In this episode, we talk to Artist Diploma student and soprano Jinni Shen about winning the concerto competition and her upcoming performance of Puccini’s “Un bel dì, vedremo” from Madama Butterfly. We also discuss her role in the upcoming production of Il Trittico, which is happening the same weekend as the concerto concert.

In this episode, we talk with graduate student Michael Robert Smith about writing the opera Downwind in collaboration with librettist Demian Chavez Galvan and the entire Butler Opera Center. Michael discusses the inspiration for the opera, followed by a brief score study of a few key moments from the work.