Tag Archives: Lisa Vroman

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 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!