1 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:09,400 Speaker 1: This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the 2 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: Thing from iHeart Radios. 3 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 2: Vers Oohio gebers a lot of sly. 4 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: This is, of course nessun dorma from Puccini's Torndo, featuring 5 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: the breathtaking voice of my guest today, Jonathan Tedeleman. Born 6 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: a naturally gifted singer, Tedleman was recording with the Trans 7 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: Siberian Orchestra by the eighth grade. He started as a 8 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: baritone before transitioning to his true calling as a tenor. 9 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: After training at the Manhattan School of Music and Manis College, 10 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:20,279 Speaker 1: Jonathan Teedleman walked away from opera briefly. Following a stint 11 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 1: working as a DJ in Manhattan nightclubs, Teedleman attended an 12 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: open call audition that would ultimately be the springboard for 13 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: his opera career. He won first prize in the twenty 14 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:37,680 Speaker 1: seventeen New York Lyric Opera Competition and was the recipient 15 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: of the Classic Award for twenty twenty three Breakout Artist 16 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: of the Year. Teedleman travels the world performing works like 17 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:50,639 Speaker 1: La Boem, Madam, Butterfly, and La Traviata in world class 18 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: opera halls across Europe and the Americas. I wanted to 19 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 1: know what his routine is like backstage before a performance. 20 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 3: So it actually kind of depends on the day. Regularly, 21 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 3: I eat everything, but leading up to a performance, I 22 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 3: really kind of have a stricter diet. I try to 23 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 3: find things that are not going to give me reflux 24 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 3: or you know, any sort of like spicy foods and 25 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 3: things like that. 26 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: Avoid religiously dairy region exactly that kind of stuff. 27 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 3: And also alcohol. I don't drink two days before performance 28 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 3: nothing zero Wow, and you feel the difference. I could 29 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 3: feel the difference, but or I might, you know, I 30 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 3: think it's just not worth the risk. I've had incidences where, 31 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 3: you know, I have felt it and I was like, 32 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 3: you know what, if I can just take out that variable, 33 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:33,799 Speaker 3: then that's way better. 34 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 1: Someone recognized that you had a singing was you're growing 35 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: up in Princeton and someone were you either your parents 36 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 1: taught at the university Nope, So you someone recognized when 37 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 1: you were eight that you had a voice. It was unique. 38 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:51,799 Speaker 1: What does the eight year old sound like? You know? 39 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: I don't know. 40 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 3: It was in a summer program. It was called Camp 41 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:57,079 Speaker 3: College at the Mercer County Community College and there was 42 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 3: somebody there. You could take different courses and all these 43 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 3: different things, and I took the choral course and the 44 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 3: director there was like, oh, you know, you have a 45 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 3: nice you have a nice voice. And he told my 46 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 3: parents and they were like, well, exactly what does that mean? 47 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:11,519 Speaker 3: What does he have a nice voice? He was like, oh, no, 48 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:13,919 Speaker 3: he he could actually maybe do something with that. And 49 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,359 Speaker 3: they're like, well, you're on key, and yeah, exactly. It 50 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 3: was very natural talent to be able to like the 51 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,359 Speaker 3: fundamentals exactly. All those things came very naturally without any training. 52 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 3: So he said, you know, you should check out this school, 53 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:26,760 Speaker 3: the American Boy Choir School, which is in Princeton. And 54 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:28,799 Speaker 3: I went over there and I was like, oh, this 55 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 3: is this is right up my alley. I could do 56 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,079 Speaker 3: choral singing every day of my life. That's awesome. And 57 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 3: as a kid, you know, it's kind of my parents 58 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 3: are like, that's a little weird. Why does our kid, 59 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 3: why does our eight year old want to be in 60 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 3: a choir? But you know, they they saw the value 61 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 3: in the school, and they saw the value in investing 62 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 3: in me and the things that I loved, and so 63 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 3: it took off from there. 64 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: Now, when you're young, when you get pulled into this 65 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 1: world and invited into this world to sing on a 66 00:03:56,280 --> 00:04:00,040 Speaker 1: serious level, and eventually you record this Christmas thing, what 67 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: does the Trans Siberian Orchestra find you? 68 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 3: It's so strange. I actually was just listening to that 69 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 3: album the other day and I was like, this is 70 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 3: probably the strangest album to ever go gold, I think 71 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 3: in classical Ish music, you know, I think that they 72 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 3: just wanted to have a variety because they're kind of 73 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 3: this more variety type of group. And they have this 74 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 3: one track with the boys. I think there was only 75 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 3: five or six of us, and we came into a 76 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 3: little recording studio like this and we sang this, remember 77 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 3: whatever track it was, and then we went home. I 78 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 3: mean it was really really clean and easy, and I 79 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 3: was probably fourteen years old, so it was, you know, 80 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 3: very exciting to come to a New York city and 81 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 3: you know, singing a recording studio. 82 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: You didn't spend much time in the city when you 83 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 1: were growing. 84 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 3: Up, not so much, you know, being in school in 85 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 3: Princeton all the time. I think we had we had 86 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:48,160 Speaker 3: school basically Monday to Saturday. 87 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: So Princeton's just for people who don't know the area. Princeton. 88 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: I've always said it is just far enough away from 89 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: New York for to be a pain in the ass 90 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: to come in. That's true, the specially in New Jersey. 91 00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: Transit right from that margin, just a little too far. 92 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: Now you go because you want to meet girls, and 93 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: you want to meet girls who you join a band? Right, 94 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 1: do you sing in the band or you completely give 95 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:10,719 Speaker 1: up singing? You just play the guitar? 96 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 3: Well, you sing rock and roll? Yeah, yeah, I mean 97 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 3: I taught myself the guitar. You know, actually all of 98 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 3: us in high school were kind of like teaching ourselves 99 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 3: the guitar. I went to kind of like a hippie 100 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 3: kind of schooling as well. Exactly, you're self taught in 101 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 3: many ways, self taught, self taught, but you know, I 102 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 3: got a lot of good guidance. So that's really the 103 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 3: only way you can develop skills. I mean, talent only 104 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 3: goes so far. So I think that, yeah, I want. 105 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 3: I was interested in some girls. I felt like the 106 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:39,040 Speaker 3: guitar is an easy way to their hearts, and I 107 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 3: already had the voice, so you know, it was it 108 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 3: was an easy pairing. And yeah, I started a rock band. 109 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:45,720 Speaker 3: I would sing, I'd play guitar, and I wrote a 110 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:48,159 Speaker 3: lot of the songs. I probably wrote maybe twenty songs 111 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:49,279 Speaker 3: while we were together. 