Episode 395. Hildegard Behrens, Liedersängerin SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today we celebrate the recorded legacy of Hildegard Behrens, but from…
Episode 394. Valletti Revisited (French Edition) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM More than two years and nearly two hundred episodes ago,…
Episode 393. George London in Song SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Even before the continuing acts of gun violence in the…
Episode 390. Helen Donath Sings Richard Strauss SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Beloved Countermelody favorite Helen Donath celebrated her 85th birthday…
Episode 386. David Rendall in Memoriam SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM On 21 July, the opera world lost one of its…
Episode 385. Classical Singer-Songwriters SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM You’re all going to laugh at me, but that’s okay, cuz I’m…
Episode 383. Get to Know Carol Smith SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM If the exceptional Illinois-born contralto Carol Smith (20 February…
Episode 382. Eine Janowitzische Geburtstagfeier SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM If you “get” Gundula Janowitz, then you really get her, and…
Episode 378. Rescue Mission III (Friends Edition) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Even after I publish a Countermelody episode on a…
Episode 377. Joan Caplan Memorial Tribute SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This past April, my former voice teacher and treasured friend…
Episode 376. Bacquier en Récital [Bastille Day 2025] SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today in honor of Bastille Day, I present…
Episode 373. Carol Neblett: Girl of the Golden West SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today is the day that the United…
Episode 372. Pears Sings Not-Britten (Pride 2025) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today may be my final episode for Pride Month…
Episode 368. Gay Eccentrics (Pride 2025) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Somewhere along the line in planning my Pride 2025 episodes,…
Episode 367. Bernac Sings Not-Poulenc SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Continuing our exploration of queer pride in classical music, I bring…
Episode 366. Donald Gramm Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I’m going all out (literally) for this year’s Pride celebrations, especially…
Episode 365. Flying Down to Rio (Latin American Orchestral Song II) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today is the second part…
Episode 363. Orchestral Song of Latin America, Part 1 SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM A few weeks ago I had the…
Episode 361. Russell Oberlin Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I’ve been so lucky this week to cross paths with several…
Episode 359. Get to Know Hugo Hasslo SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The earliest selection on last week’s Elisabeth Söderström episode…
Episode 358. Elisabeth Söderström Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM There are very few singers that mean more to me than…
Episode 356. Get to Know Irina Arkhipova SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Directly after the disastrous November election in the United…
Episode 355. John Wustman (Honor Your Mentors I) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I have been reminded over and over again…
Episode 353. Canteloube Originals SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The composer Joseph-Marie Canteloube is primarily known for his lush orchestral arrangements…
Episode 352. Faboo Young Singers, Part Two SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This is the second part of an episode begun…
Episode 351. Schubert in Not-German SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I have been fascinated for years by operas performed in the…
Episode 350. Young Singers I Admire SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today we celebrate 350 episodes of Countermelody since the inception…
Episode 349. Lenten Melody SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I’ve already done a Lententide episode devoted to contraltos singing the music…
Episode 348. Rescue Mission II SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM After I post a Countermelody episode on a cherished singer, my…
Episode 347. Will the Real Eleanor Steber Please St/And Up? SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Because there is no such thing…
Episode 344. Mady Mesplé Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This past March 7 would have been the 94th birthday of…
Episode 340. Roberta Alexander: Dutch Treat SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Nothing brings me greater joy than when a deep exploration…
Episode 339. Todd Duncan SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I present the male lead creator of Gershwin’s towering masterpiece, Porgy…
Episode 337. Anne Wiggins Brown SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today on Countermelody the first of two (for now) episodes celebrating…
Episode 336. Scotto Sings Rossini SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today would have been the 91st birthday of our beloved Renata…
Episode 334. Gloria Davy Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I’ve been wanting to revisit the legacy of the great African…
Episode 333. Leontyne Price Sings Richard Strauss Lieder SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM On February 10th, our beloved diva Leontyne Price…
