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 392. Ernst Kozub Revisited [Verdi Edition] SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Since posting a tribute to German heldentenor Ernst Kozub…
Episode 391. Ben Bagley’s Three-Dollar Bills [Porter and Hart Edition] SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Two months ago I posted an…
Episode 390. Helen Donath Sings Richard Strauss SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Beloved Countermelody favorite Helen Donath celebrated her 85th birthday…
Episode 389. Rescue Mission (Operatic Duets Edition) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I have spent the past week planning forthcoming episodes…
Episode 388. Sopranos en détresse, Part Deux SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM A few months ago I published the first of…
Episode 387. Zauberwelt der Oper (Black Diva Edition) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I’m on holiday this week, but it would…
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 384. Vera Little Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM On June 3, 2024, the Berlin Senate’s Department of Culture installed…
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 381. I Got a Name (Pride Edition) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM At first blush, this episode may look a…
Episode 380. Hermann Prey Sings Bach SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The esteemed, indeed beloved, German baritone Hermann Prey died seventeen…
Episode 379. Stuart Burrows in Duet SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM So many great singing artists lost to the world of…
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 375. Gilda Cruz-Romo In Memoriam SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Back in December I published my first episode honoring the…
Episode 374. Maureen Lehane Sings Bach SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s episode offers music of consolation, sung divinely. On a…
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 371. Margherita Roberti @ 100 (with August Ventura) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM One hundred years ago today, Margaret Jean…
Episode 370. Lesbian Concentrate and Beyond SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Continuing the Countermelody show of Pride for this month’s LGBTQ+…
Episode 369. Joséphine Baker Revisited (Live Edition) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Yesterday was a crucial celebration for all US-Americans: Juneteenth.…
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 364. Grace Bumbry, Proud Soprano (Live Edition) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM It’s Pride Month, and what better time to…
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 360. Ben Luxon: King of Crossover SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Benjamin Luxon, the esteemed Cornish baritone who died at…
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 354. Get to Know April Cantelo SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Only recently have I become fully aware of the…
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 346. Olive Middleton and La Puma (Alternate Universe Bel Canto) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Hello, Campers! Once again it…
Episode 345. A Lenten Litany of Bach Contraltos SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Over the course of the past year, I…
Episode 344. Mady Mesplé Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This past March 7 would have been the 94th birthday of…
Episode 343. Over-the-Top Sopranos, French Edition SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM As a follow-up to my Mezzos on the Verge series,…
Episode 342. Norman Bailey Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The British bass-baritone Norman Bailey (23 March 1933 – 15 September…
Episode 341. Robert Massard Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM A year and a half ago, I posted an episode on…
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 338. Ameling and Friends Sing Bach SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM As a belated 92nd birthday tribute to our beloved…
Episode 337. Anne Wiggins Brown SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today on Countermelody the first of two (for now) episodes celebrating…
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 331. Eugene Holmes Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Exactly two years ago I introduced my listeners to the magisterial…
Episode 330. Martina Arroyo in Duet SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM What better way to start off this Black History Month…
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 327. Eileen Farrell’s High Standards SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM It’s been a tough week all around, not just nationally…
Episode 326. Paul Robeson Unchained SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today, Martin Luther King Day and the day before the reinauguration…
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 319. Leslie Uggams 1965–1975 SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Leslie Uggams’ long-standing place in American pop culture matches that of…
Episode 317. Big Baroque Christmas SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Sometimes when I look back on past episodes of Countermelody, I…
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 313. Get to Know Gilbert Price SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM If you have never heard of Gilbert Price, this…
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 303. Everything Must Change SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Something a little outside of the normal scope of Countermelody for…
Episode 302. The Haunted Opera House, 2024 Edition SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Two years ago for Halloween, I presented the…
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 298. Verdi Duets SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Last week, absorbed in preparations for my own birthday, I passed over…
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 294. Dusty Springfield Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Armed with happy memories of our sojourn to London, which just…
Episode 293. The Mysterious Mara Coleva SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The Bulgarian soprano Mara Coleva (12 March 1922 – 22…
Episode 292. Ian Partridge Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM David and I leave tomorrow on a short jaunt to London,…
Episode 291. A Bevy of Bachian Contraltos SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week I pull out all the Baroque stops…
Episode 290. Ileana Cotrubaș Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM More than four years ago, I published my very first bonus…