112 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:51,840 Speaker 1: It was what was the name of the band, Big Talk, 113 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:58,240 Speaker 1: Big Talk, Big to love It? Now? When you you 114 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 1: go all through high school? Yes, singing publicly? Yeah? Any 115 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 1: of the professional Were you singing professionally at all? When 116 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: you were in high school? 117 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 3: I was with the Westminster Youth Corral and we did 118 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,960 Speaker 3: sing a couple of professional things, But mostly I was 119 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 3: kind of deciding do I want to be a rock 120 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:15,239 Speaker 3: and roll singer? Do I want to be a classical 121 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:15,840 Speaker 3: music singer? 122 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:17,359 Speaker 1: And I made you choose the way you choose. 123 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,919 Speaker 3: You know, I felt like having some sort of degree 124 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 3: in music and having real training in New York City 125 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 3: would benefit me in the long run if I wanted 126 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,960 Speaker 3: to make that choice. So I think you could always 127 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 3: pivot exactly. You know. I think that having taking the 128 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:36,840 Speaker 3: chance and actually, you know, getting the formal training and 129 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 3: getting and making the connections is a lot more valuable 130 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 3: than kind of just going off my own and really 131 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:42,280 Speaker 3: rolling the dice. 132 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: Now, I must say that you on YouTube books ten 133 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:46,920 Speaker 1: years older than you do now, because in person. You're 134 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:50,800 Speaker 1: much more boyish looking, and on YouTube you look powerful. 135 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 1: What do you do emotionally, if anything, to get out 136 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:54,920 Speaker 1: there and sing like that? 137 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:57,600 Speaker 3: Well, luckily I have a soundtrack, you know, I have 138 00:06:57,760 --> 00:06:59,919 Speaker 3: the music to really pump me up. And that's all 139 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 3: been within me, you know, that kind of that feeling 140 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:04,920 Speaker 3: of connecting myself to music has always been there. So 141 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 3: it's a very natural thing for me to kind of 142 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 3: feel the strength when I'm on the stage. But if 143 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 3: I don't feel the strength necessarily that day, you know, 144 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 3: I I'll do a couple of push ups, a couple 145 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 3: you know, calisthenics backstage, get myself ready, pump myself up. 146 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 3: Red Bull never hurts. Also, like Jin Saying and B twelve, 147 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 3: you know, I'll do whatever whatever's there. You know, if 148 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 3: I need it, I gotta get it now. When you 149 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 3: but you then when you finish high school, you went 150 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 3: to study where first Manhattan School music and you were 151 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:34,840 Speaker 3: there for how long? Four years underground? 152 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 1: Four years, four years hard time time? Did you enjoy it? 153 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 4: I did? 154 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: I did it. It's a great school. 155 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 3: It was I wish I actually waited to go and 156 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 3: went for masters. I think it was would be a 157 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 3: little bit more valuable, but I still really enjoyed the school. 158 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 3: I took everything I could. 159 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: But you took the Masters of manas took the mesters 160 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: of Manis where's manising on the Upper west Side? 161 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 3: Upper west Side? Well it used to be. I think 162 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 3: it's all down in the new school. The affiliate with 163 00:07:57,600 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 3: the new school they are, I don't know, it's the 164 00:07:59,160 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 3: same school. 165 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:03,040 Speaker 1: I didn't know. Yeah, So when you finish that, you 166 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: go on to have a private mentor correct a private 167 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 1: teacher for a while. 168 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 3: Well, I kind of took a little a little segue 169 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 3: before my private study, I started DJing in the city. 170 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 3: I started club promoting. You know, I was a young 171 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 3: twenty three, twenty four, decently with personality. It was it was, 172 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 3: it was, it was. 173 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 1: It was an easy career. Was your doing? That's right, 174 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:27,040 Speaker 1: that's right. It was officially a New Yorker, So I 175 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: had they can't do it anymore out there and go clubbing? 176 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:32,439 Speaker 1: Is you a DJ for how long? 177 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:36,199 Speaker 3: So? I finished school twenty thirteen, so around then twenty 178 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:39,439 Speaker 3: thirteen to twenty fifteen. 179 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:42,680 Speaker 1: To just hang out, have some fun, make some money. 180 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 3: I was going through a transition. I was actually a 181 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:48,400 Speaker 3: baritone at MSM, and I was starting to move into 182 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 3: tenor repertoire, and I just felt like I wasn't ready 183 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:54,240 Speaker 3: for it physically, emotionally, everything, and I just didn't have 184 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:54,720 Speaker 3: the focus. 185 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: I didn't. 186 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:57,280 Speaker 3: I kind of kind of burned out, and I didn't 187 00:08:57,280 --> 00:08:59,079 Speaker 3: want to burn out completely. So I was like, you 188 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 3: know what, let me try something else for a little while, 189 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 3: and I'll come back to opera lea at some point. 190 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:07,640 Speaker 1: So for people who don't understand, to move from singing 191 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,800 Speaker 1: in baritone to tenor is a tremendous amount of work. 192 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:11,679 Speaker 4: It is, it is. 193 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 3: I mean I was always kind of a tenor, but 194 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,559 Speaker 3: just a lazy tenor. I didn't really have the facility 195 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:19,079 Speaker 3: to do it. So it just took it took me 196 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 3: some time, you know, and I had to I had 197 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 3: to recalibrate my brain to accept that I was a tenor. 198 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 1: I couldn't. 199 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:26,560 Speaker 3: I couldn't go back to being a baritone that I wasn't. 200 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: And when you and when you go from one to 201 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: the other, is that the typical goal of many people 202 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: who are a male singers tenor is where you ultimately 203 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:38,439 Speaker 1: want to be. There's more opportunities and more great roles there. 204 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 3: You know I would say, yes, there are, but you 205 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 3: don't really have a choice. You know, the voice is 206 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:45,760 Speaker 3: the voice, and you have to develop the voice as 207 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 3: far as you can go. And if you're a tenor, 208 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 3: you need to develop your voice to be a tenor. 209 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,240 Speaker 3: If you're a baritone, you need to develop it that way. 210 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:55,199 Speaker 3: It's I call it the Harry Potter sorting hat. You know, 211 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:57,120 Speaker 3: you just don't You don't get to choose. The voice 212 00:09:57,160 --> 00:09:57,599 Speaker 3: chooses you. 213 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 1: Now, this piece Remini Francesca, Yes, and and the piece 214 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: you you took a year to prepare for that piece, 215 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 1: over a year, right, and over a year. So this 216 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:11,760 Speaker 1: is this during that phase when you were doing all 217 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:14,599 Speaker 1: your nightclub work and stuff and like that. The I 218 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 1: had already committed. 219 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:18,120 Speaker 3: I've already committed. I've already been a tenor. I'd done 220 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 3: a couple of tenor roles, but this one was really 221 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 3: starting to reach into the tenor. 