Episode 332. Ellabelle Davis Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I present the African American soprano Ellabelle Davis (1907-1960) who…
Episode 329. Lois Marshall @ 100 SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Yesterday was the 100th birthday of the sublime Canadian singer,…
Episode 328. Mezzos in Extremis SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Right after the disastrous US election of November 2024, I published…
Episode 325. Marni Nixon Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I present to you the extraordinarily versatile, even chameleon-like singer…
Episode 324. Margaret Price in Trauer und Trost SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM These days I find myself in a pensive,…
Episode 323. Baritonal Schwanengesang SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The New Year is off to a predictably challenging start. Everywhere we…
Episode 322. Margaret Marshall Sings Mozart SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Yesterday was the birthday of Countermelody favorite, the ravishing Scottish…
Episode 318. Christmas (Art) Songs, Part Deux SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM A final offering of Christmas music on Countermelody this…
Episode 316. Christmas with Elly Ameling SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM In February our beloved Elly Ameling turns 92. I cannot…
Episode 315. Gilda Cruz-Romo SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM While I was growing up, Gilda Cruz-Romo was a fixture on the…
Episode 314. Yi-Kwei Sze Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM One of the great personal revelations for me in the early…
Episode 312. John Reardon Revisited (World AIDS Day 2024) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Yesterday was World AIDS Day and many…
Episode 311. Ina Souez SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Because we American expats in Germany often celebrate Thanksgiving on the weekend…
Episode 310. Giving Thanks with Roberta Alexander SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM If you, like many of us, are struggling to…
Episode 309. Get to Know Věra Soukupová SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM As a supplement to my ongoing series on great…
Episode 308. Mezzos on the Verge SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I am taking a short break before posting the final…
Episode 307. Francisco Araiza in Song SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM In the first year of Countermelody I posted a tribute…
Episode 306. Oralia Domínguez Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today (for what I hope are obvious reasons) begins a short…
Episode 305. Rage and Despair SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Before I traveled to my home state of Wisconsin this week,…
Episode 304. Portia White, Canadian Icon SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM As the United States faces its most momentous and contentious…
Episode 301. Christa Ludwig Sings Lieder SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Since Christa Ludwig’s death more than three and a half…
Episode 300. Helen Donath Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Episode 300 of Countermelody is upon us, and I have chosen…
Episode 297. In Pace SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I present part two of my “In Memoriam” series, honoring treasured…
Episode 296. Dan’s Operatic Picks SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I’m still under the weather, but I can’t let that keep…
Episode 295. Requiescat SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today on Countermelody is the first of two memorial episodes paying tribute to…
Episode 292. Ian Partridge Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM David and I leave tomorrow on a short jaunt to London,…
Episode 287. Meet Hugo Hasslo SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Unless by some miracle you know him already, the Swedish baritone…
Episode 286. Julia Varady Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week, the sublime Julia Varady celebrated her 83rd birthday, and…
Episode 285. Edda Moser Reappraised SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Lately I have been doing a series of episodes on artists…
Episode 284. Claudia Muzio Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Claudia Muzio was known as “the Duse of Song,” a title…
Episode 283. Betty Allen SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Betty Allen has been featured on countless omnibus Countermelody episodes, but it’s…
Episode 282. Janet Baker @ 91 SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM How can it even be that our beloved Janet Baker…
Episode 278. George Shirley Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This August I shall be supplementing each new episode published with…
Episode 277. Benjamin Luxon In Memoriam SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Last week on July 25th, the music world was saddened…
Episode 276. Jules Bledsoe (Listeners’ Favorites) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Ten days ago I reposted an episode celebrating the life…
Episode 273. Paul Robeson (Listeners’ Favorites) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I am here visiting my family in Milwaukee this week,…
Episode 271. Muriel Smith (Listeners’ Favorites) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM SUBSCRIBE VIA YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM As I embark on…
Episode 270. Eleanor Steber Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I sat in my apartment in Berlin on the Fourth of…
