Tag Archives: Camilla Williams

Episode 246. Previn Moore Introduces Camilla Williams and Janet Williams (Listeners’ Favorites)

February 28, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2024, Broadway, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Interview, Lieder, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Schubert, Twentieth Century MusicAida, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Berliner Staatsoper, Boris Bezala, Camilla Williams, Celius Dougherty, Detroit, Du Bose Heyward, Francis Poulenc, Franz Schubert, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Georges Bizet, Giuseppe Verdi, Ira Gershwin, Janet Williams, Jules Massenet, Laszlo Halasz, Léo Delibes, Les pecheurs de perles, Louis Aragon, Manon, MGM Records, New York City Opera, Porgy and Bess, Semele, Spirituals, Undine Smith Moorecountermelody

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As the final entry in this year’s Black History Month episodes, my dear friend Previn Moore introduces his Listeners’ Favorites choice, an episode I published in the early months of Countermelody back in the fall of 2019. It features two phenomenal Black sopranos whose friendship and mentorship Previn outlines in detail in an introductory interview I did with him at his home in Vienna this past week. This episode features the phenomenal, the legendary, the pathbreaking soprano Camilla Williams (1919-2012), whom Previn first met as a young tenor at Indiana University’s School of Music, where Miss Williams was the first African American teacher of singing to serve on the faculty. While there, Previn also formed a lifelong friendship with Camilla’s student, Janet Williams, who herself went on to a brilliant worldwide career, including twelve years as a leading soprano with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden here in Berlin. Janet and I met as fellow students in the Merola Opera Program of the San Francisco Opera and it has been my joy and a privilege to share a treasured friendship with her ever since. In tribute to both of these extraordinary sopranos, I offer a cache of rare studio recordings by Camilla Williams, supplemented by live material sung by Janet Williams from the artist’s private archives. Included among the selections are excerpts from Camilla’s rarely-heard album of spirituals on the MGM Records label, and a concert given by Janet Williams in her home town of Detroit in 1989, capped by a stunning rendition of Undine Smith Moore’s arrangement of the spiritual “Watch and Pray,” dedicated to Camilla Williams. Many thanks to Previn, Janet, and the extraordinary Camilla Williams for their shining examples and for their dedicated artistry.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 165. Giuseppe Verdi: A Libran Birthday Tribute

October 7, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Canadian Singers, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Singers of ColorAchille de Lauzières, Aida, Alan Titus, Alberto Erede, Alexandre Dumas, Alfredo Simonetto, Alzira, Andrea Maffei, Antonino Tonini, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Antonio Sommo, Arrigo Boito, Attila, Bruno Reibold, Bryan Balkwill, Camilla Williams, Camille du Locle, Carlo Felice Cillario, Christoph von Dohnányi, Claramae Turner, Colin Davis, Delia Rigal, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Don Carlo, Edda Moser, Elizabeth Connell, Eugène Scribe, Falstaff, Francesco Maria Piave, Francisco Araiza, Francisco Casanova, František Jílek, Friedrich Schiller, Galina Vishnevskaya, Georg Singer, Giovanna d’Arco, Giulietta Simionato, Giuseppe Verdi, Guido Cantelli, Hana Janků, Igor Gorin, Ion Buzea, Irene Dalis, Irmgard Seefried, Jean Bobescu, John Alexander, Jon Vickers, Josef Dünnwald, Joseph Méry, Juan Emilio Martini, Julius Rudel, Karl Böhm, La forza del destino, La Traviata, Lamberto Gardelli, Laszlo Halasz, Luciano Pavarotti, Nabucco, New York City Opera, Nino Verchi, Otello, Requiem (Verdi), Rigoletto, Rolando Panerai, Sena Jurinac, Speranza Scappucci, Temistocle Solera, Tito Gobbi, Un ballo in maschera, Vasile Moldoveanu, Victor Hugo, Virginia Zeani, Voltaire, William Shakespearecountermelody

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The great Giuseppe Verdi was born this week in 1813. Since his birthday occurs in the same week as mine, and since I firmly believe that I was a Verdi soprano in a former life, I am paying tribute to him this week with a series of excerpts from his works performed by exceptional singers whose birthdays also occur in the month of October. It’s astounding how many great Verdi singers were born at the time of the harvest moon: Luciano Pavarotti, Tito Gobbi, Camilla Williams, Jon Vickers, Rolando Panerai, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Sena Jurinac, and many, many more. I have assembled a setlist featuring more than 20 such singers, including more than a few surprises (the young Irmgard Seefried singing the soprano solo in the Requiem; and a few choice artists that you may have forgotten about, among them Irene Dalis, Delia Rigal, and John Alexander). This whole month will be a birthday extravaganza and this is a marvelous way to start off the celebration, if I do say so myself!

