The Score

Good tidings, dear Scorekeepers! Have we got a show for you today! We've finally all seen Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan's latest cinematic masterpiece, Sinners, and we can't wait to talk about it. From the music to the history to the messages the movie sends, we loved it all - a few small critiques notwithstanding, of course. (Spoilers abound!) But before that we have a little chat about reality TV and what we're currently watching. This time around we're covering Love Island, RuPaul's Drag Race: All-Stars, and so much more! Plus, we'd never leave you without a little...

Greetings and salutations, dear Scorekeepers! It's time for another installment of our journey through season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race! After a quick chitchat about some hot topics, including our wrap-up of last week's Tony Awards, we dive into episode 3, "Diva Worship". This week the queens are tasked with creating "she-vangelical" talk shows devoted to the pop diva of their choice, and let's just say... one team does fine and the other is a train wreck the likes we haven't seen before or since. All that, plus a fringe-tastic runway and questionable lip sync, make for a juicy, messy, hilarious...

Greetings, dear Scorekeepers! This week, it's another one of those situations where we were hoping to have a guest join us, but sadly it didn't work out. So we're kind of winging it. But these unexpected conversations always turn out to be some of our favorites and this one is no exception! Basically, this week's show is about assholes and America's obsession with them. From Donald Trump to the Black conservatives who grift in his name to Diddy, why do we give these people so much of our time and attention. We should maybe stop doing that. Anyway, just...

What's shakin', Scorekeepers?! It's time for another episode of THE SCORE and another step on our journey through season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race. This time we'll cover episode 2, "Good God Girl Get Out", in which the queens divide into teams to spoof the films Black Panther and Get Out. The results are... ummm... interesting. It's all worth it, however, because afterwards we are blessed with a runway full of our two favorite things: fashion and astrology!!! But before that, we dive into some current events and hot button political issues. Have you heard about the co-opting of the phrase "...

What's up, Scorekeepers? It's time for a fresh episode of THE SCORE and have we got a jam-packed episode for you today. First up, we have a chat about this year's Tony nominees, including the incredible Kara Young, who's been nominated now four years in a row (0:16:45)! Talk about Pure Black Joy! Then, we have an important and timely conversation about DEI in the arts (0:31:40). In light of the poicy shifts of the new administration, all over the country we're seeing arts organizations slash their DEI programs and DEI professionals like Rocky getting restructured out the door. We take...

Start your engines, Scorekeepers! It's time for us to dive into the show we were born to recap: RuPaul's Drag Race! In this episode, we kick off our new series with a deep dive into RPDR Season 11. (It's the one with Yvie, Brooke, Vanjie, Silky, and them!) Join us as we break down Episode 1 from the runway look, to the questionable judging, all gag-worthy moments, and, of course, all the drama. And we're looking at it all through our unapologetically Black, queer lens. We'll start the ep off with a little drag herstory lesson from Dr. Bynum before we...

Hey there, Scorekeepers! Huzzah! For it's a day of jubilation here at THE SCORE! You may have heard already, but our dear Dr. Lee Bynum has a new full-time gig and what a dope gig it is! So since some of you may have seen the news and are therefore new to the show, we thought it would be nice to take a trip down memory lane. So join us as we give you a little insight into who we are as humans, how the three of us became friends, and just what it is we've been doing around...

What's shaking, Scorekeepers?!?! It's time for another episode of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE. It's a bittersweet day for us, because it's the last episode (for now) in our series revisiting 2006 and the classic queer, Black sitcom, Noah's Arc. We'll be covering episodes 8 and 9 of the second season and y'all it's a whole mess. But a fun mess with a wild cliffhanger. So come along for the ride as we take a walk down memory lane and celebrate this seminal work of gay, Black art one last time. Plus, a little Pure Black Joy to get you through the...

Good tidings, Scorekeepers! It's time for another episode of THE SCORE! For the past few months, the three of us have been going it alone, but recently we thought wouldn't it be nice to add another voice to the mix for a change? So we are over the moon to welcome back our dear friend and past guest, Pablo Siqueiros! Pablo is a brilliant singer, arts advocate, and all-around talented, lovely person and the perfect first guest for THE SCORE 2.0! We had great conversation with him about what supporting artists looks like in 2025, how to rekindle a lost creative...

Hey Scorekeepers! It's time for another episode of THE SCORE! This week, we continue our journey back to the mid-2000's and the groundbreaking queer dramedy, Noah's Arc. And if you can believe it, in this batch of episodes, things somehow get even messier for our four intrepid friends. Join us as we examine all the love triangles, the psycho closet cases, and the devastating reads. Plus, a look back at the queer politics of the time from the two geezers who were actually there! If you like to watch along with us, check out the links below. Let's...