222 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:25,320 Speaker 1: Depths of technique and ability. 223 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:27,839 Speaker 3: I got the role kind of early on when I 224 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,680 Speaker 3: was when I was getting my new work as a tenor, 225 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 3: and I was a little hesitant to take it because 226 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:35,640 Speaker 3: it's a really it's a really dramatic piece and for 227 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 3: a young guy, it's it's tough, but it's strange because 228 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:41,000 Speaker 3: it's it's written for a young singer but with a 229 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:44,319 Speaker 3: veteran technique, so it's very difficult to cast. But I 230 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 3: was ambitious and I was like, you know what, I 231 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:48,679 Speaker 3: could do it, no problem. I was preparing the role, 232 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:50,719 Speaker 3: and then I had started to have my doubts, and 233 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:54,960 Speaker 3: right at that moment, COVID hit and I had six months, 234 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:57,439 Speaker 3: seven months to just sit in my place and prepare 235 00:10:57,480 --> 00:10:59,959 Speaker 3: the role. And thank goodness, I actually had that time. 236 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 3: So I took advantage of it, and I really really 237 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 3: prepared that role. I've never prepared any other role before. 238 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,199 Speaker 1: What do you do for a year or more to 239 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 1: study your rolling? What are you doing? 240 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,199 Speaker 3: I mean, first of all, you know reading the story. 241 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 3: I read the Dante, I read the libretto many times. 242 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:19,560 Speaker 3: I really got to understand the other characters in the story, 243 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 3: not just mine. I usually only have time to learn 244 00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:25,559 Speaker 3: my character, and then in rehearsals I learn everybody else's characters. So, 245 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:28,679 Speaker 3: you know, putting that all together on top of the 246 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 3: technical difficulties of the role, which is which can take 247 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:34,320 Speaker 3: I mean, it could take a year, it could take 248 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:36,079 Speaker 3: five years, could take ten years. I mean, you just 249 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:39,079 Speaker 3: don't know the voice is. You only know what you 250 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:41,319 Speaker 3: can accomplish with the voice when you do it. And 251 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 3: luckily I had a lot of time to do that. 252 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:46,040 Speaker 1: You have to find out if you can do it. 253 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 1: I had to find out, yeah right now. When you 254 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 1: are young, I mean a lot of people they start 255 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: to track roles or if they don't necessarily want to 256 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:58,440 Speaker 1: play it. I just really love and enjoy that role. 257 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,679 Speaker 1: When do you start to track the roles you wanted 258 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:02,800 Speaker 1: to play? How old are you? 259 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:06,360 Speaker 3: I think I'm in that right now. I mean that's 260 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 3: that's kind of I'm getting it in itself now exactly. 261 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:11,319 Speaker 3: I'm kind of getting to the level where I can 262 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 3: decide these are the things that I really want to 263 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:16,000 Speaker 3: take on, and then these other things maybe not so much. 264 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 3: And then there's a really like do not fly list. 265 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:21,199 Speaker 3: It just takes a lot of experience because opera you 266 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:23,240 Speaker 3: kind of just get shoved into it. You get pushed 267 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 3: onto the stage and you just got to do it. 268 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 3: And even with this last role at the Met, you know, 269 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 3: I didn't think that necessarily I would love the role, 270 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 3: but I ended up really not enjoying it at all 271 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:35,599 Speaker 3: because I felt like the character itself just doesn't have 272 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:39,559 Speaker 3: enough character. Puccini didn't right enough for the character to 273 00:12:39,679 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 3: have gravitas and intensity. And I learned that, you know, 274 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 3: I learned that this is just I will do it 275 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:48,120 Speaker 3: here and then goodbye. 276 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:51,680 Speaker 1: Some of these roles, I'm assuming every one of these roles, 277 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 1: but some more so than others, are very physically demanding 278 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:57,440 Speaker 1: on you. Physically. Yes, I know you look an athlete 279 00:12:57,480 --> 00:12:59,160 Speaker 1: in terms of training for that as well. 280 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:02,520 Speaker 3: Or I'm in the gym maybe twice a week, not 281 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 3: too much, but I have a two year old daughter, 282 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 3: so you know, I'm constantly doing dead lists, ready for. 283 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,440 Speaker 1: The Olympics, ready for you're going to Paris, that's right, 284 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 1: But you're tracking those roles. I'm wondering how much acting 285 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: is involved in what you do. 286 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:20,920 Speaker 3: It depends on each person. Some singers take it very seriously, 287 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:25,079 Speaker 3: and you know, you will see some actual professional actors 288 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,240 Speaker 3: on stage. But the majority, I would say, of opera 289 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 3: singers are not so attuned with the acting component of 290 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,760 Speaker 3: the opera because it's on such a big scale. You know, 291 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:37,760 Speaker 3: most most of the operas are not on TV. You know, 292 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:40,360 Speaker 3: most of them are not even in a small vaudeville theater. 293 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 3: You know, they're in a huge four thousand seat arena 294 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:46,400 Speaker 3: size building and you can't really see the acting. You 295 00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:49,600 Speaker 3: don't really you don't notice it. For me, I mean, 296 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 3: I try to really balance it out. I really try 297 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,439 Speaker 3: to focus mostly on my voice, of course, because that's 298 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:56,680 Speaker 3: the thing that you know, tells the story in the room. 299 00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:59,679 Speaker 3: But the acting part is something actually that I think 300 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:03,079 Speaker 3: helps the colleagues. You know, when I give things and 301 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 3: i'm and I'm working with somebody and I'm feeling emotions, 302 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 3: it not only heightens the intensity between the characters, but 303 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 3: also my own character. And I think that there's a 304 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,559 Speaker 3: huge value to that. That's kind of an It's unfortunate, 305 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,360 Speaker 3: but it's not such an unnecessary component in the in 306 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 3: the opera preparation process anymore. So. 307 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:25,840 Speaker 1: I'm assuming all these roles are challenging, but of the 308 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:27,920 Speaker 1: ones you've done thus far, and then in a separate 309 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 1: category ones you hope to do, what's one of the 310 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:31,480 Speaker 1: most challenging ones you've done so far? 311 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 5: And why? 312 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 3: You know, they're all very challenging in different ways and 313 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:38,120 Speaker 3: sometimes unexpected ways. I'll give you an example. The last 314 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:39,800 Speaker 3: stoper I did at the MET, I didn't think it 315 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 3: was going to be challenging, you know. I learned the role, 316 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 3: I learned the character everything, I was like, wow, this 317 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 3: is this is going to be a walk in the park. 318 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:48,200 Speaker 3: But really, the way that Puccini designed the role is 319 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 3: it's kind of boring and it's a challenge to play 320 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 3: a boring character with a lot of boring music. And 321 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 3: it's a lot of a lot of dialogue and not 322 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 3: a lot of melody. It's it was a ch in 323 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 3: its own way, lad And it's more, it's not really 324 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 3: an opera. It's more of an opera atta kind of 325 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 3: mixed with a play. It it doesn't really have this 326 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:12,040 Speaker 3: operatic moment that you're that you expect from Puccini until 327 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 3: the very end. There's a beautiful duet at the end, 328 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,960 Speaker 3: which thank god it's there. But the rest of the opera, 329 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 3: especially for my character, is is very dialogue based. It's 330 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 3: not it's not so, it's not so Puccinies. 