Episode 162. NYCO Divas: An Introduction

September 16, 2022African American Singers, Bel canto, Broadway, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAlexander Borodin, Anne Elgar, Anton Guadagno, Ariadne auf Naxos, Arthur Miller, Benvenuto Cellini, Beverly Sills, Brenda Lewis, Camilla Williams, Carlisle Floyd, Carol Brice, Carol Neblett, Charles Gounod, Charles Wilson, Christopher Keene, Douglas Moore, Ellen Faull, Emerson Buckley, Faust, Frances Bible, Gustav Meier, Hector Berlioz, Herbert Beattie, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Jack Beeson, Johanna Meier, John LaTouche, Jules Massenet, Julius Rudel, Kenward Elmslie, Laszlo Halasz, Lillian Hellman, Lizzie Borden (Beeson and Elmslie), Lydia Ibarrondo, Manon, Maralin Niska, Marc Blitzstein, New York City Opera, Olivia Stapp, Patricia Brooks, Patricia Wells, Patricia Wise, Phyllis Curtin, Prince Igor, Regina, Richard Strauss, Robert Ward, Samuel Krachmalnick, Sarah Caldwell, Susannah, The Ballad of Baby Doe, The Crucible, Veronica Tyler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Today is the final regular episode of Season Three of Countermelody, as well as the last of my summer series documenting musical life in New York City during the years 1950 through 1975. I am thrilled to start what I hope will be an occasional series of episodes that will drop throughout Season Four, which begins in two weeks. I present to you a small sampling of the extraordinary singing actors that peopled the stage of New York City Opera during the years in question. The most famous of these, of course, is Beverly Sills, and she is aptly represented in her most radiant early prime. But there are many other singers as well, including African American divas Carol Brice and Veronica Tyler, preceded by Camilla Williams (the first Black singer to be awarded a standing contract with a major US opera company… in 1946!). City Opera was celebrated for presenting an absolute slew of new American work in its heyday, and we hear works by Carlilse Floyd, Robert Ward, Douglas Moore, Marc Blitzstein, and Jack Beeson in performances by Phyllis Curtin, Frances Bible, Brenda Lewis, and Ellen Faull. Other divas strutting their stuff include Olivia Stapp, Johanna Meier, and the three mesdames Patricia: Brooks, Wells, and Wise. The episode is capped by some of the rarest live recordings from the stage of City Opera by three singers who made their mark during their heyday, and would be the biggest stars in the world were they singing today: Gilda Cruz-Romo, Maralin Niska, and Carol Neblett, all of whom will be featured in her own episode during Countermelody’s upcoming season. A fitting way to end Season Three, as well as a harbinger of vocal delights to come! (Next week will be a preview of the upcoming season!)

Episode 121. Auld Acquaintance I

December 23, 2021African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Eileen Farrell, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Holiday Music, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Mirella Freni, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Pop Icons, Protest Songs, Renata Scotto, Richard Wagner, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAlban Berg, Alexander Pushkin, Allen Rogers, Antoinette Vischer, Antonio Rubino, Barry McDaniel, Benjamin Britten, Bernard Kruysen, Bo Bergman, Borislav Bezala, Camilla Williams, Carlo Alberto Rossi, Cathy Berberian, César Cui, Christmas songs, Claudio Arrau, Claudio Monteverdi, David Garvey, Dusty Springfield, e.e. cummings, Eileen Farrell, Elisabeth Soderstrom, Elza van der Ven, Ernesto Lecuona, Eugene Ormandy, Gabriel Faure, Gabriele d’Annunzio, Georg Friedrich Daumer, Georg Philipp Telemann, George Shirley, Gianfranco Rivoli, Gilbert Bécaud, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gloria Davy, Heather Harper, Huguette Dreyfus, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Janet Baker, Jean Lamy, Jennie Tourel, Johann Christian Bach, John Raitt, Jonas Kulka, Jorma Hynninen, Josef Ulsamer, Julia Migenes, Karl Weigl, L’amico Fritz, Lawrence Winters, Leone Magiera, Leslie Scott, Lionel Hampton, Loonis McGlohon, Luciano Berio, Luciano Pavarotti, Manny Curtis, Margaret Marshall, Mirella Freni, Nicola Daspuro, Nicolae Herlea, Odetta, Ottorino Respighi, Pagliacci, Paolo Tosti, Peter Altenberg, Pierre Boulez, Pierre Delanoë, Pietro Mascagni, Pino Calvi, Renata Scotto, Richard Wagner, Robert McFerrin, Robert Stolz, Rosanna Carteri, Rudolf Ewerhart, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Scott Walter, Shirley Verrett, Spirituals, Stig Westerberg, Sully Prudhomme, Tannhäuser, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Ture Rangström, Walter Calé, Werner Eisbrenner, Xavier Cugat, Yi-Kwei Szecountermelody