Episode 268. William Parker Redux SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I revisit the life and legacy of lyric baritone William…
Episode 267. A Cavalcade of Pop Contraltos SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM My intention this week to produce a joyous new…
Episode 266. Sisters in Sapho (Listeners’ Favorites) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The perfect Octavian(s) It’s been a whirlwind of a…
Episode 263. Contralto Central SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Finally, the first in my long-promised series on the contralto voice! The…
Episode 262. Sylvia Sass Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Several summers ago I published my first episode celebrating the artistry…
Episode 259. Lawrence Winters Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM During the first season of Countermelody I presented the great African…
Episode 257. The Marvelous Marvis Martin SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I have been juggling a number of brand new episode…
Episode 255. Art Songs for Holy Week SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I return to you with one final episode for…
Episode 253. Randall Scarlata Introduces Gérard Souzay SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The French baritone Gérard Souzay was born Gérard Tisserand on 8…
Episode 252. Zsolt Bognár Introduces A Baritonal Schubertiade SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I was thrilled to discover a while back…
Episode 251. Jeremy Osborne Introduces Igor Gorin SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s segment in the Great Baritones division of my…
Episode 250. Julian Long Introduces Jorma Hynninen SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM It is a wonderful thing when friends share a…
Episode 349. Gavin Carr Introduces Heinrich Rehkemper SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This month’s series of Listeners’ Favorites continues with the…
Episode 109. Thomas Bagwell Introduces Bernard Kruysen SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM One of my best and truest friends in the…
Episode 247. Sarah Pillow Introduces Eileen Farrell SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The American dramatic soprano Eileen Farrell (1920–2002) was one…
Episode 246. Previn Moore Introduces Camilla Williams & Janet Williams (BHM 2024) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM As the final entry…
Episode 244. Veronica Tyler (BHM 2024) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This Countermelody episode is the last in my miniseries featuring…
Episode 242. Damon Evans Introduces George Shirley (BHM 2024) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week I present a Countermelody mini-series…
Episode 237. Paul Kirby Introduces Charles Ives (Listeners’ Favorites VIII) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM My friend Paul Kirby is a…
Episode 236. Howard Hart Introduces Christa Ludwig (Listeners’ Favorites VII) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM My friend and fellow opera podcaster…
Episode 235. Anna Tonna Introduces Teresa Berganza (Listeners’ Favorites VI) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s Listeners’ Favorites episode of Countermelody is…
Episode 234. Carol Brice (Black History Month 2021 – V) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This Listeners’ Favorites episode serves a…
Episode 232. Janet Williams and Paul Padillo Introduce Maria Ewing (Listeners’ Favorites III) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM January 9 is…
Episode 231. Elliot Levine Introduces Margaret Marshall (Listeners’ Favorites II) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The second of my Listeners’ Favorites…
Episode 229. Happy Birthday, John Wustman SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today, Christmas Day 2023, is also the 93rd birthday of…
Episode 228. Song Cycles for Christmas SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM For my second holiday episode this year, I turn to…
Episode 227. A Golden Age Christmas SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM In the midst of our recent move, I came across…
Episode 223. Chouxbert vs. Shubertsky (Schubert in French and Russian) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM A few weeks ago I finally…
Episode 222. Shirley Verrett, Falcon Sfogatissima SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM It is hard to believe that it’s already been 13…
Episode 219. Chants d’Auvergne SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Another episode featuring orchestral songs, these arrangements by the French composer Joseph…
Episode 216. The Lieder of Joseph Marx SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week (inspired by an 10-inch LP in my…
Episode 215. Trauer und Trost SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week’s episode offers music of both mourning and consolation performed…
Episode 214. Ellabelle Davis SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I begin a series of interim episodes which will lead up…
Episode 213. Julia Varady SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM A week ago the extraordinary Hungarian-German soprano Julia Varady turned 82. As…
Episode 212. Ian Partridge SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Ian Partridge, the quintessential English lyric tenor, celebrated his 85th birthday in…
Episode 211. Janet Baker @ 90 SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This past week the opera world was plunged into mourning…
