Maestro Robert Lyall is the General and Artistic Director of the New Orleans Opera Association. New Orleans’ long history of opera spans more than two centuries. According to Maestro Lyall, “The first documented opera performance in North America was given in New Orleans on May 22 of 1796.” Not only is this 2018 year the 300th anniversary of the founding of New Orleans, it is also the 75th anniversary of the New Orleans Opera Association. To celebrate its 75th anniversary, on Friday, April 20 and Sunday, April 22, the New Orleans Opera Association will sponsor a magnificent production that will feature the 90-member New Orleans Opera Chorus and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, along with internationally-known stars and beloved Louisiana operatic talent. In this podcast interview, Maestro Lyall explains the origins of opera and shares his thoughts about the future of opera in our rapidly changing world. In a happy coincidence, this year is also Maestro Lyall’s 20th anniversary as the General and Artistic Director of the New Orleans Opera. For information on how you can help celebrate Maestro’s anniversary and 222 years of opera in New Orleans, visit http://neworleansopera.org

   

John Magill is a New Orleans historian with a seemingly never-ending knowledge of our city’s history. In this podcast, John traces the city’s population over the course of one century: from the early 1800s to the mid 1900s. John discusses the waxing and waning of the city’s population that occurred over this ten-decade period. He also describes the various ethnic groups that contributed to these dynamic population shifts, and explains how these influxes of new residents influenced the city’s growth. Finally, John explores the underlying reasons why people came to New Orleans, and he explains why other cities in the Southern United States eventually overtook New Orleans in population size.

   

John Magill is a New Orleans historian with a seemingly never-ending knowledge of our city’s history.

   

John Magill is a New Orleans historian with a seemingly never-ending knowledge of our city’s history. In this podcast, John traces the city’s population over the course of one century: from the early 1800s to the mid 1900s.
John discusses the waxing and waning of the city’s population that occurred over this ten-decade period. He also describes the various ethnic groups that contributed to these dynamic population shifts, and explains how these influxes of new residents influenced the city’s growth.
Finally, John explores the underlying reasons why people came to New Orleans, and he explains why other cities in the Southern United States eventually overtook New Orleans in population size.

   

Aaron Frumin is founder and executive director of unCommon Construction. Aaron first came to New Orleans as a Red Cross volunteer in 2005 to help after Hurricane Katrina. Following his Red Cross work, Aaron became involved in the local construction business and soon learned that New Orleans had a shortage of young people who were working in the construction field. He decided to make a difference. Aaron’s business, unCommon Construction, hires high school students 16 years and older and introduces them to the world of house construction. Aaron believes young people need to realize that they are valuable; to reinforce this message, he pays the student apprentice workers. Many of these young people hope to go on to become architects, engineers, or skilled workers, while others enter the program to gain knowledge and experience that they can apply to other areas of their lives. In this podcast, Aaron explains what motivated him to start unCommon Construction. To support unCommon Construction and its young apprentices who are acquiring valuable construction skills, donate on Give NOLA Day, May 1, 2018, at GiveNOLA.org