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This special episode, the first of two year-end celebrations, presents artists who have already been featured on Countermelody in rare recordings that have recently become available to me. A few of the artists heard include George Shirley, Heather Harper, Lawrence Winters, Elisabeth Söderström, Camilla Williams, Julia Migenes, John Raitt, Gloria Davy, Rosanna Carteri, Mirella Freni, Robert McFerrin, Margaret Marshall, Yi-Kwei Sze, Eileen Farrell, Shirley Verrett, Cathy Berberian, and many, many others in recordings, most from my personal collection, which you may not have heard before. This is a gift of love and gratitude from me to my listeners and supporters, a backward glance at all of the great singers who have been heard on the podcast over the past two and a half years, a theme which will continue next week. I look forward to continuing with new topics and new singers as we move into 2022.

Episode 52. Operaish Broadway (Crossover Classics VIII)

September 13, 2020African American Singers, Broadway, Comic Relief, Crossover, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, Operetta, Pop Icons1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Adam Guettel, Adolph Green, Alan Jay Lerner, Alfred Drake, Anton Coppola, Audra McDonald, Barbara Cook, Betty Comden, Bruce Yarnell, Camilla Williams, Candide, Carol Brice, Carolyn Leigh, Cesare Siepi, Claibe Richardson, Cy Coleman, Dorothy Sarnoff, Du Bose Heyward, Eve Queler, Ezio Pinza, Florence Henderson, Franco Corelli, Franz Allers, George Forrest, George Gershwin, Georges Bizet, Giorgio Tozzi, Giuseppe Verdi, Harold Arlen, Harold Rome, Helen Traubel, Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jacques Brel, Jerome Kern, Jerry Ross, Joe Darion, John Raitt, John Reardon, José Van Dam, Judy Kaye, Jule Styne, Kenward Elmslie, Lawrence Winters, Lee Venora, Lehman Engel, Leonard Bernstein, Leslie Scott, Lisa Vroman, Lorenz Hart, Madeline Kahn, Marin Mazzie, Mitch Leigh, Mona Paulee, Nicolai Gedda, Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Gemignani, Porgy and Bess, Rebecca Luker, Richard Adler, Richard Rodgers, Risë Stevens, Robert Gilbert, Robert Trehy, Robert Wright, Rosemary Clooney, Sheldon Harnick, Shirley Verrett, Show Boat, Stephen Sondheim, The Grass Harp, The Light in the Piazza, Victoria Clark, Yip Harburgcountermelody

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Today’s episode (in celebration of Countermelody’s first birthday!) picks up where the last one left off: more musicals, more opera (and operaish) singers! Excerpts from cast recordings, radio broadcasts, telecasts, and live performances highlight the work of singers who divided their time, to a greater or lesser extent, between the Broadway stage and the operatic stage. We begin with the great bass-baritones (Ezio Pinza, Cesare Siepi, Giorgio Tozzi, and José Van Dam) and move through the great Broadway (and sometime opera) baritones (Alfred Drake, John Raitt, Bruce Yarnell, Robert Trehy, Leslie Scott, Lawrence Winters, and John Reardon) with a nod to other opera singers who have also graced the Broadway stage (Helen Traubel, Shirley Verrett, Mona Paulee, Dorothy Sarnoff, Risë Stevens, Lee Venora, Camilla Williams, and Carol Brice). We then consider singers whose vocal abilities could easily have put them on the opera stage, had they chosen to so devote themselves (Alice Ghostley, Madeline Kahn, Barbara Cook, Florence Henderson, Judy Kaye, Lisa Vroman, Audra McDonald, Victoria Clark, Rebecca Luker, and the late Marin Mazzie). The episode also features tributes to two recently deceased divas (Gabriella Tucci and Christiane Eda-Pierre) as well as a spotlight on the gorgeous soprano Margaret Tynes, who just celebrated her 101st birthday.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” Occasional guests from the “business” (singers, conductors, composers, coaches, and teachers) lend their distinctive insights. At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content. And please head to our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available only to Patreon supporters are currently available!