331 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:26,840 Speaker 1: What do they tell you to try to motivate you? 332 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:27,880 Speaker 1: What does the director say? 333 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 3: I found my own motivation really, yeah, came to work 334 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:36,720 Speaker 3: with the director sometimes interesting. 335 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: That's interesting now when you're there. Obviously, the met is 336 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:43,680 Speaker 1: considered one of the Great Lascala in all these legendary places, 337 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:45,720 Speaker 1: and the Meta is considered one of the great houses 338 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:47,920 Speaker 1: to sing an opera. But is the met still the 339 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 1: temple of opera that people view it as? 340 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 3: It certainly is the United States, if not the world. 341 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,000 Speaker 3: I mean it's it's the it's top three, top. 342 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,560 Speaker 1: Five opera house. You know, the thing you enjoy performing there? 343 00:15:57,680 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 1: I do, I do. 344 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 3: I mean, it's a wonderful acoustic it's a it's a 345 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:04,360 Speaker 3: it's a barn. I mean, it's the Colosseum. I mean really, 346 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:07,680 Speaker 3: I feel like, you know, Russell Crowe, you know, Gladiator 347 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 3: in there, but uh, you know, and that that's its 348 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 3: own challenge. But I think it's it's very well designed 349 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:15,160 Speaker 3: and it's very well run, so it works. It's a 350 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:17,680 Speaker 3: machine that I would not want to operate myself, but 351 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 3: I'm glad that I could be, you know, a fly 352 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 3: on the wall and see what's going on. 353 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 1: Is that world constricting a little bit like classical music 354 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: in terms of the audience. 355 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 3: And I think in the United States, yeah, a lot, 356 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 3: because you know, it's all privately funded, you know, and 357 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,720 Speaker 3: the money it's it's hard to get now, I think, 358 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 3: you know, it only gets harder with the with the 359 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:39,040 Speaker 3: arts and the way that in politics we portray the 360 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 3: arts unfortunately. I think in Europe. That's why we're mostly 361 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 3: over in Europe. You know, I have a lot more states. 362 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 3: I mean, every little city, every little town in Germany 363 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 3: has an opera house and they're all at a reasonable level. 364 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:55,480 Speaker 3: And then you have places like Berlin and Munich and 365 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 3: Hamburg and Frankfurt, and you know, they you can make 366 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 3: an easy living over there, and then you could just 367 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:03,640 Speaker 3: fly one hour to Vienna or two hours to Milan 368 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:05,880 Speaker 3: and sing internationally. 369 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: How would you describe the difference between audiences in the 370 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:11,240 Speaker 1: United States and Europe. 371 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 3: You know, there is a difference. I would say the 372 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:16,639 Speaker 3: typical United States audience, I would say, you know, you 373 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:19,439 Speaker 3: probably have twenty twenty five percent of the people are 374 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:21,679 Speaker 3: regular opera goers that really know the. 375 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:22,919 Speaker 1: Peace in Europe. 376 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:25,200 Speaker 3: In the United States, I would say about twenty percent 377 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 3: they know the piece, you know, they go all the time. 378 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,240 Speaker 3: And then the rest is kind of people that are 379 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 3: going there because they like opera and or first timers 380 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 3: and stuff like that. So I think the enthusiasm for 381 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,840 Speaker 3: the opera in the United States is always pretty good, 382 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:46,040 Speaker 3: you know, unless it's a real train wreck. You know, 383 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 3: you never, You're never. I basically say the met you know, 384 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:51,720 Speaker 3: you always see a standing ovation at the end of 385 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:54,919 Speaker 3: the night because they're always very happy place New York exactly, 386 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:56,879 Speaker 3: you know. And but I would say in Europe you 387 00:17:56,920 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 3: got to really work for that, especially places like London. 388 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:01,600 Speaker 3: You know, I think that the personality of the people 389 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:04,320 Speaker 3: is a little different. So to get people on their 390 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:07,440 Speaker 3: feet in Covent Garden or at the Colisseum, it's it's 391 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:10,400 Speaker 3: much more difficult. And then in Italy, well then we'll 392 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:13,119 Speaker 3: keep going. Well, actually we'll go to Germany next. Germany, 393 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 3: you know, I think even getting an applause after an 394 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:19,680 Speaker 3: Aria is extremely difficult. You know, they're much more reserved. 395 00:18:20,119 --> 00:18:22,920 Speaker 3: But if they really like the show, they'll applaud for 396 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:26,239 Speaker 3: twenty thirty forty minutes after just for bows. I mean, 397 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:28,719 Speaker 3: it's a completely different thing. Then, and then we head 398 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 3: to Italy. There's nothing, there's nothing good in it, especially 399 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:37,560 Speaker 3: if you're American. Should they A lot of them think, oh, 400 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:39,560 Speaker 3: he's an American, he should be paying to sing on 401 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:42,760 Speaker 3: this stage. God and you I mean they you know, 402 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:45,520 Speaker 3: the mafia kind of still exists there in terms of 403 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 3: the opera. You got to pay off certain people to 404 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:50,840 Speaker 3: give you applause or not give you boot in the 405 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:55,680 Speaker 3: equipment exactly. So it's it's the wild, wild South down there, 406 00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:58,520 Speaker 3: I think. Still, but that's really the I think that's 407 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 3: the authentic opera culture. And I think that they're right. 408 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 3: I think that they're totally right to have this, because 409 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:06,520 Speaker 3: that's really what you want. You want this excitement. You know, 410 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:08,480 Speaker 3: you have no idea what the hell's going to happen, 411 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,400 Speaker 3: and anything can just go wrong at any moments. Notice, 412 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:14,720 Speaker 3: somebody could just start screaming, booze or throwing things that 413 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 3: you Also, the theaters are very different. All of the 414 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:22,480 Speaker 3: American theaters are very new, I mean nineteen sixties, but 415 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:25,600 Speaker 3: you know they're not from the seventeen eighteen hundreds. You know, 416 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:28,720 Speaker 3: there's a very big difference in the acoustics and the 417 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:31,080 Speaker 3: way that they smell and they feel. And when you 418 00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 3: walk into an Italian theater, you this history kind of 419 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 3: just like flows over you. You always feel it when 420 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,440 Speaker 3: you're in there, even as an audience member, you're like, wow, 421 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:41,360 Speaker 3: you know, this is this is something else. 422 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:41,639 Speaker 5: You know. 423 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 3: The met is very historical, of course, but it's a 424 00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:48,399 Speaker 3: relatively new opera theater compared to something like Vienna or Lascala, 425 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:50,119 Speaker 3: any of these places. 426 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:59,880 Speaker 1: You lot, Jonathan Tedelman. If you enjoy conversations with powerful 427 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 1: operatic voices, check out my episode with five time Grammy 428 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 1: Award winner soprano Renee Fleming. 