Ten Questions with
Gary Thor Wedow
Conductor, The Magic Flute
1. Where were you born / raised?
LaPorte, Indiana (unlike some, I feel the spelling of my hometown has no space).
2. If you weren’t a conductor, what profession would you be in?
Maybe a vet if I were smart enough. I love animals and would love helping them.
3. The first opera I ever conducted was…
Hard to say. I’ve always been conducting something or getting something together in our basement at home, school, or church … and I don’t make distinctions within music theater – opera – operetta – musical theater, it’s all the same. The first professional opera was probably La Calisto for the Canadian Opera Company and then my New York City Opera debut was Carmen, which I conducted many happy times at City Opera.
4. My favorite opera is…
Always the one I’m working on, and it’s The Magic Flute.
5. My favorite pre-show / post-show meal is…
Lately it’s been vegetable egg rolls and a salad. As long as it’s not too sinful, I like a variety of things, especially sampling the local cuisine. Cheese curds are definitely on my radar.
6. People would be surprised to know that…
I’m an open book, but my favorite hobbies are the movies (old and new), theater, and gardening in our unkempt garden.
7. My favorite musical instrument to play is …
I trained as a pianist and still try to play everyday. I was a bad, but enthusiastic trumpet player and French horn player.
8. I like to binge-watch…
British mystery, documentary, history, and screwball movies.
9. What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
Since we are doing The Magic Flute, it would definitely be Wolfgang and Constanze Mozart, Emanuel Schikaneder (the librettist), and Nancy Storace (one of Mozart’s favorite singers). I think that would be a lively, happy group of interesting humans.
10. Everyone should see The Magic Flute because….
It is an exciting rescue story revolving around the struggle of good and evil, with perhaps some of the greatest music ever composed of the sweeping variety: everything from folk tunes and gorgeous chorales to soaring opera seria, with moments of genuine humor and pathos.
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).
Q: What was the most fun you ever had turning pages?
A: Thanks for asking! When I was a student at Indiana University, my piano teacher, the virtuoso Jorge Bolet, was a great friend of Beverly Sills and he volunteered me to turn the pages for her pianist, Charles Wadsworth, during her recital at Indiana University. Rather than saving her voice between numbers, she was very friendly and gregarious and wanted to know about all the great singers who were teaching voice at that time at IU. She had heard them all sing, they had all influenced her, and she wanted to know how they taught. It showed me how curious, searching, and interested a great artist was – she wasn’t interested in gossip, but rather how they taught and passed on their legacy to the future. It was very exciting and humbling and I’ve tried to spend my life learning and sharing everything I’ve learned with the next generation. This is one of the central themes of The Magic Flute, passing on the eternal truths to the uninitiated.
Don’t miss the chance to see Gary conduct The Magic Flute, Mozart’s sublime opera that is part fairy-tale, part adventure story, and all enchantment. Performances are April 21 and 23 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at $18; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
Ten Questions with
James Held, baritone
2nd Priest /Armored Man in The Magic Flute
1. Where were you born / raised?
Waukesha, Wisconsin.
2. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
I would love to be a pilot, but I think ultimately I’d stick to some sort of musical profession.
3. The first opera I was ever in was…
Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten.
4. My favorite opera is…
Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck
5. My favorite pre-show / post-show meal is…
A burger at Madison’s own Dotty’s Dumpling Dowry, or a sandwich from Jimmy John’s.
6. People would be surprised to know that…
I’m allergic to dairy, which is tantamount to sacrilege in some Wisconsin circles.
7. The musical instrument that I wish I could play is …
The theremin.
8. I like to binge-watch…
Currently The West Wing. 30 Rock is my go-to.
9. What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
Mozart, Nostradamus, Freddie Mercury, and I suppose I should invite my wife.
10. Everyone should see The Magic Flute because….
The music is incredibly rewarding for audience and performer alike.
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).
Q: How long have you been married?
A: Only 8 months!
Don’t miss the chance to see James in The Magic Flute, Mozart’s sublime opera that is part fairy-tale, part adventure story, and all enchantment. Performances are April 21 and 23 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at $18; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
Ten Questions with
Robert Goderich, tenor
1st Priest /Armored Man
in The Magic Flute
1. Where were you born / raised?
I was born in beautiful Miami, Florida, but I was mostly raised in rural Southwestern Montana in a small town called Deer Lodge.
2. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
I love being in the kitchen, so I think a chef.
3. The first opera I was ever in was…
The Tenderland.
4. My favorite opera is…
Dead Man Walking for the feels.
5. My favorite pre-show / post-show meal is…
I’m not really a pre-show eater, but post-show – EVERYTHING!
6. People would be surprised to know that…
I just started taking regular voice lessons two years ago.
7. My favorite musical instrument to play is …
Tenor sax. I pull mine out every now and then just to play and relax myself.
8. I like to binge-watch…
Food Network shows, Real Housewives, and Jeopardy.
9. What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
Barack and Michelle Obama, Bette Midler, and Harvey Fierstein.
10. Everyone should see The Magic Flute because….
The music is timeless and beautiful. The art being made is simply breathtaking!
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).
Q: What exactly is gluten?
A: Gluten is a composite of storage proteins found in wheat and other related grains that gives dough elasticity and helps it to rise and keep its shape. It often gives the final product a chewy texture.
Don’t miss the chance to see Robert in The Magic Flute, Mozart’s sublime opera that is part fairy-tale, part adventure story, and all enchantment. Performances are April 21 and 23 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at $18; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
Ten Questions with
Scott Brunscheen, tenor
Monostatos in The Magic Flute
1. Where were you born / raised?
Born in Des Moines and raised in West Des Moines and the southwestern suburbs of Chicago.
2. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
I would most likely be an architect.
3. The first opera I was ever in was…
Le Nozze di Figaro in my freshman year of college.
4. My favorite opera is…
Right now, it’s a toss-up between Handel’s Theodora and David Lang’s The Difficulty of Crossing a Field.
5. My favorite pre-show / post-show meal is…
Mac and cheese with bacon in it.
6. People would be surprised to know that…
I’m obsessively clean. I clean when I’m bored, upset, happy, or needing to feel relaxed.
7. My favorite musical instrument to play is …
Piano. While studying it in school, I practiced all the time and was pretty good. Now, I just learn all the vocal accompaniments to help me learn my rep.
8. I like to binge-watch…
At any time, I’m rewatching Damages, Fringe, or Don’t Trust the B in Apt 23. Right now, I’m obsessing over Schitt’s Creek.
9. What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
Oscar Wilde, Parker Posey, Michelle Obama, and Benjamin Britten.
10. Everyone should see The Magic Flute because….
The music is iconic and gorgeous. Because it is so often produced, it is easy to forget how incredible Mozart’s score is. I don’t think anybody can dislike it – even people who don’t like opera.
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: I’m obsessed with Korean food right now. Kimchi? YES! Bulgogi? Absolutely. Fish cakes in spicy/salty/tangy sauce? I‘m all over it. The saddest part is that it gives me some serious reflux sometimes, which is why I can’t eat it before singing.
Don’t miss the chance to see Scott in The Magic Flute, Mozart’s sublime opera that is part fairy-tale, part adventure story, and all enchantment. Performances are April 21 and 23 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at $18; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
Ten Questions with
Matthew Scollin, bass-baritone
The Speaker in The Magic Flute
1. Where were you born / raised?
Proud Michigander! Born in Royal Oak, MI; raised in Walled Lake, MI.
2. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
Linguist/Language Teacher.
3. The first opera I was ever in was…
Florencia en el Amazonas by Daniel Catán.
4. My favorite opera is…
Le Nozze di Figaro.
5. My favorite post-show meal is…
Nothing like a post-show frozen pizza.
6. People would be surprised to know that…
At 6’5″, I am the second shortest male on my dad’s side of the family.
7. The musical instrument that I wish I could play is …
The banjo.
8. I like to binge-watch…
All three Lord of the Rings extended editions.
9. What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
My wife Sarah, C.S. Lewis, Martin Luther, George Washington.
10. Everyone should see The Magic Flute because….
It has some of the most hunmable melodies in all of opera!
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).
Q: What is your favorite college team?
A: Michigan State Spartans! Go Green!
Don’t miss the chance to see Matthew in The Magic Flute, Mozart’s sublime opera that is part fairy-tale, part adventure story, and all enchantment. Performances are April 21 and 23 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at $18; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
Ten Questions with 
