Opera Road Trip cover art

Opera Road Trip

Opera Road Trip

Written by: OperaVision
Listen for free

Opera Road Trip (2025-2027) is OperaVision's two-year podcast series, a journey through the 17 countries that currently partner with OperaVision, discovering their operatic history and current relationship with the artform, and meeting along the way young talents finding their voice and seasoned professionals who have devoted their lives to the stage, discovering the diverse paths that have led them to opera and the enduring belief in its relevance, past, present, and future. Opera Road Trip is hosted by Sebastian F. Schwarz. Before Opera Road Trip, OperaVision Next Generation podcast series (2022-2024) charted the journeys of singers on four competitive young artist programmes across Europe. From masterclasses and performances, to rehearsal rooms and dressing rooms, we hear the motivations, desires and the challenges they face - along with insight from experts on how they are nurturing the next generation of opera talent.2025 Art Entertainment & Performing Arts Music
Episodes
  • Belgium - Opera at Europe's crossroads

    Belgium - Opera at Europe's crossroads
    Jun 1 2026

    In this episode of OPERA Road Trip, host Sebastian F. Schwarz turns to Belgium—a country whose operatic culture emerged at the crossroads of Europe's great linguistic and political traditions. From the Habsburg courts of Brussels and the French influence on eighteenth-century musical life to the revolutionary atmosphere surrounding Belgian independence in 1830, the episode traces how opera became deeply interwoven with the cultural identity of the young nation.

    At the centre of that story stands La Monnaie / De Munt—one of Europe's most influential opera houses and a leading force in contemporary music theatre today.

    The episode features a conversation with Christina Scheppelmann and composer Iain Bell, whose opera Medusa recently received its world premiere in Brussels. Together, they discuss the realities of commissioning new operas in the twenty-first century, the collaboration between institutions and composers, and the importance of understanding the human voice not merely as a dramatic medium, but as one of the composer's central instruments.

    Special thanks to Iain Bell, La Monnaie / De Munt and Palazzetto Bru Zane for their support and participation in this episode.

    Opera Road Trip is hosted by Sebastian F. Schwarz who is Casting Director of Milan's Teatro alla Scala and whose curriculum as an opera manager includes CEO and Artistic Director and Administrator positions at Theater an der Wien, Glyndebourne, Teatro Regio Torino, Festival della Valle d'Itria, Hamburgische Staatsoper and Wexford Festival Opera. He is Vice-president of the International Richard Strauss Society, member of the board of the European Musical Theatre Academy and co-founder of the Cesti Competition for Baroque Opera.

    All episodes: https://operavision.eu/features/opera-road-trip

    Music extracts for this episode:

    Introduction: Fidelio (Beethoven): Overture, op. 72

    Ecerpts from Thésée (Francois-Joseph Gossec): Virginie Pochon, Les Agrémens, Chœur de Chambre de Namur, Guy van Waas

    Ecerpts from the duet "De ton epoux voila donc le partage" from La Caravane de Caïre (André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry): Katia Velletaz, Cyrille Dubois, Les Agrémens, Guy van Waas

    Ecerpt from the Ouverture from Medusa (Iain Bell): Marie-Nicole Lemieux, La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Michiel Delanghe

    Excerpt from an Aria of Medusa from Medusa (Iain Bell): Claudia Boyle, La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra, Michiel Delanghe

    Bonus Music:

    Excerpt from a duet from Hulda (César Franck): Jennifer Holloway, Edgaras Montvidas, Orchestre Philhamonique Royal de Liège, Gergely Madaras

    Link to the recorded catalogue of rediscovered works published by Palazzetto Bru Zane:

    https://bru-zane.com/en/dischi/

    OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union's Creative Europe programme.

    Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision.
    Show More Show Less
    46 mins
  • Opéra à la française

    Opéra à la française
    Apr 28 2026
    In this episode of OPERA Road Trip, host Sebastian F. Schwarz turns to France—one of the historic strongholds of the European operatic tradition—shaped by a dense network of public institutions, a strong culture of state support, and a long-standing belief in opera as a public good. From the court of Louis XIV and the founding of the Académie Royale de Musique to the grand opéra tradition of the 19th century and the decentralisation policies of the post-war period, the episode traces how France developed a uniquely structured and highly institutionalised operatic ecosystem. It is a system built on stability and public investment, yet increasingly confronted with financial pressures, evolving audience expectations, and the need for renewal. At the heart of the episode are conversations with two leading figures of today's French opera landscape: Valérie Chevalier, General Director of Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier Occitanie, reflecting on regional opera, decentralisation, and the realities of leading a major house outside Paris; and Stéphane Degout, one of France's most internationally acclaimed baritones, offering a performer's perspective on the French repertoire, artistic identity, and the relationship between national tradition and global careers. Together, their voices reveal a system negotiating continuity and change—raising questions about how a deeply rooted cultural model can adapt to the demands of the present while preserving its artistic core. Opera Road Trip is hosted by Sebastian F. Schwarz who is Casting Director of Milan's Teatro alla Scala and whose curriculum as an opera manager includes CEO and Artistic Director and Administrator positions at Theater an der Wien, Glyndebourne, Teatro Regio Torino, Festival della Valle d'Itria, Hamburgische Staatsoper and Wexford Festival Opera. He is Vice-president of the International Richard Strauss Society, member of the board of the European Musical Theatre Academy and co-founder of the Cesti Competition for Baroque Opera. All episodes: https://operavision.eu/features/opera-road-trip Music extracts for this episode: Introduction: Fidelio (Beethoven): Overture, op. 72 Ecerpts from Herculanum (Félicien David): Véronique Gens, Edgaras Montvidas, Brussels Philharmonic, Hervé Niquet Ecerpts from L'île du rêve (Reynaldo Hahn): Hélène Guilmette, Cyrill Dubois, Munich Radio Orchestra, Hervé Niquet Ecerpts from Werther (Jules Massenet): Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Orchestre del'Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier-Occitanie, Jean-Marie Zeitouni Excerpt from Le Nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart): Stéphane Degout, Dutch National Opera, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Ivor Bolton Bonus Music: Excerpt from Mazeppa (Clémence Grandval): Julien Dran, Munich Radio Orchestra, Mihhail Gerts Link to the recorded catalogue of rediscovered works published by Palazzetto Bru Zane: https://bru-zane.com/en/dischi/ OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union's Creative Europe programme. Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision. In dieser Episode von OPERA Road Trip richtet Gastgeber Sebastian F. Schwarz den Blick auf Frankreich – eines der historischen Zentren der europäischen Operntradition, geprägt von einem dichten Netz öffentlicher Institutionen, einer ausgeprägten Kultur staatlicher Förderung und dem tief verwurzelten Verständnis von Oper als öffentliches Gut. Vom Hof Ludwigs XIV. und der Gründung der Académie Royale de Musique über die Grand opéra des 19. Jahrhunderts bis hin zu den Dezentralisierungspolitiken der Nachkriegszeit zeichnet die Episode nach, wie sich in Frankreich ein einzigartig strukturiertes und stark institutionalisiertes Opernsystem entwickelt hat. Es ist ein System, das auf Stabilität und öffentlicher Finanzierung beruht, zugleich jedoch zunehmend mit finanziellem Druck, sich wandelnden Publikumserwartungen und dem Bedarf nach Erneuerung konfrontiert ist. Im Zentrum der Episode stehen Gespräche mit zwei prägenden Persönlichkeiten der heutigen französischen Opernlandschaft: Valérie Chevalier, Generaldirektorin des Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier Occitanie, die über regionale Oper, Dezentralisierung und die Realität der Leitung eines großen Hauses außerhalb von Paris spricht; sowie Stéphane Degout, einer der international renommiertesten französischen Baritone, der eine künstlerische Perspektive auf das französische Repertoire, Fragen der Identität und das Spannungsverhältnis zwischen nationaler Tradition und internationaler Karriere einbringt. Gemeinsam zeichnen ihre Stimmen das Bild eines Systems im Spannungsfeld von Kontinuität und Wandel – und werfen die Frage auf, wie sich ein tief verwurzeltes ...
    Show More Show Less
    43 mins
  • 'Remember me!' - Opera in the UK