Episode 289. Meet Vera Little SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM On Monday June 3, 2024, a new memorial plaque commemorating African…
Episode 288. Teresa Żylis-Gara Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I revisit the life, career, and sumptuous voice of the…
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 283. Betty Allen SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Betty Allen has been featured on countless omnibus Countermelody episodes, but it’s…
Episode 281. La Scottissima SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I began work on this episode on the one-year anniversary of the…
Episode 280. Heather Harper Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The beloved Irish soprano Heather Harper died at the age of…
Episode 279. Ernst Kozub Reappraised SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Have you heard of the remarkable German Heldentenor Ernst Kozub? If…
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 275. Margaret Tynes (Listeners’ Favorites) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM On March 7, 2024, the legendary African American soprano Margaret…
Episode 274. Odetta (Listeners’ Favorites) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The United States seems (if this could be possible) even more…
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 265. Meet Hana Janků SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Have you ever encountered a singer that no one has apparently…
Episode 264. Rescue Mission (Forgotten Divas Edition) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM During Black History Month this year I featured 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 261. Thom Baker Introduces Rosanna Carteri (Listeners’ Favorites) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s episode is one of my Listeners’…
Episode 260. Robert McFerrin Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM As a companion to my Lawrence Winters episode last week, I…
Episode 259. Lawrence Winters Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM During the first season of Countermelody I presented the great African…
Episode 258. (Frank) Lopardopalooza SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I present to you the American lyric tenor Frank Lopardo, who…
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 254. Holy Week with the Romantics SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Once again we have reached the climax of the…
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 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 242. Damon Evans Introduces George Shirley (BHM 2024) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week I present a Countermelody mini-series…
Episode 240. Annabelle Bernard (BHM 2024) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Last week we celebrated the 97th birthday of our Ur-Diva,…
Episode 239. Gwendolyn Killebrew (BHM 2024) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week’s “Forgotten Diva” is the mezzo-soprano / contralto Gwendolyn…
Episode 238. Delcina Stevenson (BHM 2024) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I am so grateful to all the listeners who did…
Episode 236. Howard Hart Introduces Christa Ludwig (Listeners’ Favorites VII) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM My friend and fellow opera podcaster…
Episode 234. Carol Brice (Black History Month 2021 – V) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This Listeners’ Favorites episode serves a…
Episode 233. Dusty Pörn Introduces Eleanor Steber SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s subject is Eleanor Steber, certainly one of the…
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 226. Maria Callas: The Singer of the Century SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM What is there to say about today’s…
Episode 225. Joya Sherrill SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week’s episode is the first in what I hope will be…
Episode 224. Handel’s Deutsche Arien SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This year for Thanksgiving I bring you Handel’s glorious Neun deutsche…
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 221. Robert Massard SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This is an episode I have been planning for years now! This…
Episode 218. Edith Piaf, storyteller SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today is the 60th anniversary of the death of Edith Piaf,…
Episode 217. Patricia Neway Revisited SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I revisit the artistry of the great Patricia Neway (1919-2012),…
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 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 207. Henry Wright and Pals SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s episode is first and foremost a tribute to a…
Episode 206. Jerry Hadley SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Jerry Hadley (16 June 1952 – 18 July 2007) is regarded by…
Episode 205. Eileen Farrell: Bach/Pop SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Eileen Farrell (13 February 1920 – 23 March 2002) was one…
Episode 204. Roberta Alexander Sings America SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Posting a few days early in celebration of the Fourth…
Episode 203. Jobriath and Jackie (Pride 2023) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s Pride 2023 episode focuses on two pathbreaking pop…
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 198. Cesare Valletti SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s episode celebrates the Italian tenore di grazia Cesare Valletti (18 December…
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 194. Great Mozart Tenors SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s is a mammoth episode, one of my longest ever, so…
Episode 193. Alexander Kipnis in Lieder SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM If I were to indulge in the foolish task of…
Episode 192. Virginia Zeani: The Soul of the Voice SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Virginia Zeani (21 October 1925 – 20…
Episode 191. Music for Holy Week SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Diana Montague (born April 8… Happy Birthday!) Welcome to all…
Episode 190. Make Your Own Kind of Music: Verdi Edition SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM It’s time for my fourth annual…
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 187. Elly Ameling Sings Bach SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM An artist whose singing has been with me throughout my…
Episode 186. Roberta Alexander in Opera SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today it is with the utmost excitement that I bring…