429 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 4: So when I sing Tayis, for instance, at the met 430 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:14,400 Speaker 4: some years ago and had these spectacular costumes from Christian Lacroix, 431 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,520 Speaker 4: you just thought the stars have aligned to make this 432 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,159 Speaker 4: role suit me perfectly. Right now. 433 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:24,399 Speaker 1: I love singing in French. 434 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:27,920 Speaker 4: I love Massona the way it lies, the character, the 435 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:30,639 Speaker 4: fact that you know, the psychological drama, and this opera 436 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:34,400 Speaker 4: where these two people completely change places with each other. 437 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: To hear more of my conversation with Renee Fleming, go 438 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:46,400 Speaker 1: to Here's the Thing dot org. After the break, Jonathan 439 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:50,040 Speaker 1: Tedleman shares the story of meeting his wife on a 440 00:20:50,119 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: dating app. Hi'm Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's 441 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:31,119 Speaker 1: the Thing. 442 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:36,880 Speaker 2: Man on Me, demnd. 443 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 1: Sae Mobby Lady. 444 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,439 Speaker 2: Love Money Money. 445 00:21:56,280 --> 00:22:04,480 Speaker 1: See this is Jonathan Tedelman performing Donna nonvidi mai from 446 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:10,000 Speaker 1: Puccini's Mano Let's Go. Tedeleman has worked with some of 447 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:12,840 Speaker 1: the best conductors in the world. Yet he is clear 448 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:16,359 Speaker 1: to make the distinction between your average maestro and the 449 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:18,760 Speaker 1: conductors who can conduct opera. 450 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:24,720 Speaker 3: I think there's very few great, great opera conductors. I 451 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:27,320 Speaker 3: think that there's probably a handful of them in the world. 452 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:30,280 Speaker 3: We have a lot of good conductors, but really top 453 00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:33,680 Speaker 3: people that know these operas so well, that know the 454 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 3: voice so well. 455 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:35,919 Speaker 1: This is really rare now. 456 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:40,240 Speaker 3: I think that it's also become difficult I think for 457 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:42,399 Speaker 3: a lot of a lot of singers, because you know, 458 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:43,920 Speaker 3: you never really know what you're going to get with 459 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 3: a conductor nowadays, because there's there's just so many of them, 460 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:49,720 Speaker 3: and a lot of them are kind of learning this 461 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,160 Speaker 3: art as they go as well, like the singers are well. 462 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 1: Levine, who I loved and wanted him to do this 463 00:22:57,119 --> 00:23:00,240 Speaker 1: show with us, and who obviously had a controversial to 464 00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:03,480 Speaker 1: his career and then died recently. Yes, Levine was somebody 465 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:07,359 Speaker 1: who wherever I would see him, without becoming silly and 466 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 1: without becoming excessive. He had this wonderful level of enthusiasm 467 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:14,800 Speaker 1: when he was conducting. He was like you could see 468 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:17,760 Speaker 1: him feeling it in a way other people are keeping time. 469 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:20,119 Speaker 1: The old maestrows, don't get too emotional. Some of them 470 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,560 Speaker 1: are going to fly off the podium they're wound up. 471 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,000 Speaker 1: And he was somebody who just had to was just right. 472 00:23:25,119 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 1: The level of passion right that he was imbuing with 473 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:30,119 Speaker 1: his motions and his movements and things like that. I 474 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:33,080 Speaker 1: loved Lemon. Is there someone you can mention that you 475 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:35,760 Speaker 1: dream of working with his or conductor ether you're thinking, God, 476 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:37,960 Speaker 1: you know that? Would we don't insult all the other 477 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:38,840 Speaker 1: ones you already worked with. 478 00:23:39,359 --> 00:23:42,000 Speaker 3: You know, I could say that I've I've already worked 479 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:44,520 Speaker 3: with one of my favorite conductors, Daniel Orrin, and I 480 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:46,600 Speaker 3: think that this is he's a rare breed. 481 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:46,840 Speaker 5: Now. 482 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:48,720 Speaker 3: You know, he grew up as a singer. Actually it 483 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:53,040 Speaker 3: was discovered by Leonard Bernstein. His talent, and he's also Jewish. 484 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 3: He's part of my tribe, so I appreciate that. But 485 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,440 Speaker 3: you know, he's really old school Italian kind of conductor. 486 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:00,399 Speaker 3: You know, all of his training was in Italy, and 487 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:05,119 Speaker 3: he knows the pieces better than I think almost anyone. 488 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:09,879 Speaker 3: I mean, he's an unbelievable and unbelievable maestro. He's a 489 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:12,440 Speaker 3: little temperamental, but I think that that actually comes in 490 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:14,680 Speaker 3: your favor when you get on stage and you have 491 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:17,679 Speaker 3: somebody to support you and and help you deliver when 492 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:18,119 Speaker 3: you need it. 493 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:21,120 Speaker 1: Now, you were born in Chile, yes, and you left 494 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,119 Speaker 1: there when six months old and your parents took you 495 00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:26,959 Speaker 1: or you were, well, they adopted me, but they were 496 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:30,960 Speaker 1: they didn't take me. So you never met your birth parents, never, 497 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,040 Speaker 1: and you know any about their history. No, your adoptive 498 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 1: parents are Jewish. Yes, you want you know, Chilean Catholic 499 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 1: or something. Probably was it was. 500 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:42,000 Speaker 3: I mean, I'm sure I was from Castro and that's 501 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:43,880 Speaker 3: like the Catholic the capital of Chile. 502 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:46,439 Speaker 1: So right, But you were raised Jewish, I was by 503 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:51,240 Speaker 1: your parents, So no connection to Chile, no feelings about Chile. 504 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 3: No, No, I mean I will actually be doing some 505 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,840 Speaker 3: sort of South American tour next year. I am planning 506 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:01,280 Speaker 3: to go to my place of birth. There's actually a 507 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:06,080 Speaker 3: beautiful theater nearby called Teatro de Lago, and it's this 508 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:09,360 Speaker 3: theater on the lake obviously, and and then I'll maybe 509 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:15,560 Speaker 3: sing in San Diego, Buenos Aires, Peru, Monte Video, just 510 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:19,280 Speaker 3: kind of re enter my South American Harris South American 511 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:22,320 Speaker 3: circuit exactly exactly. But I really wanted to do this, 512 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:24,240 Speaker 3: and I've been waiting to do it. I was planning 513 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:27,000 Speaker 3: actually doing it this summer, but unfortunately my wife's visas 514 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:31,000 Speaker 3: issues we cannot be from. She's Romanian. That's why the 515 00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:35,000 Speaker 3: Romanian connection, and that's the Romaining connection. And they won't 516 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,200 Speaker 3: let her leave the country until she has her green card. 517 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 3: So here we are stuck in the US of A. 518 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,120 Speaker 1: If anybody can sing their way to their wife's green card, 519 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: I have faith, amen, I have faith to the White House. Probably, 520 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:49,679 Speaker 1: I'm sure I'm not the first one. Anything I can 521 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:51,800 Speaker 1: do for you there, Jonathan, you like, as a matter 522 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 1: of fact, mister President, that's right. They were in a 523 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:57,520 Speaker 1: little favor you could do for me. Now, what's one 524 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:00,680 Speaker 1: of the strange I mean, opera is so complain I 525 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:05,000 Speaker 1: watched that documentary about the Ring and Levine conducted that 526 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:08,440 Speaker 1: and they showed those big big paddles, those seaws and 527 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:11,440 Speaker 1: the whole crazy thing. Yeah, and they showed the rehearsals. 