I helped Rachael prepare to direct a concert of Italian and French Baroque orchestral pieces and opera arias (Salle Gaveau, Paris 2017). Many of the opera selections had never been translated into English. Our work included intensive line-by-line translation and analysis of the texts and discussion of the plots and historical backgrounds of the operas in question, all of which in the end helped Rachael make informed decisions about how to conduct the players in the performance of these arias.