Pitch, please !

Presentation

English Version

Pitch, Please is a multilingual podcast series that offers listeners sharp, witty, three-minute summaries of the world’s greatest operas. It will be made available across all major podcast platforms, in both english and french. The aim is to draw in a younger, connected audience with a podcast about opera that doesn't feel like the usual didactic podcast about opera.

The idea for Pitch, Please was born from two observations:
- Classical music podcasts tend to be very long, and hosted by journalists, musicians, academics, experts.
- Those who are less naturally interested in opera are more likely to attend a performance for the story rather than for the music. However, the plots of operas can be extremely complicated, involving complex intrigues and numerous characters. On top of that, they are often quite linear, describing scenes and acts action by action—making it not only difficult to read, but also to get a clear overall sense of the storyline.

Pitch, Please will present famous opera storylines to audiences in a more dynamic, accessible, and easy-to-understand way. The show's title is itself designed to appeal to a younger, tech-driven demographic (15-34 year olds). Pitch, Please carries numerous connotations - from its playful nod to a tongue-in-cheek phrase, to the notion of 'pitching' a story or idea, a “pitch shot” in golf play, or to the obvious musical references (the highness of a note; absolute pitch).

In this project we will bring together a panel of people from a variety of backgrounds - most of whom have little or no experience with opera.
The project launching will involve in-situ events before Pitch, please is made available on all platforms.

The objective is therefore double. First, bringing together different people to work on a cultural project, and turn them into new opera ambassadors. Second, attracting new audiences by broadcasting the podcast in as many countries as possible to overturn ideas and assumptions about opera.

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Version française

Après la production de sa première série "L'Orchestre, mode d'emploi" (2019, disponible sur toutes les plateformes), l'Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier Occitanie poursuit la création de podcasts natifs avec un nouveau projet éducatif intitulé "Pitch, please !".

Avec son titre en clin d'œil à la culture urbaine, au vocabulaire musical et à celui des startups, la série multi-lingue "Pitch, please !" veut renverser les a priori sur l'opéra et décomposer ses titres les plus cultes pour les rendre plus accessibles à la jeune génération. Chaque épisode de "Pitch, please !" est une chronique fulgurante, percutante et artistique, permettant la rencontre des œuvres lyriques avec des 15-34 ans connectés, curieux, mais encore intimidés par ce répertoire.

Porté par la jeune génération, ce podcast sera écrit, produit et illustré à plusieurs mains et voix, tant par de jeunes passionnés que par des amateurs, ou par des personnes qui n'ont, pour plusieurs raisons, encore jamais franchi les portes des salles de spectacles.

Prévue pour l'automne 2021, la série "Pitch, please" sera dans un premier temps disponible en français et en anglais, sur toutes les plateformes de podcasts.

Artistic Team

The creative team of "Pitch, please" gathers professional young people working with sound, words and ink. All their different personalities and love for art forms will join forces to bring "Pitch, please" podcast series to life.