Join soprano (and Shakespeare super-fan) Katherine Powers and LA OPERA CONNECTS on a romp through Shakespeare’s stories told through music.
Each episode, Katherine calls an expert on her “Shakespeare Hotline” and performs songs from these timeless works.
Episode 1: Shakespeare’s Songs
Did you know that Shakespeare included songs in many of his plays? This week, Katherine pays a call to her favorite playwright, Oliver Mayer, for some Shakespearean back story on As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing, and performs two of Shakespeare’s most popular songs from these works.
Episode 2: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told: Romeo and Juliet
Did you know that “Shakespeare Consultant” is an actual job? This week, Katherine gets some perspective from Shakespearean pro, Dr. Miranda Johnson-Haddad, on the enduring power of Romeo and Juliet, and performs Juliet’s famous waltz from Gounod’s opera.
Episode 3: The Magic of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Katherine gets drawn into a magical world of fairies and frolic as she explores Purcell’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s most-performed play, with some interpretive assistance from writer, actor and educator Angela Gulner.
Episode 4: The Scottish Play
Katherine’s exploration of Shakespeare takes a spooky turn as she explores Verdi’s setting of Shakespeare’s darkest work, Macbeth. Plus, a special performance by her Shakespeare expert, Melissa Chalsma of the Independent Shakespeare Company.
Episode 5: Othello: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Katherine discusses the challenges of this particular play with special guest, actor & playwright Keith Hamilton Cobb, and offers a performance of Desdemona’s heartbreaking “Willow Song” from Verdi’s operatic setting.
Episode 6: The Merry Wives and the Jolly Knight
Katherine gets a mini-lesson in Elizabethan history from Shakespeare super scholar Lorenzo González, and performs two pieces from Verdi’s final masterpiece, Falstaff.
Episode 7: A Return to Shakespeare’s Forest
Katherine navigates the magical forest of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the help of her expert, Luis Galindo, and offers two delightful excerpts from Benjamin Britten’s brilliant operatic setting of the play.
Episode 8: The Bard on Broadway
In our final episode, Katherine gets help from dramaturg Stephanie Lim to explore how Shakespeare has inspired the musical titans of the Broadway, and tenor Todd Strange joins as a special guest to perform beloved favs.
Katherine Powers, Soprano 