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Central City Opera Podcast


The Central City Opera Podcast introduces you to the movers and shakers of the Central City Opera Festival. Episodes feature interviews with principal and young artists, designers, directors, conductors, and other production staff.  The podcast is hosted and edited by Emily Murdock, Director of Education & Community Engagement at Central City Opera.

Season 7 features the productions of the 2022 Summer Festival: Guettel's THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, Strauss' DIE FLEDERMAUS, and Heggie's TWO REMAIN. Make sure you're subscribed on your podcast app of choice to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device.

To find out more about Central City Opera, visit centralcityopera.org.

Jul 15, 2022

On this episode, we hear from conductor Brandon Eldredge and soprano Tessa McQueen about Act One of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s chamber opera, TWO REMAIN. Act One focuses on the true story of Polish poet Krystyna Zywulska surviving the Holocaust – and the psychological trauma she dealt with the rest of her life. It’s based on her searing memoir of 1946, “I Survived Auschwitz.” Brandon and Tessa share more about Krystyna’s life, about how challenging it is to perform and interpret a story of this magnitude, and how important it is to keep telling these stories.

Brandon Eldredge has built a broad-scoped knowledge and experience as a conductor, pianist, and operatic coach, working across the United States, Germany, and Sweden. He is CCO’s Associate Conductor and Chorus Master this summer, working on all three productions. During the year, he is on staff at Virginia Opera as Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master.

Soprano Tessa McQueen is a first year Studio Artist in the Bonfils-Stanton Artists Training Program, and in addition to her role of Krystyna Zywulska in TWO REMAIN, she is in the chorus of Die Fledermaus and several opera scenes for the Short Works performances. Tessa received her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Oklahoma City University and will begin her Master’s degree at Rice University this fall.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.