The Classical Fabtastical Young Artist Podcast

Episode 9: Tessa Fackelmann

Tessa Fackelmann: Mezzo-soprano. Canadian. Lover of Pedro Pascal.

Episode 8: Angel Azzarra

Please welcome our guest: Angel Azzarra! Described by Operator as one of "40 Under 40: A new generation of superb opera singers," young dramatic soprano Angel Azzarra is quickly becoming known for having "a warm voice that swells from staggering size to pianissimo as effortlessly as the ocean waves." Her Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) with dell'Arte Ensemble was praised by critic and author Fred Plotkin as "a standout performance... Angel Azzarra sang with quality and distinction." Her reprisal of Anna came as an emerging artist with St. Petersburg Opera, which followed her 2018 professional operatic debut at Mobile Opera as Mimì (La bohème). Angel is also a YouTube content creator: check her out at https://www.youtube.com/c/AngelAzzarraOpera

Fabtastical Episode: "L'elisir d'amore" back stage interviews

Please welcome our guests for this week the cast of Palm Beach Opera's production of "L'elisir d'amore". Join us as we have brief conversations with chief conductor Maestro David Stern, Musa Ngqungwana (Dulcamara), Mario Chang (Nemorino), Andriana Chuchman (Adina) and Alexey Lavrov (Belcore).

Episode 7: David Walker

Please welcome a our guest for this week's episode: David Walker! In the spring of 2019, David Walker was selected to be the company’s general & artistic director, and since then has expertly guided the company through the COVID-19 global pandemic crisis.  During the pandemic, he led an entire company pivot to be the first large-scale, live, outdoor opera festival since the crisis began, which featured a full orchestra and chorus, and a line-up of today’s top opera stars.  Additionally, throughout the entire crisis, he has maintained surplus budgets and strong cash reserves – even when the company had to cancel one of its performances at the top of the crisis, engaged the company’s patron and supporter bases, retained a full-time staff and team, cultivated new board members, and introduced one of the company’s newest artistic initiatives designed to expand the company’s offerings of non-standard operatic repertoire – its ‘Discovery Series’.

Episode 6: Avery Boettcher

Welcome our guest: soprano Avery Boettcher. Regarded for the warm, luxurious texture of her voice and versatile, captivating nature as a performer, Avery Boettcher is a soprano from Appleton Wisconsin. Most recently, Ms. Boettcher was seen performing the role of Violetta Valéry in an excerpt of La Traviata in Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ Center Stage concert during the 2021 summer festival season as a member of the Gerdine Young Artist Program. Additionally in her time as a GYA, Ms. Boettcher had the privilege of covering world-renowned soprano Patricia Racette in her self-directed production of Poulenc’s one-woman opera La voix humaine.