Well, hey there, Scorekeepers! Have the last few weeks got you feeling scared? Anxious? Overwhelmed? Well, much like any rational, thinking human being living in 2025, we are feeling that way too. So we thought about it and figured that one thing that we could do is bring a little bit of joy into the proceedings, because even in these darkest of times, it's important to remember there's still joy to be had. So ladies and germs, we're doing an episode-long edition of Pure Black Joy! All episode we will be highlighting the beautiful Black people, art, and culture that...

G'day, lovely Scorekeepers! And welcome to another episode of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE! It's been quite a year so far to say the least, so up top we take stock of the first week of Trump II. Spoiler alert: It's not great. But then things get happy, because we're on to season 2 of Noah's Arc (0:12:39) and things are getting juicy, y'all! Come along with us as we take a trip back to 2006 with more shambolic exes, secret lesbians and questionable childcare decisions than you can shake a stick at! And finally, as always, a bit of Pure Black...

Happy new year, Scorekeepers! It's the first episode of 2025 and have we got spicy one for you today. First, there's a new season of RuPaul's Drag Race upon us, so you know we have to have a chat about these new girls (and drag Katy Perry)! Then, Rocky recently tried dipping his toe into the fiction pond with presumptive Oscar contender Emilia Pérez and... it didn't go well. It got us thinking that, of course, representation of minoritized groups in art is important, but what happens when the things being represented are tired stereotypes and problematic tropes? Who o...

Habari Gani, Scorekeepers! And Happy New Year's Eve! We hope you've all had a wonderful holiday season and we are so excited to be back with our recap of the last three episodes of season 1 of Noah's Arc (0:17:30). We're very happy to report that it gets juicy and very, very messy and y'all know we love some mess! But before we get into that, we break down the queen's Christmas Day gift to us all, the Beyoncé Bowl, and make some resolutions for 2025 (0:04:14). And then of course, we couldn't end the show without one last Pure Black Joy for 2024 (1:14:36). L...

It's the most wonderful time of the year, Scorekeepers! Welcome to another episode of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE! This week, we're talking about the holiday season (0:23:29). What are we celebrating this year? What are we definitely NOT celebrating this year? And how do our identities inform those feelings and decisions? But first, we finally wade into the Wicked discourse and Lee gives us their review of the new all-Black production of Gypsy on Broadway, starring the legendary Audra McDonald (0:00:32). Last but certainly not least, for PBJ we celebrate the life of Black and queer artist, activist and icon...

Hey there, Scorekeepers! Apologies for our tardiness, but we've been going through it, y'all. I mean we all have, of course, but your hosts had some personal emergencies to tend to these last few weeks that meant putting the show on the back burner for a sec. But we're back and so happy to be with all of you lovely people! This week, we start with a quick chat about how we're all feeling about the state of the world. Spoiler alert: NOT GOOD (0:47:07). But if you want to skip to the fun part, go right ahead (0:11:33), because we're...

It's finally here, Scorekeepers. It's Election Day 2024 here in the US. So if you haven't yet voted and made your voice heard, may we kindly suggest you pause the pod and go do that. And then while you're waiting in line or when you get back, you can listen to us chat about the literal life and death choice before us (00:33), the strange celebrity political endorsement industrial complex that seems especially present this election cycle (43:23), and then -- because we all need it desperately today -- a supersized dose of Pure Black Joy to help us all get through...

Hey hey, Scorekeepers! We're back for another episode of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE! This week, after a little election update, we're gonna try something new. Noah's Arc was the first of its kind: a funny and frank dramedy about four Black gay men living in Los Angeles that ran for two seasons on LogoTV in the mid-2000s. For the next few months, we'll be revisiting this trailblazing show episode by episode, chatting about the friendships, the sex, the romance, the fashions, and what seeing these characters on our screens meant to us then and still means to...

Don't call it a comeback, dear Scorekeepers! Call it a homecoming! Welcome to the new iteration of your favorite podcast, which we're affectionately calling The Score 2.0. The Minnesota Opera era is over. The Lincoln Center era is over. We're now proudly coming to you as a wholly independent, Black and queer media enterprise, liberated from the shackles of any institutional pressure. What does that mean? It means we're going to keep bringing you the same Black, queer arts and culture commentary you've come to enjoy, but a bit freer and a lot spicier. Plus, we're excited to dip our...

Hey hey, Scorekeepers! At long last, it's time for the premiere of our new show with Lincoln Center, ART CLASS! If you loved The Score, you'll absolutely adore ART CLASS! We've kept a lot of the things you've come to know and love about The Score, but we've expanded our scope beyond classical music and we're shining a light on Global Majority artists creating in all sorts of different art forms, like books, film, theater and so much more. We figured we'd drop the first episode here on this feed, but moving forward new episodes will be dropping over...