Episode 209. Nordic Tracks I: Orchestral Songs SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Inspired by my holiday in Denmark last week, today…
Episode 208. Gundula Janowitz SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM From a very young age I was interested in today’s birthday celebrant,…
Episode 206. Jerry Hadley SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Jerry Hadley (16 June 1952 – 18 July 2007) is regarded by…
Episode 204. Roberta Alexander Sings America SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Posting a few days early in celebration of the Fourth…
Episode 202. William Parker [Pride 2023] SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s episode celebrates the life and legacy of lyric baritone…
Episode 201. Britten & Pears (Pride 2023) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s episode explores the lives and loves of two…
Episode 200. Whole Lotta Lotte (Lehmann!) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today we observe a significant event in the history of…
Episode 197. Theatre Dreams SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Ernestine Schumann-Heink and Annie Krull in the original production of Elektra, 1908.…
Episode 196. Grace Bumbry In Memoriam SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This past week the world of opera was plunged in…
Episode 193. Alexander Kipnis in Lieder SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM If I were to indulge in the foolish task of…
Episode 191. Music for Holy Week SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Diana Montague (born April 8… Happy Birthday!) Welcome to all…
Episode 189. Marni Nixon SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today, in another of my Women’s History Month episodes, I present to…
Episode 188. Sarah Reese SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Greatness expresses itself in different ways. Sometimes in indisputable artistic talents, and…
Episode 183. Martina Arroyo SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Last week on Feburary 2, the beloved African American soprano Martina Arroyo…
Episode 182. Dorothy Maynor SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I lead off my new episodes for Black History Month 2023 with…
Episode 181. Nicolai Gedda in Song SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s episode is a special request from one of my…
Episode 180. Anna Moffo Reappraised SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The Italian-American lyric coloratura soprano Anna Moffo (1932-2006) is, for many,…
Episode 178. Andrzej Hiolski SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week I have been tantalizing my followers with the promise of…
Episode 177. Great Singers at Twilight SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM For the last episode of 2022, I begin a series…
Episode 175. The Young Fritz Wunderlich SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I’ve heard and enjoyed many a German lyric tenor, but…
Episode 173. Orchesterlieder I SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week is the first of a series of episodes focusing on…
Episode 172. Ned Rorem In Memoriam SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Greetings to all from my former home of Manhattan! Upon…
Episode 171. November Birthday Gals SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Tomorrow morning I leave for three weeks and I’ve been desperately…
Episode 170. Oralia Domínguez SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Earlier this year, in an episode entitled “Women of Color Sing Mahler,”…
Episode 169. Grace Bumbry SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Though the great diva Grace Bumbry has often been featured on Countermelody,…
Episode 167. Denise Duval SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Denise Duval, whose 101st birthday we posthumously commemorate on October 23, will…
Episode 166. Dan’s Picks SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week I celebrated my birthday, so today is the second of…
Episode 165. Giuseppe Verdi: A Birthday Tribute from Fellow Librans SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The great Giuseppe Verdi was born…
Episode 163. Season Four Preview SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today Countermelody is in limbo: balanced between Seasons Three and Four.…
Episode 161. Janet Baker: Subject of the Queen SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The world changed yesterday with the death of…
Episode 160. Donald Gramm SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Dear ones, I present to you today the extraordinarily versatile bass-baritone and…
Episode 158. Russell Oberlin SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Hearing the voice of countertenor Russell Oberlin (1928 – 2016) as a…
Episode 154. Adele Addison @ 97 SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This Sunday, 24 July 2022, the great African American lyric…
Episode 152. Patricia Neway SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today begins a new summer series on Countermelody, celebrating mid-century music-making in…
Episode 150. Poulenc and Bernac (Pride 2022) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Something about this week’s episode has really gotten to…
Episode 147. The Young Gabriel Bacquier SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Two years ago last month, the great French (bass-)baritone Gabriel…
Episode 146. Women of Color Sing Mahler SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Say their names: In Uvalde: Nevaeh Bravo, Jackie Cazares,…
Episode 145. Teresa Berganza In Memoriam SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM A week ago today the beloved and revered Spanish mezzo-soprano…
