Art, History, and Responsibility: Confronting the Past and Embracing Complexity

by Neal Long, Director of Learning On Monday, April 29, 2024, I attended an Opera Dives Deep presentation by Dr. Ron Witzke entitled “Monuments of Tone and Stone.” Dr. Witzke—a bass-baritone, professor, and librettist—is a close friend of Lyric Opera of Kansas City and regularly appears on stage in productions at the Kauffman Center for … Read more

Opera Dives Deep: Verismo’s Creative Deceptions

Dr. Jane Sylvester, Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and noted opera scholar, joined Opera Dives Deep on Monday, September 18, 2023 to prepare audiences for Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci. Her presentation, entitled Verismo’s Creative Deceptions: The Fictions of the Italian South in Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci, explored how—and why—practitioners of … Read more

Opera Dives Deep: And So It Begins

Prior to arriving in Kansas City for Lyric Opera’s production of The Shining, composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell joined Opera Dives Deep via Zoom to discuss their careers, inspiration, and secrets behind the making of the opera! “I knew this piece had legs right away.” -Mark Campbell Q: What can you tell us about the genesis of this work? How did … Read more