What's up, Scorekeepers?! As Mariah would say, "It's tiiiiiiime!" ART CLASS, Paige, Rocky and Lee's new podcast with Lincoln Center premieres this Tuesday, January 16. So if you've been missing us popping up in your feed on the regular, you can now officially check out the new show on our page at lincolncenter.org and subscribe to ART CLASS on your podcast platform of choice. Platforms such as...

It's been way too long, Scorekeepers! Did you miss us? We missed you! How was your summer? How has your fall been? How's your mama and them? Well, we have been hard at work on our next endeavor since we last left you and we are so excited to FINALLY share the details of our new adventure! So... if we may, we'd like to proudly introduce you to... ART CLASS, a brand new podcast from the one and only Lincoln Center Education. Yes, you read that correctly, THE Lincoln Center! ART CLASS will consist of the same news and...

Hello, all you wonderful, gorgeous Scorekeepers! It's a momentous and bittersweet day here at THE SCORE HQ. After 2 years, 3 seasons, 58 episodes, a murderers' row of amazing guests and countless engrossing conversations, it's our last episode. BUT! It won't be the last you hear from the three of us, because we haven't been cancelled. Far from it! We can't spill all the details yet, but this fall we'll be embarking on a ridiculously exciting brand new podcasting adventure and we can't wait to share all the details with you! But until then, we are so happy to go out on...

Hi hi, Scorekeepers! It's time for another episode of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE! This week's episode has been two years in the making and, considering he's married to one of us, I can't believe it's taken all this time to finally nab today's fabulous guest: singer, composer, activist and all-around brilliant and lovely person, Damian Norfleet! Join us as he shares his insightful thoughts and opinions on the state of arts education and what institutions should avoid when commissioning work from Black artists. Plus, we have a chit-chat about the commercialization of Juneteenth and, of course, a little...

Oh my goodness, Scorekeepers, do we have a special episode for you today! Get ready, cuz it's time for the Trans Takeover! It's almost Pride month, and given what's happening in statehouses around the country, this year's vibe is less "love is love" and more "please do something, because queer and trans people are under attack." So we hope this week you'll join us for an important roundtable discussion all about the issues specifically facing our trans and non-binary siblings, moderated by our very own Paige Reynolds, and featuring three incredible non-binary artists and activists of color: friend-of-the-show Frankie...

Mornin', Scorekeepers! Welcome to another edition of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE! And this week, we've another banger for you. We are so excited to welcome an incredible, young Canadian composer who is making huge waves: Morgan-Paige Melbourne! Join us as we chat about what it's like to be a child piano prodigy, what music educators need to do to better support students of marked identities, and the messages of love and resilience she hopes to send fellow Black folks and queer folks with her music. Also, we talk about some of the amazing shows that have recently opened...

Hi hi, dear Scorekeepers! Congratulations, it's time for a new episode of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE! And this week, we've got a very special episode for you. For the very first time in Score theirstory, our wonderful guest unfortunately had to bow out at the last minute due to illness, so it's just us 3 and... we're kinda winging it this week. So join us for a fun, free-wheeling hour that's a little bit EDI in the arts, a little bit Icebreakers, and a supersized edition of Pure Black Joy! Let's do it to it, ya'll!

Hosts...

Oh hello, dear Scorekeepers! It's time for another episode of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE! This week, we are absolutely blessed to be in conversation with the one and only, JULIA BULLOCK! Join us for an intimate chat with the legendary soprano and activist all about using art as a means to heal and create new spaces, what institutions could be doing to support young artists of color, and her fabulous new solo debut album, Walking in the Dark. And so much more! You don't want to miss this one, folks! And if that wasn't enough, we've got more...

Greetings, dear Scorekeepers! It's high time for another episode of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE! And this week, we have quite a show for you! First, we'll gingerly dip out toes into a quick discussion of the current political moment. Then we are honored to welcome to the show veteran composer, educator and conductor, William Henry Curry (0:19:00)! Maestro Curry takes us on a journey through his storied career from growing up a poor Black kid with a burning passion for music in 1950s Pittsburgh to performing in some of the most famous concert halls in the world. And while...

Good morrow, dear Scorekeepers! It's time for another episode of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE! This week, we are joined by one of the most celebrated, world-renowned operatic tenors working today: LAWRENCE BROWNLEE! And we couldn't be more excited! Join us for an insightful and personal chat all about his musical upbringing, the ways he is keeping the doors open for the next generation of Global Majority operatic talent, and the surprising hobbies that he's passionate about when he's not busy being a once-in-a-generation operatic superstar (0:23:34)! All that plus: our Oscars recap (0:09:44), a long overdue dip into RuPaul's Drag...

Happy Wednesday, Scorekeepers! It's time for another episode of THE SCORE and have we got a show for you! Thursday, March 9 is the world premiere of The Song Poet, the first Hmong story adapted for the operatic stage! Join us for an emotional and insightful conversation with Kao Kalia Yang, author of both the book The Song Poet as well as the opera's libretto, all about this incredible story's journey from the page to the stage. We're also joined local Hmong-American artist Josephine Yang, MN Opera's Community Engagement Consultant. We'll chat about the genesis of Kao Kalia's beautiful story, t...