528 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:16,200 Speaker 1: They would they would stop and go sliding down park 529 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:18,680 Speaker 1: like they were in Washington Square Park. You'd be like, 530 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:21,879 Speaker 1: zip off the stage. What's the craziest thing that ever 531 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: happened to you during a show that any like wacky 532 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:25,160 Speaker 1: things ever happening when you were doing a show. 533 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:27,440 Speaker 3: Well, I've definitely injured myself a few times. I've done 534 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:30,960 Speaker 3: the opera Tosca, and always in that opera there's the 535 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:33,919 Speaker 3: death of Covered Dulcie where he gets killed by firing squad. 536 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:36,200 Speaker 3: And before I really actually knew how to fall, I 537 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,600 Speaker 3: was falling and falling and falling, and then eventually I 538 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 3: had this enormous bruise across my entire leg and up 539 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:43,879 Speaker 3: my back. And I kept because I just kept falling 540 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:46,760 Speaker 3: on my hip every night, and by the last show, 541 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:48,679 Speaker 3: I was like hobbling the entire opera. 542 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: It was horrible. 543 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 3: But then I learned, you know how to actually do 544 00:26:52,359 --> 00:26:53,000 Speaker 3: it correctly. 545 00:26:53,359 --> 00:26:55,160 Speaker 1: I did a play once and I'm banging my hand 546 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,719 Speaker 1: on a table. I'm punching him. I'm doing street car 547 00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:00,199 Speaker 1: named Desiron Broadway. On the line is remember what Ui 548 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:02,879 Speaker 1: Long said? Every man is a king and I am 549 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:04,680 Speaker 1: the king around here. I bashed the team. It was 550 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:08,200 Speaker 1: a hickory table out with the hardest fucking wood. With 551 00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:11,760 Speaker 1: the wood they made like Washington's coffin out back hard. 552 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:15,040 Speaker 1: I heard the wood exactly. The table hit me and 553 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:18,520 Speaker 1: I literally get I crushed my knuckle. I kill my 554 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,080 Speaker 1: nerve from in between my pinky finger and the next 555 00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:23,399 Speaker 1: finger of it. I crushed the nerve wrapping up in 556 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,080 Speaker 1: behind my through my forearm, wrapping up in like the 557 00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:28,760 Speaker 1: saiattica of your upper front, and it goes wraps around 558 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:31,600 Speaker 1: my bicyle. And I couldn't do one push up. I 559 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:34,879 Speaker 1: went down. I just and my chest muscle just died. 560 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:37,160 Speaker 1: Well and it comes out of the air down anyway, 561 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:38,960 Speaker 1: like if you do push ups. Yeah, you're you know, 562 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:41,760 Speaker 1: exerting the same system. And this happened to me, and 563 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:44,480 Speaker 1: my hands are turned black, not blue black. 564 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:45,240 Speaker 3: My goodness. 565 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:47,040 Speaker 1: No he's your wife an opera singer. 566 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:48,159 Speaker 2: No she's not. 567 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:51,320 Speaker 3: We actually met on Tinder in London. She was working 568 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:53,960 Speaker 3: for the Soho House. She was a manager of a 569 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:55,200 Speaker 3: restaurant at the ned. 570 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:58,680 Speaker 1: I can't believe you're so desperate, you're you know, I 571 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:00,320 Speaker 1: was just I just was there to make. 572 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:05,760 Speaker 3: You know. It was It's like one of those tender 573 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:08,399 Speaker 3: stories that actually out hotel. 574 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:09,880 Speaker 1: Am I swiping? 575 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:14,159 Speaker 3: Am I that I don't know super swiping? Actually you 576 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:15,840 Speaker 3: met her? We met, Yeah, we met. 577 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:18,080 Speaker 1: What's it like for you when when you're on Tinder 578 00:28:18,119 --> 00:28:20,480 Speaker 1: and you meet the person either there what you hope 579 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 1: they would be or they're not. 580 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 3: I mean, I think she was more the person that 581 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:27,440 Speaker 3: I expected than I was the person that she expected. 582 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:28,679 Speaker 1: What does she expect? 583 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:30,879 Speaker 3: Well, you know I had some nice pictures and all 584 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:33,159 Speaker 3: these things. You know, you've seen me on on on 585 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:34,880 Speaker 3: the camera and you see me in the real life. 586 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:37,240 Speaker 3: You know that there is difference. So I think that 587 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:39,720 Speaker 3: it's slight different, a slight different the guy. 588 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:40,360 Speaker 1: I also had a. 589 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,120 Speaker 3: Little bit more weight at that time, so you know, 590 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 3: it was a little bit more powerful, a little power. 591 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:47,880 Speaker 6: Yeah, I like that powerful play. You look like you 592 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 6: could be playing defense event for the Cowboys. I don't 593 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:52,920 Speaker 6: know on video video. In person, you look you could 594 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:54,480 Speaker 6: be playing tennis and Yale or something. 595 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:55,400 Speaker 1: That's good. That's good. 596 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:57,200 Speaker 3: Yes, I get I got a lot of I got 597 00:28:57,200 --> 00:28:57,920 Speaker 3: a lot of federer. 598 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,840 Speaker 1: Actually, that's that's that's my that's my So we get 599 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,360 Speaker 1: the woman, your wife, who the woman who're gonna actually 600 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:05,960 Speaker 1: partner with and have a baby, And are you married? Married? 601 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:08,040 Speaker 3: We just got married as we went. We got off 602 00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:11,080 Speaker 3: the plane at JFK, drove down to West Virginia and 603 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,040 Speaker 3: got married the next morning. Why West Virginia because you 604 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:16,520 Speaker 3: can get a marriage licensed day of and we wanted 605 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:18,760 Speaker 3: to submit everything as fast as we could to get 606 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:20,040 Speaker 3: the green carts. 607 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:23,640 Speaker 1: Ordinially raised in Princeton with my wife from Romania, get 608 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:24,800 Speaker 1: married in West Virginia. 609 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:26,960 Speaker 3: That's right, And now we're gonna we're gonna be moving 610 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,640 Speaker 3: back to Berlin next year. So yeah, that's where we'll be. 611 00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:33,040 Speaker 1: Love that to be home for now. Why a lot 612 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:34,840 Speaker 1: of work, Yeah, it's the work. 613 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:38,120 Speaker 3: It's it's just the it's simple. It's more simple there. 614 00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:40,560 Speaker 3: We can go to her family very easily. It's only 615 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:43,600 Speaker 3: two hours. I can go to basically anywhere in Europe 616 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:48,000 Speaker 3: within three hours. And you know, it's just that's where 617 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:50,560 Speaker 3: the opera really is. You have three major opera houses 618 00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:54,360 Speaker 3: right in that city. Then you have obviously the Berlin Philharmonic, 619 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 3: and then also universal music is there. So for me, 620 00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:59,520 Speaker 3: it's it's almost a no brainer. And the education is 621 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 3: very good and free. 622 00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:03,840 Speaker 1: Do you see yourself doing this for the rest of 623 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:06,040 Speaker 1: your life? I mean, like in my own case, I 624 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:08,400 Speaker 1: did this for forty something years and now I'd rather 625 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:11,280 Speaker 1: stay home more than work. Well, I'm happier staying home 626 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:13,040 Speaker 1: than working. I used to go to work. I was 627 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:15,600 Speaker 1: very enthusiastic and work rather than let one off the other. 628 00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:17,840 Speaker 1: You know, for a twenty year period in all I 629 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:20,000 Speaker 1: cared about really was work, right, but I cared about 630 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 1: my family and so but I really didn't hesitate to 631 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:24,680 Speaker 1: go out and grab the jobs while they were there. 632 00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:27,280 Speaker 1: And now I'm just not as interested. 