Wagner Society of New York

Ryan Speedo Green in Conversation
2025-10-09 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, United States
Join us for a special evening with Grammy Award–winning bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green, currently starring in the title role of Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera. In conversation with dramaturg Cori Ellison, Mr. Green will discuss his career, artistic path, and upcoming major roles, including King Marke in Tristan und Isolde, Crown in Porgy and Bess, and Wotan in Die Walküre.
Named “the real showstopper” by the New York Times, Green is one of opera’s most acclaimed bass-baritones, regularly performing at leading opera houses and orchestras around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Known for both his powerful stage presence and vocal artistry, Green continues to expand his repertoire with critically acclaimed debuts in both classic and contemporary works.
Program Change: This event replaces the “Hitler’s Twilight of the Gods: Teutonic Aesthetics and the Statecraft of the Third Reich” book talk with author Alexandra Birch.
Livestream: the event will be livestreamed (viewable up to 36 hours after the start of the event). WSNY Members will receive livestream link automatically by e-mail; no need to pre-register.

Yuval Sharon in Conversation with Cori Ellison
2026-03-31 18:30 - 20:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave., New York, NY, 10016, United States
What happens when opera’s most fearless rule-breaker takes on one of its most monumental works? In this wide-ranging conversation, Yuval Sharon joins dramaturg Cori Ellison to unpack his bold new staging of Tristan und Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera. Known as opera’s “disrupter-in-residence,” Sharon brings his signature curiosity to the work, opening up fresh ways of listening, seeing, and experiencing its emotional and philosophical intensity.
We’ll also dive into his book, A New Philosophy of Opera, a manifesto-meets-invitation that reimagines opera as something alive, flexible, and radically inclusive. From parking-lot performances to rethinking canonical structures, Sharon shares why he believes opera isn’t dying: it’s constantly being reborn.
The event will be followed by a social hour with refreshments.
Livestream: the event will be livestreamed (viewable up to 36 hours after the start of the event). WSNY Members receive livestream link automatically by e-mail; no need to pre-register.
