August 28, 2025: Host Christa Wessel welcomes Boyfriends; and New Wave Opera to All Classical Radio’s Irving Levin Performance Hall.
A Capella performing group Boyfriends shares an exclusive preview of their My Heart, Be Brave concert at The Old Church. Then, New Wave Opera presents highlights from the west coast premiere of two one-act operas: Marie Curie Learns to Swim by Jessica Rudman and Kendra Preston Leonard, and Alice Tierney by Melissa Dunphy and Jacqueline Goldfinger.
Join us Thursday at 3:00 PM PT at 89.9 FM in Portland, OR or from anywhere in the world on our website.
ABOUT
Founded in 2023, Boyfriends is Tym Andrews, Ryan Dalton, Jared Flood, Sydney Guillaume, Nick Hebert, and Adam Johnson. They are 6 real-life boyfriends whose relationships were forged in choral music.
Marie Curie Learns to Swim by Jessica Rudman and Kendra Preston Leonard is about Madame Curie and her daughter and research partner, Irene.
Alice Tierney (Winner, Opera America Discovery Grant), by Melissa Dunphy and Jacqueline Goldfinger, is about a team of archeology graduate students proposing possible histories for an 1800’s murder victim, Alice Tierney. The stories engage with topics of women overcoming obstacles, female friendship, and how histories are written.
New Wave Opera believes that opera is a living art form and that new works best represent the variety of stories, experiences, and identities of NWO’s performers and audiences. Their productions uplift composers, librettists, and performers of diverse backgrounds and experiences, while investing heavily in the rich talent pool of our region. New Wave Opera is especially committed to emphasizing treble voices, which are largely underused in standard opera repertoire, and fostering a professional, welcoming, and healthy creative environment for all voice types and identities.
Learn more at newwaveopera.org.