633 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 3: I understand, you know, I think I would like to 634 00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:33,280 Speaker 3: do other things eventually, I would I would like to 635 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:37,200 Speaker 3: do a lot of things. I'm interested in actually acting itself. 636 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:39,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, we were going to say my producers that were like, 637 00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:41,440 Speaker 1: what about acting? When are you going to go into that? 638 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:43,880 Speaker 3: I am interested, you know, and I'm kind of a 639 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:47,280 Speaker 3: big fan of Mariolnza and this kind of tradition of 640 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:50,640 Speaker 3: these great singers in film. I think that that's kind 641 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 3: of a missing element to the world right now. I 642 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:55,880 Speaker 3: think that that's there could be a draw for an 643 00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:58,800 Speaker 3: inspirational thing for a lot of young people to really 644 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:03,120 Speaker 3: connect with music that is so meaningful and. 645 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 1: So so you should develop an NETNA series for like 646 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,000 Speaker 1: a Netflix or Apple or one of these people are 647 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,640 Speaker 1: of Amazon Prime where it's about the world of opera 648 00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:13,760 Speaker 1: and it's a narrative. You play a character. I mean, 649 00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:14,520 Speaker 1: it's a cooler world. 650 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 3: And most people know, you know, most people think opera okay, 651 00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:19,560 Speaker 3: they they're just talented. They just get on that stage, 652 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:21,800 Speaker 3: they sing, they you know, they make they do that, 653 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 3: they do that thing. I don't want to know really 654 00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:26,120 Speaker 3: about that, but yeah, it's that thing. But actually it's 655 00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:29,520 Speaker 3: it's a kind of normal life mixed with this life 656 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:31,760 Speaker 3: of just like going from job to job, place to place, 657 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 3: person to person and roll to role. You know, everything, 658 00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:37,760 Speaker 3: every new place is a new experience. It's it's actually 659 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:38,400 Speaker 3: very exciting. 660 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: Well, I mean, as you probably can guess, if we 661 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:43,080 Speaker 1: did the TV series with you and the lead as 662 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:46,960 Speaker 1: the opera singer, you'd be this incredibly handsome, gifted opera singer, 663 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:49,840 Speaker 1: but in behind the scenes you'd be completely fucked up 664 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: and messed up, completely exactly on TV you gotta be 665 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:53,480 Speaker 1: messed I'd have to ask your buddy to take me 666 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:55,520 Speaker 1: to the clubs and you have to really wind down, 667 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:58,480 Speaker 1: you know, add just can't. You got to pull it 668 00:31:58,560 --> 00:31:59,360 Speaker 1: together for one more. 669 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:01,560 Speaker 3: You know, this is no longer reality show. 670 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:06,520 Speaker 1: This is a drama. Yeah, exactly, this is a documentary. 671 00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:08,040 Speaker 3: This is actually Mario Lonza. 672 00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:20,880 Speaker 1: Chess tenor Jonathan Tedtleman if you're enjoying this episode, don't 673 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:23,640 Speaker 1: keep it to yourself. Tell a friend and be sure 674 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:27,560 Speaker 1: to follow us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 675 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:31,960 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. When we come back, Jonathan 676 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 1: Tedleman shares what happens behind the scenes before an opera 677 00:32:36,160 --> 00:33:15,960 Speaker 1: can be staged. M I'm Alec Baldwin and this is 678 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:16,920 Speaker 1: here's the thing. 679 00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:24,920 Speaker 2: Jelly Lamony, son of. 680 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:30,240 Speaker 1: Shame John. 681 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:34,960 Speaker 2: With on set. 682 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:41,480 Speaker 1: From Puccini's La Ba M. This is Jonathan Tedleman with 683 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:43,760 Speaker 1: k Jalida Manina. 684 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:49,440 Speaker 5: Mama, you do not know. 685 00:33:59,640 --> 00:33:59,680 Speaker 4: Me. 686 00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:06,680 Speaker 1: Tittleman may be a young man, but he's been singing 687 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:10,680 Speaker 1: for two decades. I wanted to know his advice for 688 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:12,880 Speaker 1: the next generation of opera singers. 689 00:34:15,040 --> 00:34:16,800 Speaker 3: You know, to be an opera singer, you have to 690 00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:19,200 Speaker 3: have the most open mind. You know, you really and 691 00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:21,480 Speaker 3: you really can't think that you know you know everything. 692 00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:23,960 Speaker 3: You really have to always second guess a little bit. 693 00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:27,120 Speaker 3: You have to really be ready to change things about 694 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:30,680 Speaker 3: who you are and your voice and and your perspective 695 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:33,279 Speaker 3: and everything like that, because you know, all the time 696 00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:36,040 Speaker 3: your instrument is in your body, and your body is 697 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:38,920 Speaker 3: always changing and you you can't really take it for 698 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:40,480 Speaker 3: granted to be like, oh I know how to sing, 699 00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:42,120 Speaker 3: I can just sing. You know, every day is a 700 00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:44,080 Speaker 3: different day, so you have to have a plan for 701 00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:48,080 Speaker 3: anything to happen and everything to happen, because it will happen. 702 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:51,960 Speaker 1: When you come to work. When you're performing like a 703 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:54,520 Speaker 1: big role, yeah some you know, it's a real serious 704 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:57,279 Speaker 1: gig for you with some heavy venue. What's your day like? 705 00:34:58,719 --> 00:35:01,480 Speaker 3: It depends on the opera house I met. They like 706 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:04,759 Speaker 3: to rehearse, I'll say, you know they have a saying 707 00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:07,160 Speaker 3: the same day. No, no, I mean we rehearse. We 708 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:08,480 Speaker 3: don't have to we don't have to sing. 709 00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:11,880 Speaker 1: Luckily, what's an opera rehearsal with no singing? What do 710 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:12,560 Speaker 1: they do? Well? 711 00:35:12,640 --> 00:35:17,279 Speaker 3: We just do staging, I mean staging and logistics, choreography. 712 00:35:17,360 --> 00:35:19,279 Speaker 3: If if you're lucky, you have a good director and 713 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:22,160 Speaker 3: you have a good collaborative team of people that can act, 714 00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:24,960 Speaker 3: then you can develop things even more. You know, it 715 00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:26,800 Speaker 3: just just depends on who you get. And that's the 716 00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:28,840 Speaker 3: thing about operator is you don't really know who you 717 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:30,200 Speaker 3: get until you get there. 718 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:32,160 Speaker 1: What do you like to do with your spare time? 719 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:35,440 Speaker 1: Do you feel that you can go clubbing and enjoy life? 720 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 1: To the fullest story. You have to really really, are 721 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:40,920 Speaker 1: you like Jake Lamada asking him for a piece of ice? 722 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:43,360 Speaker 3: You know, I never I never need to go to 723 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:45,680 Speaker 3: another club. I think I'm I think I'm all set 724 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:49,800 Speaker 3: right now. You know, we're preparing our wedding reception because 725 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:50,959 Speaker 3: you know we've got married. 726 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:52,200 Speaker 1: We're hired to sing there. 727 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:56,879 Speaker 3: Actually, you have an open piano cocktail hour, so all 728 00:35:56,960 --> 00:35:59,719 Speaker 3: of my buddies and whoever wants to get up will 729 00:35:59,719 --> 00:36:01,440 Speaker 3: have a so they could just get up and do 730 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:03,799 Speaker 3: their thing. Are most of your friends in the business, Yeah, 731 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:06,760 Speaker 3: I would say, or or there's in some way interested 732 00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:08,959 Speaker 3: in singing, which is really weird. My whole, my whole 733 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:11,759 Speaker 3: wedding party. I'd realize that every one of them is 734 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:13,359 Speaker 3: an opera singer or wants to be one. 735 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:16,440 Speaker 4: So what do you do? 736 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:18,879 Speaker 1: What do you like to do on a night off? 737 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:20,960 Speaker 3: I mean, we don't take many nights off. You know, 738 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:23,399 Speaker 3: we're mostly at home, just like hanging with the kid 739 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:25,480 Speaker 3: and playing with her. You know, it's a it's an 740 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:28,120 Speaker 3: important time right now. You know, we really enjoy spending 741 00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:30,239 Speaker 3: time with our daughter. But you know, when we're on tour, 742 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:32,560 Speaker 3: you know, we have actually we don't really want to 743 00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:34,040 Speaker 3: stay home. You know, we want to see the cities. 