Episode 23. Lawrence Winters and Robert McFerrin (Black History Month IV)

February 23, 2020African American Singers, BHM2023WK3, Black History Month, Broadway, Crossover, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Needle Drop, Operetta, Protest Songs, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAdele Addison, Bess You Is My Woman Now, Bonanza Theme Song, Call Me Mister, Camilla Williams, Fausto Cleva, Grace de la Cruz, Hall Johnson, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, Harold Rome, I Loves You Porgy, Kurt Weill, Langston Hughes, Laszlo Halasz, Laurel Hurley, Lawrence Winters, Lehman Engel, Lost in the Stars, Maria Stader, Marie Powers, Porgy and Bess, Rigoletto, RobertMcFerrin, Spirituals, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, The Red Ball Express, Todd Duncan, Troubled Island, William Grant Still; George Gershwin; Ira Gershwin; DuBose Heywardcountermelody

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Episode 23 – Winters and McFerrin: A Tale of Two Baritones (Black History Month IV)

Today’s episode, the fourth in a sequence honoring African American singers, this one pays tribute to two great baritones, Lawrence Winters (1915-1965) and Robert McFerrin (1921-2006). Winters was a trailblazer on records and on stage at the New York City Opera and in major German opera houses; while McFerrin, the first African American male to sing a major role at the Metropolitan Opera, made his debut in 1955 as Amonasro in Aida three weeks after Marian Anderson made history on the same stage as the first black solo singer to perform there. This episode examines the early life and rise to prominence of each singer; the role that Porgy played in the careers of both singers; and each one’s credentials as a Verdi baritone par excellence. Highlights include an excerpt from William Grant Still’s opera Troubled Island, which premiered at NYCO in 1949, and a memorable cache of spirituals recordings from both singers. Guest aritsts heard on this episode include Todd Duncan, Camilla Williams, Marie Powers, Maria Stader, Adele Addison, Laurel Hurley, and Grace de la Cruz.

Countermelody is a new podcast devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please also visit the Countermelody website for updates, additional content, and to pledge your support. www.countermelodypodcast.com

Episode 11. Janet Williams Interview III: Der ganze Unterschied

December 1, 2019African American Singers, Bel canto, Full-Figured Baroque, Interview, Singers of ColorAgrippina, Ann Panagulias, Ariadne auf Naxos, Berliner Staatsoper, Bohumil Gregor, Camilla Williams, Carl Heinrich Graun, Christa Ludwig, Cleopatra e Cesare, Dallas Opera, Daniel Gundlach, Das schlaue Füchslein, Deborah Polaski, Der Rosenkavalier, Elektra, George Frideric Handel, Geraldine Farrar, Helena Tattermuschová, Janet Williams, Janice Baird, Judith Blegen, Karina Gauvin, Kathleen Battle, Leistung und Performance Vokal Akademie Berlin, Leos Janacek, Lynn Harrell, Mack Harrell, Marschallin, Mary Mills, Příhody lišky Bystroušky, Regine Crespin, Reri Grist, Richard Strauss, Spirituals, The Cunning Little Vixencountermelody

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In the third and final part of our interview, recorded in July 2019, Janet Williams and I discuss how we reunited in 2004 (several years after our Merola connection); about her vocal studies with Régine Crespin, Denise Duplex, and David Jones; about some of the roles she sang during the illustrious career which took her around the world; and about her current activities with her newly-formed Leistung & Performance Vokal Akademie here in Berlin, where singers gain invaluable professional training in all aspects of what she calls “this illustrious but very difficult profession.” As always, the interview is interspersed with musical interludes and commentary, which are all cited on the Show Notes page (http://countermelodypodcast.com/episode-11-janet-williams-iii/).

Episode 9. Janet Williams Interview Part II: Serendipity @ Merola

November 18, 2019African American Singers, Interview, Singers of ColorAlfredo Kraus, Ariadne auf Naxos, Berliner Staatsoper, Brigitte Fassbaender, Camilla Williams, Carl Heinrich Graun, Carlos Kleiber, Carmen Jones, Cleopatra e Cesare, Daniel Gundlach, Donald Runnicles, Fred Berndt, George Frideric Handel, Giacomo Puccini, Gianna Rolandi, Gianni Schicchi, Giulio Cesare, Gundula Janowitz, Harolyn Blackwell, Ileana Cotrubas, Janet Williams, Joan Sutherland, John Wustman, Kathleen Battle, Lloyd Arriola, Lucia Popp, Maria Jeritza, Marilyn Horne, Marlene Dietrich, Merola Opera Program, My Ship, Parsifal, Paula Ingram, Regine Crespin, Ruth Ann Swenson, San Francisco Opera, Tosca, Virginia Zeanicountermelody

