Getting Into Opera Featuring Susan Graham

GBH Music will introduce new listeners to opera in a video series produced in collaboration with Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) and New England Conservatory (NEC). Designed for newcomers and seasoned enthusiasts, “Getting into Opera” aims to ignite a passion for the genre by showcasing how powerful performances are shaped by vocal coaching and stage direction. The innovative multi-platform video series will be filmed in front of a live audience in GBH’s acoustically acclaimed Fraser Performance Studio.

This event features renowned mezzo-soprano Susan Graham leading a masterclass for BLO Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artists and New England Conservatory students. By pulling back the curtain on how great vocal performances are made, the masterclass will draw in new opera lovers while delighting fans of the genre.

“Getting into Opera” will be hosted by Anthony Rudel, author of “Tales from the Opera,” “Classical Music Top 40,” and “Imagining Don Giovanni.” Joshua Major, Chair of Opera Studies at NEC and Bradley Vernatter, BLO’s Stanford Calderwood General Director & CEO, will also share perspectives on producing operas as part of the series.

“Getting into Opera” will be available free of charge on YouTube and other platforms.

Event timeline:

7-9:15pm Performance in Fraser

9:15-10pm Dessert Reception in the Atrium

This event is FREE but registration is required. Seating is general admission.

The maximum capacity of this event is 120

Grammy Award winning mezzo soprano Susan Graham has performed in every major opera house and symphony hall worldwide. Her repertoire ranges from the earliest Baroque composers to contemporary opera, with Mozart, Strauss, Berlioz, and Massenet in between, among many others. A prolific recitalist, Miss Graham has many recordings of art song in many languages, specializing in the French repertoire. Earlier this season she appeared at Opéra de Paris in Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment, and in early 2025 she will sing in concert performances of Samuel Barber’s Vanessa, with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center. Later in the spring she will appear at LA’s Wilshire Ebell Theatre, and at Carnegie Hall in New York, in Richard Danielpour’s and Rita Dove’s epic Chamber Music song cycle, A Standing Witness, which chronicles life in America from 1968 to the present. Miss Graham is an avid mentor, adjudicator, and teacher, working regularly with the LA Opera Domingo Colburn Stein Young Artist Program, as well as many other institutions worldwide. She is thrilled to have this time in Boston with GBH Music and the New England Conservatory.

Special thanks to our presenting partners Boston Lyric Opera and New England Conservatory.

Photo credit: provided by the artist Susan Graham

By RSVPing for this event, you agree to receive timely news and updates on events, films, and special offers from GBH.

Do you need any additional accommodations that we should be made aware of to participate in this event? If so, please contact us a minimum of one week in advanced of the event. We will do our best to accommodate your request. Reach us during regular business hours M-F, 9am-5pm at 617-300-3300 or via email: info@wgbh.org.

If you have questions or can no longer attend, please contact Audience and Member Services Department. Audience and Member Services can be reached during regular business hours M-F, 9am-5pm at 617-300-3300 or via email: info@wgbh.org.