If you were to say "Figaro" three times in quick succession, I'm guessing most people would be able to sing it back to you as it is heard in Figaro's entrance aria, "Largo al factotum" in Rossini's The Barber of Seville. The opera has infiltrated popular culture from figure skating routines, to pasta commercials, and, of course, cartoons. It could be that The Barber of Seville was "pop culture" even when the play on which it was based premiered in 1775.

For this special edition of Front Row Center, we'll talk with everyday folks about what comes to mind when they hear the name "The Barber of Seville" (@ 3:50), then I share some information about Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, the playwright who seemed to have his pulse on the entire world (@9:30). After that I spoke with television, film, and theatrical hair and makeup artist Alfreda ("Fre") Howard about the importance of hair in society and working with hair of all types (@13:50). Finally, I was honored to speak with three legendary American interpreters of Rosina: Jennifer Larmore, Susanne Mentzer, and Frederica von Stade. They shared their thoughts on Rosina and pop culture, getting nervous before a performance, and what they like (or not) about getting their hair done (@20:50).

This episode is based on a video I created for Cincinnati Opera in the summer of 2020, the first summer of the COVID crisis. You can find the complete video, including interviews, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGpA5mRO_Jk&t=3s.

Don't forget to check out our Spotify Playlist for The Barber of Seville, which includes some of my favorite moments from the "giddy" score. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7CbDF2gz53LqihhkcgKbBX?si=9205b4d83c174cbe

And, visit the episode poll on the Spotify episode homepage.

As always, you can always reach out to me through my website, www.michaeljbolton.com, or email me at mike@michaeljbolton.com.

Thanks for listening!