744 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:35,640 Speaker 3: So when we're in Italy, you know, we want to 745 00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:37,600 Speaker 3: see all the churches, we want to see all the museums. 746 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:40,640 Speaker 3: We just want to walk around. We were in Palermo recently, 747 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:42,399 Speaker 3: and you know, we would go to the market every 748 00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:45,800 Speaker 3: day and get get fresh fish, fresh groceries everything. You 749 00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:48,040 Speaker 3: know that that's like it's a different type of life. 750 00:36:48,080 --> 00:36:48,759 Speaker 1: European life. 751 00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:51,160 Speaker 3: Very cool actually, because you know, and get the practice 752 00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:53,000 Speaker 3: a little Italian or any of your. 753 00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:54,759 Speaker 1: Parents or either your parents willing to go on the 754 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:57,680 Speaker 1: road with you for these luxurious trips. You can have 755 00:36:57,760 --> 00:36:59,120 Speaker 1: the kids and take care of the kids. 756 00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:04,120 Speaker 3: They're a bit too willing. That's their retire may my 757 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:08,239 Speaker 3: son like, son, where are we going? We're gonna go 758 00:37:08,320 --> 00:37:12,279 Speaker 3: to They'll find us. They'll find us, you're kidding, that's 759 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:15,479 Speaker 3: where you go. They usually come and they spend maybe 760 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:18,080 Speaker 3: three to three to five weeks with us at a time, 761 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:19,239 Speaker 3: which is really nice. 762 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:22,719 Speaker 1: Yeah. Easy. 763 00:37:23,239 --> 00:37:25,239 Speaker 3: You know, I don't have them forever, so it's it's 764 00:37:25,360 --> 00:37:26,279 Speaker 3: wonderful to have them. 765 00:37:26,640 --> 00:37:26,800 Speaker 4: You know. 766 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:30,239 Speaker 3: At any moment, what are you doing next? Well, I'm 767 00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:33,640 Speaker 3: doing Butterfly at the met now you're rehearsing. Now, we're rehearsing. 768 00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:33,839 Speaker 2: Now. 769 00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:37,200 Speaker 3: Actually I'm I'm supposed to sing tomorrow, but I'm not 770 00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:39,760 Speaker 3: feeling well, So I think I'm not going to sing tomorrow. 771 00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:41,680 Speaker 3: And when you make that call with them, it's a 772 00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:44,680 Speaker 3: tough call, you know. I think I think it's they 773 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:46,960 Speaker 3: appreciate it. And I think that a lot of singers 774 00:37:47,160 --> 00:37:49,799 Speaker 3: struggle making that call because they feel like, oh, if 775 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:52,480 Speaker 3: I cancel, you know, they'll they won't hire me again. 776 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:55,719 Speaker 3: They'll think I'm unreliable. But I actually think it's an important. 777 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:58,400 Speaker 1: Order for everybody else to move forward during the rehearsal right, 778 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:01,080 Speaker 1: not be held up by you, even though it's say, well. 779 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,480 Speaker 3: Now we're in the performances, so oh you're running. Oh 780 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:05,759 Speaker 3: we're running. We're running tomorrow opening night. But you know, 781 00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:09,399 Speaker 3: tomorrow's the opening night, opening night, and and I'm not there. 782 00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:11,440 Speaker 3: You know, I just know that I'm not going to 783 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:11,839 Speaker 3: be at. 784 00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:13,600 Speaker 1: I usually have an understudy. 785 00:38:13,640 --> 00:38:16,040 Speaker 3: Obviously, we have an understudy. And if I'm not ninety percent, 786 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:19,279 Speaker 3: I don't sing. Actually saying that HD broadcast last week, 787 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:21,880 Speaker 3: completely sick, I had no voice, and luckily I had 788 00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:25,280 Speaker 3: a great doctor who prescribed me some wonderful Western medication 789 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:27,879 Speaker 3: to get me through the show, but otherwise I would 790 00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:28,600 Speaker 3: have had nothing. 791 00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:32,480 Speaker 1: Now, watches, What is your thing about collecting watches? 792 00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:35,880 Speaker 3: You know, I kind of mostly collect Omega watches. I 793 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:39,920 Speaker 3: actually really like the Omega history of Omega. There's so 794 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,719 Speaker 3: many different types of Omegas, probably one of the more 795 00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:45,359 Speaker 3: interesting brands, I think, because they didn't really set out 796 00:38:45,360 --> 00:38:47,319 Speaker 3: to be like, oh, this is a luxury brand or whatever. 797 00:38:47,360 --> 00:38:48,880 Speaker 3: You know, there are really a lot of them. A 798 00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:50,920 Speaker 3: lot of them I have are like officer watches or 799 00:38:51,040 --> 00:38:53,400 Speaker 3: kind of daily wear watches. And then they kind of 800 00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:56,160 Speaker 3: they did the James Bond stuff. So their history is 801 00:38:56,280 --> 00:38:59,439 Speaker 3: very interesting. I think it's very rooted into like people 802 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:02,960 Speaker 3: that want collect watches. They don't make them fifty thousand dollars, 803 00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:05,279 Speaker 3: you know, they make them under ten grand typically, So 804 00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:08,440 Speaker 3: I think it's a it's a good brand to connect 805 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:09,920 Speaker 3: myself too. I wish they'd give me a. 806 00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:15,440 Speaker 1: Call, you know, hello Omega at Hello Swatch watches and 807 00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:19,680 Speaker 1: sing Madama Butterfly. That's right, Well you're running at the 808 00:39:19,800 --> 00:39:21,560 Speaker 1: met in Madam Butterfly for how. 809 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:26,759 Speaker 3: Long until May eleventh? That's the HD broadcast actually, so 810 00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:30,200 Speaker 3: that's that show. Will be that will be broadcast, yes, live, 811 00:39:30,400 --> 00:39:31,440 Speaker 3: it'll be a live broadcast. 812 00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:34,440 Speaker 1: And when you do that show typically, because this is 813 00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:37,640 Speaker 1: something I'm rather ignorant about, it typically runs how many performances. 814 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:41,359 Speaker 3: Typically I would say a run is anywhere between five 815 00:39:41,440 --> 00:39:47,239 Speaker 3: and twelve shows. It depends. So my my Rondine was 816 00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:49,279 Speaker 3: eight and the Butterfly's five. 817 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:52,720 Speaker 1: No, yes, only five shows. 818 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:53,239 Speaker 3: That's right. 819 00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:56,959 Speaker 1: Well, if it's in May labor of love, you can't 820 00:39:57,000 --> 00:39:58,399 Speaker 1: sing every night. You can't. 821 00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:01,080 Speaker 3: You have to sing, I mean, at the most once 822 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:03,399 Speaker 3: every other night, but you really need two days off 823 00:40:03,719 --> 00:40:05,719 Speaker 3: to rest the voice. That what you have now, I 824 00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:08,200 Speaker 3: have that now at the met that's what they give you. 825 00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:11,480 Speaker 3: And it's really it's a luxury in Europe. You don't 826 00:40:11,480 --> 00:40:14,040 Speaker 3: always get that. It's a lifestyle. You know, you have 827 00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:16,560 Speaker 3: you come to expect it that this is what you do. 828 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:26,320 Speaker 1: Special thanks to Deutsche Gramophone for the beautiful recordings in 829 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:30,120 Speaker 1: this episode. My thanks to Jonathan Tedeleman. I'll leave you 830 00:40:30,239 --> 00:40:33,319 Speaker 1: with his rendition of a look of that lustelle from 831 00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:37,879 Speaker 1: Puccini's Tosca. I'm Alec Baldwin. Here's the thing, is brought 832 00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:39,920 Speaker 1: to you by iHeart Radio. 833 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:53,239 Speaker 2: Little. It's a. 834 00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:16,279 Speaker 5: I would bus so still enough for Inta, I didn't 835 00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:18,400 Speaker 5: not feel like a hunting. 836 00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:39,359 Speaker 2: Me cut the not even that charm. Oh word. 837 00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:45,040 Speaker 6: Love me. 838 00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:56,319 Speaker 2: Crt intre of love. Never laugh, for. 839 00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:32,320 Speaker 5: Smarty had sent the son your NEDO to lit my 840 00:42:34,680 --> 00:42:54,440 Speaker 5: Sten