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In this episode, Janet relives her early career experiences, including time that both she and Daniel spent at the Merola Opera Program of the San Francisco Opera. She describes the continuing influence and tutelage of Camilla Williams; tells about her study in Paris with the great Régine Crespin, the mentorship of Marilyn Horne, and the inspiration of Harolyn Blackwell and Kathleen Battle; and elucidates how she was hired for a two-year Festvertrag at the Berliner Staatsoper and how, 27 years later, she still calls Berlin home. The episode is peppered throughout with musical examples.

Episode 8. Williams and Williams

November 10, 2019African American Singers, BHM2023WK1, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Lieder, Needle Drop, Singers of ColorAida, Berliner Staatsoper, Borislav Bezala, Camilla Williams, Celius Dougherty, Detroit, George Frideric Handel, Georges Bizet, Giuseppe Verdi, Janet Williams, Jules Massenet, Laszlo Halasz, Léo Delibes, Les pecheurs de perles, Manon, MGM Records, New York City Opera, Nina Koshetz, Povla Frijsh, Semele, Spirituals, Undine Smith Moorecountermelody

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As a supplement to the first part of my interview last week with Janet Williams, I offer a cache of rare studio recordings by Camilla Williams, supplemented by live material sung by Janet Williams from the artist’s private archives. Among other material featured are excerpts from Camilla’s rarely-heard album of spirituals on the MGM Records label, and a concert given by Janet Williams in her home town of Detroit in 1989, capped by a stunning rendition of Undine Smith Moore’s arrangement of the spiritual “Watch and Pray,” dedicated to Camilla Williams.

Episode 7: Janet Williams, Part I. No Accidents

November 3, 2019African American Singers, Interview, Singers of ColorAngel Blue, Anna Moffo, Beverly Sills, Boris Bazala, Camilla Williams, Carmen, Cass Tech High School, Dennis Collins, Detroit, Diana Ross, Falstaff, Geri Allen, I Have a Dream, In the Shadow of the Stars, Janet Williams, Joan Sutherland, Kim Jordan, La Boheme, Leontyne Price, Mahalia Jackson, March on Washington, Maria Callas, Marion Szekely Freschl, Mme. Freschl, O patria mia, Pace pace mio Dio, Porgy and Bess, Shirley Verrett, The Supremescountermelody

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I am particularly excited to present the first of a three-part interview with the distinguished American soprano and pedagogue Janet Williams, who also happens to be one of my dearest friends. We met when we were both apprentice artists at the Merola Opera Program of the San Francisco Opera. Since then Janet established herself as one of the premiere lyric coloratura sopranos of her generation and is now highly respected as a pedagogue, clinician, and mentor. In this portion of our discussion, we speak about Janet’s formative years in Detroit and how she found her way into the opera world, despite an early interest in gospel singing and the desire of becoming a backup singer à la The Supremes. Particular attention is paid to her tutelage under the distinguished African American soprano and civil rights icon Camilla Williams (as Janet points out, no relation!) As usual, copious musical excerpts are sprinkled throughout the interview.

Episode 4. Jessye and Her Forebears

October 13, 2019African American Singers, Art Song, BHM2023WK1, In Memoriam, Interview, Needle Drop, Singers of ColorCamilla Williams, Daniel Gundlach, David Savran, Dorothy Maynor, Elisabeth Soderstrom, Franz Schubert, Gerard Souzay, Great Day in the Morning, Jessye Norman, Martina Arroyo, Robert Wilson, Rose Caron, Serge Koussevitzky, Shirley Verrettcountermelody

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Due to a last minute change of plans, I have decided to bring you the first in what I hope will be a series of episodes devoted to excerpts from LP recordings in my collection which have either never been reissued on CD or have had only limited availability. This first episode includes a tribute to the late Jessye Norman, with a nod to some of the great African American singers who paved the way for her in her career. In addition, my special guest the theatre scholar David Savran speaks about the significance of her collaborations with director Robert Wilson. Other singers heard include Gérard Souzay, Elisabeth Söderström, Dorothy Maynor, Camilla Williams, Martina Arroyo, Shirley Verrett, and Leontyne Price, none of which have received widespread release beyond their initial appearance on LP. I conclude the episode with a special greeting from the balcony of my Air B&B in Napoli, where I am celebrating my birthday.