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Soundcheck

Friday, September 22, 2006
  • Opera on YouTube
    Opera on YouTube

    Opera for the Masses?

    This season, the Metropolitan Opera is planning to broadcast operas to movie theaters, satellite radio, and even Times Square. Across the plaza, New York City Opera is dropping its ticket prices and presenting an "Opera for All" festival. Today, New York Times chief classical music critic Anthony Tommasini asks whether these and other gambits can attract new opera fans. Also: YouTube.com isn't only for posting quirky homemade videos. An astonishing amount of opera video lives on the site, making it an endless trove of historic material. James Jorden, editor of the opera blog Parterre Box, explains this trend. Finally, Joe Purdy, a folky singer-songwriter whose music is on ABC's hit series "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy," performs live in the studio.

Opera's New Stages

New York Times chief classical music critic Anthony Tommasini talks about the attempts by New York's two major opera companies to expand their audiences.
Metropolitan Opera's Web site
New York City Opera's Web site

Opera lives on YouTube

James Jorden, editor of the opera blog Parterre Box, explains how YouTube is bringing opera to the masses.
Parterre Box

Joe Purdy

A visit with folk singer-songwriter Joe Purdy.
Joe Purdy's Web site

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.

In Studio: Los Amigos Invisibles

Soundcheck

The Venezuelan funk-rock band "Los Amigos Invisibles" was discovered by David Byrne in a Manhattan record shop. They perform live on Soundcheck.

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

Soundcheck

The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.

Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico

Soundcheck

Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.

In Studio: The Decemberists

The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.

Sound Off

Soundcheck

Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.