Tag Archives: John Musto

Episode 459. The Art of Steven Blier

May 2, 2026African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2026, Broadway, Canadian Singers, Comic Relief, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, Honor Your Mentors, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Protest Songs, Queer Pride, Schubert, Singers of Color, Spirituals, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Young SingersAlbert Roussel, Andre Previn, Andy Razaf, Arias and Barcarolles, Billy Strayhorn, Brett Polegato, Carlos López Buchardo, Catherine Martin, Charles Ives, Chris DeBlasio, Christopher Trakas, Cinco canciones negras, Corinne Winters, Cyndia Sieden, Darius de Haas, Eduard Toldrà, Emile Louis, Emmanuel Chabrier, Ernst Schulze, Eubie Blake, Eugène Adenis, Federico De Michaelis, Felix Gasbarra, Franz Schubert, George Gershwin, Greg Utzig, Gustavo Caraballo, Hal Cazalet, Haroldo Barbosa, Ira Gershwin, James Baker, Janet de Almeida, Jennifer Aylmer, Jerome Kern, John LaTouche, John Musto, Johnny Mercer, Joseph Kaiser, Joshua Blue, Jules Massenet, Kurt Ollmann, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, Lisa Vroman, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Louise Bogan, Marc Blitzstein, Marianne Moore, Mark Adamo, Mark Campbell, Michael Barrett, Moses Hogan, New York Festival of Song, Niccolò Machiavelli, NYFOS, P.G. Wodehouse, Pardon My English, Paul de Kock, Paul Demouth, Perry Brass, Rafael Merello, Recuerdo, René Chalupt, Sasha Cooke, Shea Owens, Sitting Pretty, Stephanie Blythe, Steven Blier, Sylvia McNair, The AIDS Quilt Songbook, Trinitat Catasús, Virgil Thomson, William Burden, William Sharp, Xavier Montsalvatge, Yvette Guilbertcountermelody

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There was only one way to follow up my interview with the iconic, the unique Steven Blier published earlier this week, and that is with an episode dedicated to his dazzling at the keyboard and his accomplishments as the co-founder and artistic director of NYFOS, the New York Festival of Song, which is just concluding its 38th season. Going all the way back to Steve’s first recordings in the late 1980s, I have compiled a setlist that is a testament to his love of song, and his ever-expanding interests in that field. Performances both live and studio, many of them straight from Steve’s own archives, feature composers ranging from Franz Schubert to Leonard Bernstein, Eubie Blake to Albert Roussel, Eduard Toldrà to Marc Blitzstein, and Billy Strayhorn to Kurt Weill , including work commissioned specifically by and for Blier and NYFOS. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. These are performed by vocal colleagues of Steven’s past and present, including William Sharp, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Darius de Haas, Stephanie Blythe, Christopher Trakas, Corinne Winters, Kurt Ollmann, Lisa Vroman, Federico De Michelis, Joshua Blue, Sasha Cooke, Brett Polegato, and many, many others. Kudos to this magnificent artist who has enriched all of our lives!

Countermelody is the 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 author 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 or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 459. The Art of Steven Blier

April 1, 2026African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2026, Broadway, Canadian Singers, Comic Relief, Crossover, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, Honor Your Mentors, In Memoriam, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Schubert, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Young SingersAlbert Roussel, Andre Previn, Andy Razaf, Arias and Barcarolles, Billy Strayhorn, Brett Polegato, Carlos López Buchardo, Catherine Martin, Charles Ives, Chris DeBlasio, Christopher Trakas, Cinco canciones negras, Corinne Winters, Cyndia Sieden, Darius de Haas, Eduard Toldrà, Emile Louis, Emmanuel Chabrier, Ernst Schulze, Eubie Blake, Eugène Adenis, Federico De Michaelis, Felix Gasbarra, Franz Schubert, George Gershwin, Greg Utzig, Gustavo Caraballo, Hal Cazalet, Haroldo Barbosa, Ira Gershwin, James Baker, Janet de Almeida, Jennifer Aylmer, Jerome Kern, John LaTouche, John Musto, Johnny Mercer, Joseph Kaiser, Joshua Blue, Jules Massenet, Kurt Ollmann, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, Lisa Vroman, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Louise Bogan, Marc Blitzstein, Marianne Moore, Mark Adamo, Mark Campbell, Michael Barrett, Moses Hogan, New York Festival of Song, Niccolò Machiavelli, NYFOS, P.G. Wodehouse, Pardon My English, Paul de Kock, Paul Demouth, Perry Brass, Rafael Merello, Recuerdo, René Chalupt, Sasha Cooke, Shea Owens, Sitting Pretty, Stephanie Blythe, Steven Blier, Sylvia McNair, The AIDS Quilt Songbook, Trinitat Catasús, Virgil Thomson, William Burden, William Sharp, Xavier Montsalvatge, Yvette Guilbertcountermelody

