New Media Public Humanities Fellow
Joe Cadagin holds a PhD in Musicology from Stanford University, and has been a long-time journalist of the world of opera. He is a regular features writer and recording critic for Opera News, and a former contributor to San Francisco Classical Voice and Fanfare. His dissertation was a study of the Lewis Carroll madrigals of Hungarian composer, György Ligeti. A future monograph will extend this work into an overview of the many Alice in Wonderland compositions that emerged alongside the Ligeti settings, addressing trends and patterns in the development of contemporary opera and vocal music. His public writing centres on opera with emphasis on works written in the past 60 years, particularly those by little-known, underrated, and underrepresented composers.
What I'm working on: Opera Obscura
Conceived in the novelty-seeking spirit of fantastic bestiaries or cabinets of wonder, Opera Obscura is a podcast showcasing forgotten works of contemporary opera based on unusual subjects. Episodes will excavate a strange assortment of recordings recovered from bargain bins and back catalogues—misfit operatic orphans that deserve a second chance in the repertoire.