    'Remember me!' - Opera in the UK
    Mar 31 2026
    In this episode of OPERA Road Trip, host Sebastian F. Schwarz turns to the United Kingdom, tracing a uniquely complex operatic landscape shaped as much by private initiative and tradition as by public institutions. From the courtly masques of the 17th century to Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, from Handel's operatic rivalries in London to Britten's reinvention of a modern British voice, the episode explores how opera in the UK evolved along a path distinct from continental Europe. Framed by music from Handel's Semele, it reveals a story of adaptation, tension, and resilience—one that continues today amid funding challenges and shifting cultural priorities. At the heart of the episode are conversations with two key figures representing the breadth of today's British opera ecosystem: Gus Christie of Glyndebourne Festival Opera, reflecting on the legacy and future of the country-house festival model and why it might be good for an opera company not to be dependent on public funding, and Adele Thomas, the new co-CEO of Welsh National Opera, navigating one of the most challenging periods in the company's history and defending subsidy for the preservation of our operatic heritage. Together, their perspectives illuminate a system balancing tradition and reinvention—inviting us to ask not only how British opera remembers its past, but how it imagines its future. Opera Road Trip is hosted by Sebastian F. Schwarz who is Casting Director of Milan's Teatro alla Scala and whose curriculum as an opera manager includes CEO and Artistic Director and Administrator positions at Theater an der Wien, Glyndebourne, Teatro Regio Torino, Festival della Valle d'Itria, Hamburgische Staatsoper and Wexford Festival Opera. He is Vice-president of the International Richard Strauss Society, member of the board of the European Musical Theatre Academy and co-founder of the Cesti Competition for Baroque Opera. All episodes: https://operavision.eu/feature/operav... Music extracts for Episode 8: Introduction: Fidelio (Beethoven): Overture, op. 72 Two excerpts from Semele (Georg Friedrich Händel): Heidi Stober, orchestra of Garsington Opera, conductor Jonathan Cohen, Garsington Opera, 2017 Excerpt from The Rise and Fall of the city of Mahagonny (Kurt Weill): Danielle de Niese, chorus and orchestra of the English National Opera, 2026 Bonus: Excerpt from Dido and Aeneas (Henry Purcell): Kate Lindsey, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, 2023 OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union's Creative Europe programme. Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision. In dieser Episode von OPERA Road Trip wendet sich Gastgeber Sebastian F. Schwarz dem Vereinigten Königreich zu und zeichnet eine einzigartig komplexe Opernlandschaft nach, die ebenso von privater Initiative und Tradition wie von öffentlichen Institutionen geprägt ist. Von den höfischen Maskenspielen des 17. Jahrhunderts über Purcells Dido and Aeneas, von Händels Opernkonkurrenzen in London bis zu Brittens Neuerfindung einer modernen britischen Stimme erkundet die Folge, wie sich die Oper im Vereinigten Königreich auf einem eigenständigen Weg entwickelte – anders als auf dem europäischen Kontinent. Gerahmt von Musik aus Händels Semele entfaltet sich eine Geschichte von Anpassung, Spannungen und Widerstandskraft, die sich heute unter dem Druck finanzieller Herausforderungen und sich wandelnder kulturpolitischer Prioritäten fortschreibt. Im Zentrum der Episode stehen Gespräche mit zwei prägenden Persönlichkeiten des heutigen britischen Opernbetriebs: Gus Christie vom Glyndebourne Festival Opera, der über Herkunft und Zukunft des Country-House-Festivalmodells spricht und darüber, warum es für ein Opernunternehmen von Vorteil sein kann, nicht von öffentlichen Subventionen abhängig zu sein, sowie Adele Thomas, neue Co-CEO der Welsh National Opera, die eines der schwierigsten Kapitel in der Geschichte des Hauses mitgestaltet und für die öffentliche Förderung als Grundlage zur Bewahrung unseres Opernerbes eintritt. Gemeinsam zeichnen ihre Perspektiven das Bild eines Systems zwischen Tradition und Erneuerung – und laden dazu ein, nicht nur zu fragen, wie sich die britische Oper ihrer Vergangenheit erinnert, sondern auch, wie sie ihre Zukunft denkt. Opera Road Trip wird moderiert von Sebastian F. Schwarz, Casting Director der Mailänder Scala. Seine Laufbahn als Opernmanager umfasst Positionen als Intendant, Künstlerischer Leiter und Geschäftsführer am Theater an der Wien, beim Glyndebourne Festival Opera, am Teatro Regio Torino, beim Festival della Valle d'Itria, an der Hamburgischen Staatsoper sowie beim Wexford Festival Opera. ...
    Show More Show Less
    59 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
No reviews yet