story of a passionate love triangle that leads to a tragic end, features baritone Mark Delavan, tenor Salvatore Licitra and soprano Anja Kampe. Suor Angelica ("Sister Angelica") tells the heart-rending tale of a cloistered nun with a worldly secret. Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky sings the title role, joined by mezzo-soprano Larissa Diadkova. Gianni Schicchi, a fast-paced comedy about relatives squabbling for an inheritance, features baritone Thomas Allen in the title role along with soprano Laura Tatulescu and tenor Saimir Pirgu. Conducted by James Conlon and sung in Italian. Estimated running time: four hours.

The Fly KUSC: May 16, 10:30am WFMT: July 4*

LA Opera commissioned this unique new opera created by Oscar-winning composer Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings) based on the original 1957 George Langelaan short story as well as David Cronenberg's 1986 film, with a libretto by the Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly). In its metamorphosis into an opera, this dark romantic tragedy presents a Kafkaesque meditation on man's uneasy relationship with technology. Bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch stars as the doomed scientist Seth Brundle, with mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose as his girlfriend Veronica Quaife. Conducted by Plácido Domingo and sung in English. Estimated running time: three hours.

Madama Butterfly KUSC: May 30, 10:30am

Composer Giacomo Puccini described Madama Butterfly as his most "deeply felt and imaginative opera." Soprano Liping Zhang, who made an indelible impression in her LA Opera debut, takes the part of the impressionable teenage geisha who commits herself to a man unworthy of her loyalty. The acclaimed Metropolitan Opera star Franco Farina appears as the callous Lieutenant Pinkerton. Conducted by James Conlon and sung in Italian. Estimated running time: three hours.

Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny KUSC: June 6, 10:30am WFMT: August 1*

From composer Kurt Weill and playwright Bertolt Brecht, the creators of The Threepenny Opera, comes a savage and lyrical satire told in a highly entertaining blend of opera and raucous music hall songs. The haunting score crosses over from opera to cabaret to Broadway including ragtime, jazz and the classic pop hit "Moon of Alabama." The production, which stars Tony-Award winners Audra McDonald and Patti LuPone along with tenor Anthony Dean Griffey, was released on DVD by EuroArts which won Grammy Awards for Best Classical Album and Best Opera Recording earlier this year. Conducted by James Conlon and sung in English. Estimated running time: two hours, fifteen minutes.

Das Rheingold KUSC: June 13, 10:30am WFMT: July 11*

Gods, goddesses, giants, and dwarves struggle to be lords of the ring, but as Wagner's mammoth Der Ring des Nibelungen unfolds, the ring's curse unleashes its vengeance. As the king of the gods, Vitalij Kowaljow, a powerful Ukrainian bass, is a "refined Wotan, expressive and subtle" (Los Angeles Times). Wotan's insistent wife Fricka is Michelle DeYoung a "remarkably powerful mezzo" (Opera Today). Also featured are Arnold Bezuyen as Loge, Gordon Hawkins as Alberich and Graham Clark as Mime. Conducted by James Conlon and sung in German. Estimated running time: three hours.

Die Walküre KUSC: June 20, 10:30am WFMT: July 18*

As Wagner's epic Ring cycle continues, Wotan, king of the gods, hopes that his mortal son Siegmund might help him regain the ring. But Siegmund's adulterous and incestuous love for his twin sister Sieglinde infuriates Fricka, goddess of marriage. Brünnhilde (the titular Valkyrie, one of Wotan's divine warrior maiden daughters) attempts to protect Siegmund, but her bold disobedience leads to a terrible punishment. Starring Plácido Domingo and soprano Anja Kampe, "the definitive Sieglinde and Siegmund of this century's first decade" (The Washington Post). A world-celebrated cast includes Linda Watson (Brünnhilde), Michelle DeYoung (Fricka), Vitalij Kowaljow (Wotan) and Eric Halfvarson (Hunding). Conducted by James Conlon and sung in German. Estimated running time: five hours.

The Birds KUSC: June 27, 10:30am WFMT: July 25*

LA Opera has won acclaim for its ongoing exploration of long forgotten masterpieces by the lost generation of composers affected by the Holocaust. German composer Walter Braunfels (1882-1954) freely adapted the classic Aristophanes comedy The Birds to create what he described as an "airy play of imagination." "It requires but a few seconds of the opera's prelude to discover why audiences in Munich fell in love with this score... [James Conlon] conducted a marvelous performance Saturday, and the orchestra sounded radiant" (Los Angeles Times). Soprano Désirée Rancatore performs the high-flying coloratura role of the Nightingale. Winner of the 2007 Richard Tucker Award, tenor Brandon Jovanovich plays the role of Good Hope, with baritone James Johnson as his traveling companion Loyal Friend and baritone Martin Gantner as the King of the Birds. Conducted by James Conlon and sung in German. Estimated running time: three hours.

Verdi Requiem KUSC: July 4, 10:30am WFMT: August 8*

Plácido Domingo conducts LA Opera's first ever performance of the Verdi Requiem, dedicating this concert to the memories of tenor Luciano Pavarotti and Edgar Baitzel, the Company's late Chief Operating Officer. Soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz and bass René Pape make up the world-class quartet of soloists, joined by the Los Angeles Opera Chorus under the direction of Chorus Master Grant Gershon. Conducted by Plácido Domingo and sung in Latin. Estimated running time: 90 minutes.

*Broadcast dates and times on the WFMT Radio Network vary in differing media markets; check local listings.

Additional Program Information

“LA Opera on Air” is a program of live recordings of LA Opera's productions, which were presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, that organically interweaves pre-taped interviews and commentaries with select cast members, directors and conductors into the productions’ intermissions. Produced by LA Opera with KUSC FM 91.5, “LA Opera on Air” begins an 8 episode run locally on KUSC on May 9. The "LA Opera on Air" broadcasts will subsequently be syndicated throughout the United States and internationally on the WFMT Radio Network beginning on Saturday, June 27, 2009. "LA Opera on Air" will also be available online for streaming at www.kusc.org.

“LA Opera on Air" is hosted by Duff Murphy and produced by Gail Eichenthal. Duff Murphy is host of the current Saturday morning KUSC program “Opera Show.” He is also regularly speaks about LA Opera’s productions at the Company’s pre-performance lectures at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Gail Eichenthal has been the Director of Arts Programming for KUSC since 2005. She has more than 20 years experience working in radio. The producing team also includes KUSC recording engineer Fred Vogler and KUSC post-production engineer Mark Hatwan and LA Opera coordinating producer Gary Murphy.

“LA Opera on Air” was made possible by generous grants from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, spearheaded by the efforts of Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.