Episode 185. Black Pop Icons auf Deutsch (Black History Month 2023) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM There are advantages to being…
Episode 184. Eugene Holmes SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Eugene Holmes (1932 – 2007), baritone supreme, should be remembered as one…
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 179. The Pop Stylings of Maria Ewing SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM A year ago, as I prepared a memorial…
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 168. The Haunted (Opera) House, 20th Century Edition SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week’s episode celebrates Halloween while at…
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 164. Mabel Mercer (Season Four Premiere) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Welcome to Season Four of Countermelody! My long-time listeners…
Episode 163. Season Four Preview SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today Countermelody is in limbo: balanced between Seasons Three and Four.…
Episode 162. NYCO Divas: An Introduction SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today is the final regular episode of Season Three of…
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 159. Forgotten Broadway II SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The follow-up episode to my previous Forgotten Broadway episode is an…
Episode 158. Russell Oberlin SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Hearing the voice of countertenor Russell Oberlin (1928 – 2016) as a…
Episode 157. Forgotten Broadway I SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I begin Forgotten Broadway, a new miniseries within my summer…
Episode 156. Barely Sang at the Met II SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week is the conclusion of my presentation…
Episode 155. Barely Sang at the Met SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s brain teaser: What do world-class singers Irmgard Seefried,…
Episode 154. Adele Addison @ 97 SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This Sunday, 24 July 2022, the great African American lyric…
Episode 153. Eleanor Steber SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM July 17 is the 108th birthday of Eleanor Steber, surely one of…
Episode 152. Patricia Neway SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today begins a new summer series on Countermelody, celebrating mid-century music-making in…
Episode 151. Cole Porter [Pride 2022] SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Because I’m still on the road, I’m posting an old…
Episode 150. Poulenc and Bernac (Pride 2022) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Something about this week’s episode has really gotten to…
Episode 148. Judy Garland @100 (Pride 2022) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM On Friday 10 June 2022, Judy Garland celebrates her…
Episode 146. Women of Color Sing Mahler SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Say their names: In Uvalde: Nevaeh Bravo, Jackie Cazares,…
Episode 143. Pelléas Part Deux SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I conclude my examination of my favorite opera, Claude Debussy…
Episode 140. The Universal Passion SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM For Christians, this week is probably the most central to the…
Episode 139. Swiss Misses and Misters SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM A few months ago, we paid a visit to Zurich.…
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 129. Leontyne Price in Concert [Black History Month 2022] SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The great Leontyne Price, soprano par…
Episode 128. Leslie Uggams (Black History Month 2022) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM I would bet (though I can’t guarantee it)…
Episode 127. Maria Ewing in Memoriam (Black History Month 2022) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The exceptional, distinctive Maria Ewing died…
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 119. Christmas Art Songs SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM It’s time for my third annual Christmas show! Can you believe…
Episode 118. Stephen Sondheim & Joséphine Baker SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Two titans of culture were in the news this…
Episode 117. Buffy Sainte-Marie (Great Canadian Singers) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM In observation of US-American “Thanksgiving,” known to its Indigenous…
Episode 116. Pop Songs by Lieder Singers SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week I feature nearly a century’s worth of…
Episode 115. Jules Bledsoe SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week I present an important African American artist who has been…
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 111. Verdi auf Deutsch SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s is a mammoth episode on a mammoth topic: historical performances…
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 103. Gilbert Price SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Never heard of Gilbert Price? This episode will remedy that situation. With…
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 98. John Raitt SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today I feature as part of my summer series on Great Baritones,…
Episode 95. Queer Blues (and Beyond) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM For my second Queer Pride episode this month, I offer…
Episode 94. Odetta (Juneteenth 2021) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM In honor of the first commemoration of Juneteenth as a national…
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 87. Christa Ludwig I (In Memoriam) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM The world of singing sustained an enormous loss a…
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 79. Dusty Springfield Sings Carole King SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM How exciting to go straight from Black History Month…
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 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 61. Margaret Price I: The Voice of Consolation (Music for a World in Crisis V) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM…
Episode 60. The Bach Aria Group (Full-Figured Baroque I) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Today’s episode, dedicated to historical performances of…
Episode 58. Richard Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder (Music for a World in Crisis IV) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM As the…
Episode 20. Muriel Smith (Black History Month I) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM This week kicks off my series of Black…
Episode 4. Jessye and Her Forebears (Needle Drop I) SOCIAL SHARE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM Due to a last minute change of…