The LA Opera and Classical KUSC 91.5fm Announce the 2015 Schedule for LA OPERA ON AIR

LA Opera is collaborating with Classical KUSC 91.5fm to produce the ninth consecutive season of LA Opera On Air, a weekly broadcast series of LA Opera performances recorded live at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Beginning with Verdi's La Traviata, starring Nino Machaidze and Plácido Domingo at 10am on Saturday, May 16, 2015, the weekly series hosted by KUSC's Duff Murphy will feature five performances from LA Opera's 2014/15 season and a special encore broadcast of Jules Massenet's Thaïs from the 2013/14 season. The series will be broadcast locally on Classical KUSC 91.5fm, its repeater stations (see below) and also streamed live online at KUSC.org.

The LA Opera On Air broadcasts will subsequently be syndicated nationally on the WFMT Radio Network beginning on July 18, 2015. These broadcasts will be heard on 68 main stations and in 346 total markets in 39 states.

Broadcast Schedule
Note: As national broadcast dates and times may vary in differing markets, the WFMT Radio Network dates listed are the first days that LA Opera On Air programming is released for syndicated broadcast. Visit WFMT.com/opera for up-to-date information.

La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
Classical KUSC: May 16, 10am
WFMT Radio Network release date: July 18
Georgian soprano Nino Machaidze sings the leading role of Violetta, joined by tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz as Alfredo and Plácido Domingo as Germont, in a performance conducted by James Conlon.

Dido and Aeneas (by Henry Purcell) and Bluebeard's Castle (by Béla Bartók)
Classical KUSC: May 23, 10am
WFMT Radio Network release date: July 25
Steven Sloane conducts a double bill of one-act operas. Paula Murrihy and Liam Bonner sing the title roles in Dido and Aeneas, joined by Kateryna Kasper as Belinda and John Holiday as the Sorceress. Robert Hayward and Claudia Mahnke sing the roles of Bluebeard and his ill-fated wife Judith in Bluebeard's Castle.

The Barber of Seville (by Gioachino Rossini)
Classical KUSC: May 30, 10am
WFMT Radio Network release date: August 1
LA Opera's "Figaro Trilogy," conducted by James Conlon, begins with The Barber of Seville, starring Rodion Pogossov as Figaro, René Barbera as Count Almaviva and Elizabeth DeShong as Rosina.

The Marriage of Figaro (by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
Classical KUSC: June 6, 10am
WFMT Radio Network release date: August 8
James Conlon conducts a cast featuring Roberto Tagliavini as Figaro, Pretty Yende as Susanna, Ryan McKinny as Count Almaviva, Guanqun Yu as the Countess and Renée Rapier as Cherubino.

The Ghosts of Versailles (by John Corigliano)
Classical KUSC: June 13, 10am
WFMT Radio Network release date: August 15
James Conlon conducts the west coast premiere of Corigliano's "grand opera buffa," which incorporates the major plot elements of The Guilty Mother, the third "Figaro" play by Beaumarchais. Patricia Racette and Christopher Maltman star as the ghosts of Marie Antoinette and Beaumarchais, with Lucas Meachem as Figaro, Robert Brubaker as the villainous Bégearss and Broadway legend Patti LuPone as Samira.

Thaïs (by Jules Massenet)
Classical KUSC: June 20, 10am
WFMT Radio Network release date: August 22
Soprano Nino Machaidze sings the title role of Massenet's rarely performed gem, appearing as a glamorous courtesan opposite Plácido Domingo as the holy man determined to save her soul. Patrick Fournillier conducts this performance from LA Opera's 2013/14 season.

About Classical KUSC
Classical KUSC is the most-listened-to classical station in the country. The non-profit, listener-supported station and its friendly, knowledgeable hosts have been bringing Southern California great classical music, features about the arts, and live concert broadcasts for over 60 years. The station is a broadcast service of the University of Southern California and can be heard at 91.5fm in Los Angeles, 88.5fm in Palm Springs, 91.1fm in Thousand Oaks, 93.7fm in Santa Barbara, 99.7fm in Morro Bay/San Luis Obispo and anywhere in the world using the free online stream at KUSC.org or using KUSC's free smartphone apps.

About the WFMT Radio Network
The WFMT Radio Network, the international syndication division of award-winning Chicago classical music station 98.7WFMT, distributes these broadcasts worldwide. In addition to the LA Opera On Air broadcasts, the WFMT Radio Network syndicates many programs, including concerts by the Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, as well as ongoing series such asRelevant Tones, Fiesta! and Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin. The WFMT Radio Network also distributes exclusive programming from Carnegie Hall, Germany's Deutsche Welle Radio, and offers dozens of classical, folk, jazz, documentaries and specials to radio outlets around the world. For more information, please contact Tony Macaluso attmacaluso@wfmt.com or Estlin Usher at eusher@wfmt.com.

Photo Courtesy of the LA Opera

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