Helloooo, Scorekeepers! It's time for another episode of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE. For our second Black History Month pod, we thought we'd have a little family reunion. So for the whole episode, we are joined once again by a world-class violinist and the woman who makes this podcast go zoom, Emilia Mettenbrink! This week, we (shadily) discuss our profound disappointment over Beyoncé not winning AOTY at this year's Grammys, our recent trip to Detroit for the Sphinx Organization's annual conference (0:37:07), and of course, a little PB&J to keep your week going strong (0:59:09)! Let's do it to it, y...

G'day, darling Scorekeepers! We're far too excited today, so let's get straight down to business. On THE SCORE this week, in advance of her MN Opera debut as the Duchess of Krakenthorp in Donizetti's Daughter of the Regiment, we are joined by the legendary legend herself: singer, artist, sponge enthusiast, and the first Black inductee into the RuPaul's Drag Race Hall of Fame... MONÉT X CHANGE! We stan and so will you, so let's do it to it, y'all!

Hosts: Lee Bynum, Rocky Jones, Paige Reynolds (Iyawo Inawale)

Guest: Monét X Change

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Hey hey, Scorekeepers! Happy Aquarius Season, and welcome to a brand new episode of THE SCORE! In honor of Lee's big move, this week is all about one of our favorite places in the world: the Big Apple herself, New York City! First up, we'll discuss the Metropolitan Opera's very exciting plan to invest $30 million dollars into new opera works and what that could mean for the future of the industry. Next, we're joined by the delightful L. Adé Williams, Musical Conductor and Executive Producer of The Harlem Connection, a weekly radio show which showcases the sounds that have m...

Happy 2023, Dear Scorekeepers! It's a brand new year, which means it's time for a brand new episode of THE SCORE! And this year, we're starting off with a topic that's near and dear to our hearts: protecting the mental health of our Global Majority community. This week, we're joined by Licensed Professional Counselor and all-around smart, funny, lovely person Ginger Klee (0:13:35), who's here to chat with us about the various ways white dominant culture can harm us physically and psychologically along with some of the things we can do this year to help protect our mental! And then our...

Hello, dear Scorekeepers! Welcome back to THE SCORE and we hope you're all having a very happy holiday season! All of us are on vacation, but we didn't want to leave you without anything to listen to in case you're stuck at the airport (looking at you, Southwest) or you need a respite from all the family togetherness. This week, we're taking a look back at some of our favorite conversations from this past year. And they're in shareable bite-sized pieces, so if you're new to the show or you'd like to introduce someone to what we do, here's...

Good morning, Scorekeepers! It's time for a holly, jolly edition of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE! This week, we are honored to have an hour with the brilliant Robert Mack, tenor extraordinaire, educator, and co-founder of Opera Noire (0:12:12). Join us as he regales us with all sorts of stories from his illustrious career and lets us know why he's dedicated so much of it to supporting future generations of Black singers. And then, as always, we end with a little nugget of Pure Black Joy (1:14:24)! Let's do it to it, y'all!

Oh, and of course, happy holidays...

Happy Sagittarius Season, lovely Scorekeepers! This week on the pod, we're going to try something a little different. As we mentioned on the last show, Rocky was recently invited up to Vancouver, BC to participate in IndieFest, a 10-day festival of art, music and panels and a radical imagining of the future of opera, presented by re:Naissance Opera and Vancouver Opera. And it was really, really transformative and lovely and cool! Luckily, while there, he was able to snag a few minutes to talk with two brilliant, passionate Global Majority opera pros and changemakers, who are turning opera...

Good morning, dearest Scorekeepers! It's time for another episode of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE! This week, we are thrilled to be joined by Alex Laing, principal clarinetist for the Phoenix Symphony, educator, and all-around lovely person! We have a fantastic, and thoroughly edifying conversation about how we can diversify orchestra spaces, how his artistic practice has evolved over the course of his life, and his advice to other young Black artists in the field (0:40:58). Before that, however, I'm not sure if you heard about it, but last week there was little election type situation here in the US...

Happy Wednesday, Scorekeepers! It's time for another jam-packed episode of your favorite podcast, THE SCORE! First up, we touch on one of the (many) recent scandals to hit Broadway, specifically all the hubbub around the new production of 1776 and what it brings up for us around being an artist from a marginalized identity in the workplace (0:11:39). Then we're joined by the thoroughly delightful Canadian soprano, Othalie Graham (0:41:22)! We have a fun, funny and poignant conversation about how her Jamaican heritage has helped shape her career, her unusual road to the opera stage, her advice to young singers, and what...