Episode 144. Mad about Mesplé SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Two years ago this month, the world lost the great French…
Episode 142. The Thrill of Pelléas SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM In (relative) relief over the recent French election result, I…
Episode 141. Chansons d’avril SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week’s episode is a musical celebration of all things spring. As…
Episode 140. The Universal Passion SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM For Christians, this week is probably the most central to the…
Episode 137. Ukrainian Singers and Composers SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Here finally is my long-promised and long-overdue episode on great…
Episode 135. A Woman’s Winterreise SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today in honor of Women’s History Month and the people of…
Episode 134. Legacy (Black History Month 2022 Postlude) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This is the second part of my final…
Episode 133. Never Forget (Black History Month 2022) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I bid a lingering farewell to Black History…
Episode 131. Happy Birthday, Reri Grist (Black History Month 2022) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The great African American coloratura Reri…
Episode 129. Leontyne Price in Concert [Black History Month 2022] SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The great Leontyne Price, soprano par…
Episode 126. Canadian Singers of Art Song (Great Canadian Singers) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM After two weeks of so-called “deep…
Episode 125. Jon Vickers (Great Canadian Singers) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Our series saluting great Canadian singers continues with a…
Episode 123. Lois Marshall (Great Canadian Singers) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today is my first episode of the New Year,…
Episode 122. Auld Acquaintance II SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Part Two of my “Auld Acquaintance” mini-series on Countermelody continues the…
Episode 121. Auld Acquaintance I SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This special episode, the first of two year-end celebrations, presents artists…
Episode 120. Bethany Beardslee SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s episode celebrates a pioneer in the performance of twentieth century vocal…
Episode 119. Christmas Art Songs SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM It’s time for my third annual Christmas show! Can you believe…
Episode 115. Jules Bledsoe SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week I present an important African American artist who has been…
Episode 114. James King SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week I turn my attention once again to the tenors, who…
Episode 113. Edda Moser SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM On 27 October the great German dramatic coloratura Edda Moser celebrated her…
Episode 112. Barry McDaniel SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This past week would have been the 91st birthday of Barry McDaniel…
Episode 109. Bernard Kruysen: Baryton Martin extraordinaire SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I celebrate the life and artistry of Bernard…
Episode 107. Norman Bailey and Friends SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Death has had a busy month in the music world,…
Episode 106. A Baritonal Schubertiade SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM On the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, I am…
Episode 105. Teresa Żylis-Gara (In Memoriam) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM One of my very favorite singers, the Polish soprano Teresa…
Episode 104. Nicolae Herlea SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Yesterday, August 28, would have been the 94th birthday of the great…
Episode 102. John Reardon: Make Someone Happy SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Here’s another great baritone to help get us through…
Episode 101. Heinrich Rehkemper SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I continue my salute to Great Baritones with an examination of the…
Episode 99. Yi-Kwei Sze (斯義桂) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The Chinese-American bass Yi-Kwei Sze (1915-1994) was the first Chinese singer…
Episode 96. Great Baritones Sing Charles Ives SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM To help me and all my American friends celebrate…
Episode 93. Evelyn Lear sings Sondheim and Bernstein SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I had intended a no-holds-barred Queer Pride extravaganza…
Episode 92. Blessed Memory (In Memoriam III) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The final episode (for now) in my series commemorating…
Episode 91. Unforgotten (In Memoriam II) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM We continue our memorial tributes this week with the second…
Episode 90. Gone But Not Forgotten SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Christa Ludwig, celebrated two weeks ago, is not the only…
Episode 89. The Radiant Heather Harper SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I have dreamed of doing an episode on the great…
Episode 88. Jorma Hynninen @ 80: A Celebration in Song SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM A month ago the great Finnish…
Episode 87. Christa Ludwig I (In Memoriam) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The world of singing sustained an enormous loss a…