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:55:57 — 159.2MB) | Embed

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There was only one way to follow up my interview with the iconic, the unique Steven Blier published earlier this week: with an episode dedicated to recordings of his exceptional pianism, necessarily highlighting his accomplishments as the co-founder and artistic director of NYFOS, the New York Festival of Song, which is just concluding its 38th season. Going all the way back to Steve’s first recordings in the late 1980s, I have compiled a setlist that is a testament to his love of song and his ever-expanding interests in that field. Performances both live and studio, many of them straight from Steve’s own archives, feature composers ranging from Franz Schubert to Eubie Blake, including work commissioned specifically by and for Blier and NYFOS. These are performed by vocal colleagues of Steven’s past and present, including William Sharp, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Darius de Haas, Stephanie Blythe, Christopher Trakas, Corinne Winters, Kurt Ollman, Lisa Vroman, Federico De Michelis, Joshua Blue, Sasha Cooke, Brett Polegato, and many, many others. Kudos to this magnificent artist who has enriched all of our lives!

Episode 202. William Parker (Pride 2023)

June 23, 2023Art Song, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Protest Songs, Queer Pride, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century OperaAaron Copland, Alan Marks, Anthony Dean Griffey, Anthony Martin, Bruce Lamott, Caligrammes, Charles d’Orléans, Charles Ives, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Claude Debussy, Dalton Baldwin, David Bergman, David Bowles, David Tayler, Dominick Argento, Donald Wheelock, Drew Hemenger, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Francis Poulenc, Gabriel Faure, Gerald Finzi, Gerard van Blerk, Gonzalo Ruiz, Guillaume Apollinaire, Helmine von Chézy, Henri Duparc, Jean de La Ville de Mirmont, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John B. Tabb, John Jacob Niles, John Musto, Kurt Ollmann, L’horizon chimérique, Lanford Wilson, Lee Hoiby, Lisa Weiss, Ludwig Hölty, Marc Shachman, Melvin Dixon, Ned Rorem, Nicholas McGegan, Old American Songs, Pierre Jean de Bélanger, Rafael Campo, Robert de Bonnières, Rudolf Jansen, Salomon August Andrée, Sarah Davol, Stephen Foster, Steven Lehning, Summer and Smoke, Susan Snively, Tennessee Williams, The Andrée Exposition, Thomas Bagwell, Thomas Hardy, Thomas Merton, William Huckaby, William Parker, Witter Bynnercountermelody

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Today’s episode celebrates the life and legacy of lyric baritone William Parker (05 August 1943 – 29 March 1993), the finest American recitalist of the late twentieth century and one of the most beautiful baritone voices I have ever heard. His mastery of the German, American (and, especially for me, French) song repertoire sends one scrambling back to the earlier days of recorded sound to find suitable parallels. Though we had many friends and colleagues in common, I never met him personally. But this week, at my request as I was preparing this episode, many who loved him have been in touch with me: family, friends, colleagues, lovers, and they have provided me with a wealth of beautiful reminiscences and memories of their beloved Will. I have also compiled a setlist for the episode which displays the full breadth and depth of his artistry. At the end of his life, Will, dying of AIDS, created an initiative called the AIDS Quilt Songbook, to which some of the greatest composers and poets of the day provided songs and texts. Like the AIDS Quilt itself, this is a living legacy which continues to expand and grow. There are numerous works from the Songbook in its various iterations, performed not just by Will, but also by Kurt Ollmann and Anthony Dean Griffey, which serve not only as a painful reminder of an entire generation lost to AIDS, but also as a moving reminder of the LGBTQ+ community’s ability to face down ignorance, hatred, prejudice, even death, and in the end not only to triumph, but to provide an example for present and future generations of our resilience.

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. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.