Episode 36

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Published on:

15th Aug 2022

A Requiem for the Binary (w/Rick Hoops)

It's a been a long summer without you, dear Scorekeepers, but we're finally back with a new episode of THE SCORE! This week, we start with a conversation about what did on our summer vacations (0:00:53) before we have a chat about gender identity and transphobia in opera education, sparked by some brutal comments leaked from an Opera America listserv earlier this summer (0:29:06). We're then joined by MN Opera's brand new Youth Programs Music Director, Rick Hoops, who gives us some insight into our new educational offerings this fall and what they're doing to "de-gender" opera education and make opera a more inclusive art form for young artists (0:55:25). And, finally, despite the state of the world there is plenty of Black joy to be found! This week we celebrate the ladies of Abbot Elementary, Alexis Nikole Nelson, Mishael Morgan, Emilia Mettenbrink and you know you're not getting out of here without listening to us meltdown over Beyoncé's latest masterpiece, Renaissance (1:15:24)! Let's do it to it, y'all!

(And for more information about auditioning for any of our education programs this fall, please visit mnopera.org/community or contact MN Opera's Creative Development Manager Fei Chen at ychen@mnopera.org!)

Hosts: Lee Bynum, Rocky Jones, Paige Reynolds

Guest: Rick Hoops

Producer: Rocky Jones

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Links

"UPDATED: Email Leaks Reveal Opera America’s Professional Development Listserv Complaining About Young Artists’ ‘Entitlement’ & Pronouns" (OperaWire)

Pronouns.org

The Genderbread Person

"White Supremacy" by Tema Okun

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New episodes of THE SCORE drop every other Monday. If you like what you hear, please support us and SUBSCRIBE to the show on your favorite podcast app and be sure to SHARE our show with your friends. Also, leaving a 5-star REVIEW on Apple Podcasts is a great way to help get the word out. For more info about the exciting EDI work happening at MN Opera, please visit mnopera.org/edi. Email your questions or comments to thescore@mnopera.org

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About the Podcast

The Score
News and commentary about art and pop culture seen through an antiracist and anti-oppressive lens
It's time to put the arts on game! Hosts Lee Bynum, Paige Reynolds, and Rocky Jones are three Black, queer artists and pop culture aficionados, who are working every day to bring more diversity, equity, and inclusivity into the arts. Noted by The New York Times as one of the "Podcasts Opera Pros Tune To" in 2021, The Score is their provocative, thoughtful, and humorous commentary on the industry's past, present, and future, as seen through an antiracist and anti-oppressive lens. Each episode features a variety of stories from a variety of perspectives that bring People of the Global Majority, queer, trans and nonbinary folks, and everyone else into the discussion of ownership over and access to the arts. From the opera house to the statehouse to your house, each episode will amplify the voices of those in the field who are pushing the boundaries of what opera is, who it is for, and how it can transform us and our communities.