When the announcement was made, to let the audience know the opera singer they came to see would not be performing but that Martina Arroyo would be singing the part of Aida, Arroyo recalls that you could hear the crowd groan all the way in Chicago. Arroyo talks about singing in the operas. She also talks about even though she may have a starring role in the opera, the show is not hers, but rather everyone in the company works hard to put out a good production.

Enrique Arias and Studs Terkel explore music from Colonial Latin American and discuss an upcoming concert featuring music from the opera “La Purpura de la Rosa.”

Studs Terkel interviews Tito Gobbi on his interpretation of Verdi. He also gets an interpretation of Gobbi's own music.

Cathy Berberian reflects on the evolution of her avant-garde singing style and her work with various contemporary music composers. Includes an interview with John Cage. Content Warning: This conversation has the presence of outdated, biased, offensive language. Rather than remove this content, we present it in the context of twentieth-century social history to acknowledge and learn from its impact and to inspire awareness and discussion.

While in town for the Chicago Jazz Festival, Sam Pilafian and Gerhard Meinl discuss the history of the tuba. With demonstrations on the tuba, they play scales and other short pieces. Gerhard Meinl's family business of making instruments like the tuba has been around since 1810, explained Meinl.

Donald Luce had been living & helping the people of South Vietnam through the International Voluntary Service. Luce believed it was important to come back to the states to talk about the problems in Vietnam. Luce said the Vietnamese government could not provide its people waste disposal, electricity and running water. Luce went to Congress to voice his concerns. It was at the State Department who didn't seem to care all to much.

At a young age, Peter Glossop knew that all he ever wanted to be was an opera singer. Glossop said with opera, there's the best of two worlds, both singing and acting. Verdi was a favorite, Glossop explained, as Verdi had written great roles for baritone singers. Sarah Caldwell was very good at playing music at a young age. She also loved the theatre. To her, it was a logical step to direct operas. Caldwell explained that her job as the director is to hold the audiences' attention and to make the piece real, to convey the playwright's message.

Interviewing William Ferris, contemporary composer and conductor, and John Vorrasi, lead tenor, as they discuss the beginning and successes of their group called the William Ferris Chorale.

Eppler plays the cimbalom, an instrument descended from the hand-held hammered dulcimer found in Eastern Europe.

Music director William Ferris discusses the singers and music of the William Ferris Chorale. Ferris provides insight on the types of instruments used by the chorale and shares origins about them. He also touches on adopted vocal styles and techniques.