Episode 86. Cathy Berberian’s Second Hand Songs SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I return to Cathy Berberian, Prima Donna of the…
Episode 84. Cathy Berberian, Part I: MagnifiCathy SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This episode is the first part of a tribute…
Episode 83. Frühlingslieder [Spring Songs] SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Dear listeners, it is Easter Sunday. While we are strictly non-sectarian…
Episode 81. Happy Songs (straight up) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week I offset the gloom of last week’s music…
Episode 80. Sad Songs (with a twist) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM It’s been a year since the pandemic sent us…
Episode 78. Twentieth Century Pioneers (Black History Month 2021 VI) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM To round off #BlackHistoryMonth2021, I bring…
Episode 76. William Warfield (Black History Month IV) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week’s subject is one of the towering…
Episode 74. Lucretia West (Black History Month 2021 II) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The great African American contralto Lucretia West,…
Episode 73. Carol Brice (Black History Month 2021 – I) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Countermelody’s Black History Month celebration for…
Episode 72. Igor Gorin (Great Baritones II) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I recently rediscovered the great Ukranian-American baritone Igor Gorin…
Episode 71. Eidé Noréna SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Kaja Eidé Noréna(1884-1968, née Karoline Hansen), the Norwegian lyric-coloratura soprano, is one…
Episode 70. Paul Robeson: Ballad of an American SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM January 23 is the 45th anniversary of the…
Episode 69. Voiceless Wonders: An Introduction SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Some of the greatest singers in history are not necessarily…
Episode 68. Margaret Marshall, Songbird SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Welcome to 2021 chez Countermelody! Today’s episode is a birthday tribute…
Episode 67. Goodbye 2020 (and Good Riddance!) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Is there anyone out there who will not be…
Episode 66. Christmas (Art) Songs SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM In preparation for the upcoming holiday, I offer this week a…
Episode 62. Gustav Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Music for a World in Crisis VI) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week…
Episode 61. Margaret Price I: The Voice of Consolation (Music for a World in Crisis V) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM…
Episode 58. Richard Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder (Music for a World in Crisis IV) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM As the…
Episode 57. Francisco Araiza @ 70 SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM On October 4, the great Mexican tenor Francisco Araiza celebrated…
Episode 55. Season Two Teaser SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week represents the limbo between the first and second seasons…
Episode 49. Eileen Farrell: Queen of Crossover (Crossover Classics V) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The American dramatic soprano Eileen Farrell…
Episode 48. Cesare Siepi: Easy to Love (Crossover Classics IV) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Last month marked the tenth anniversary…
Episode 44. Gl’amour, Part Deux (The Invaders) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Episode 44 – Gl’amour, Part Deux: The Invaders Aux…
Episode 40. Sisters in Sappho SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The first of my two Queer Pride episodes is devoted to…
Episode 35. Charm: A Second Helping SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Last week we had such an overflowing of vocal, artistic,…
Episode 34. Charm SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I have planned a series on five different artistic traits that guide a…
Episode 32. Fedora Barbieri (Mezzo Madness III) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The Italian mezzo-soprano Fedora Barbieri (1920-2003) was never a…
Episode 31. Janet Baker (Mezzo Mania II) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Few singers have more affected my life in a…
Episode 19. Jennie Tourel Sings Rossini & Poulenc (Needle Drop V)
Episode 16. Elly Ameling and Dalton Baldwin: Souvenirs (Needle Drop II) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM We begin 2020 with a…
Episode 15. Hail and Farewell: 2019 Departures SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM We set our sights on the New Year, at…
Episode 14. Christmas Potpourri II: Hard/Try SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Another week of Christmas music! The first part of the…
Episode 13. Christmas with the Tenors SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week is the first of two episodes featuring Christmas…
Episode 12. Gérard Souzay @ 101: A modern-day troubadour SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The French baritone Gérard Souzay was born Gérard…
Episode 10. Régine Crespin Tribute I. Un doux privilège SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Régine Crespin, whose Metropolitan Opera debut as…
Episode 8. Williams & Williams
Episode 4. Jessye and Her Forebears (Needle Drop I) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Due to a last minute change of…