Collection:LPB

Genre: Interview

Place Covered: Louisiana, New York City, New York

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 1997-08-08

Duration: 00:24:26

Subjects: Wells, Jeffrey | Opera | Music | Singers | Metropolitan Opera (New York, N.Y.)

Contributors:

• Weill, Gus Host
• Fowler, Ken Producer
• Wells, Jeffrey Interviewee

This episode of the series “Louisiana Legends” from August 8, 1997, features an interview with Jeffrey Wells conducted by Gus Weill. Wells, a native of Baton Rouge, is an opera singer with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He discusses: his initial interest in chiropractic; singing Gospel music in church as a child; his first opera performance at Southeastern Louisiana University; the importance of a voice teacher; his participation in the summer session of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Austria, where he met people involved with the Metropolitan Opera; the feeling of his Metropolitan Opera debut; the role of hype in opera; the issue of a singer’s voice changing as they age; the importance of the conductor; his work with a Russian opera company in San Francisco; and his future plans.