Tag Archives: Steven Blier

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 458. From Ear to Ear: A Conversation with Steven Blier

April 27, 2026African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Black History Month, Black History Month 2026, Broadway, Countermelody Conversations, Forgotten Divas, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Honor Your Mentors, In Memoriam, Interview, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Operetta, Pop Icons, Protest Songs, Queer Pride, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Verismo, Voiceless Wonders, Young SingersAchim von Arnim, Alex Levine, Alfred Maria Willner, Andrew Owens, Ángel de Saavedra, Arthur Sullivan, Banalités, Bertolt Brecht, Carlo Zangarini, Conchita, Die Dreigroschenoper, Francesco Maria Piave, Francis Poulenc, František Jílek, Fritz Lampi, Georg Jokl, George Harrison, Gertrude Stein, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Verdi, Gloria Davy, Guillaume Apollinaire, H.D., Hana Janků, Heinz Reichert, Hoagy Carmichael, I Will Breathe a Mountain, Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, Judy Kaye, Julia Bullock, Kate Lindsey, Kenneth Alwyn, Kurt Weill, La forza del destino, La rondine, Lady in the Dark, Leonard Bernstein, Loris Gavarini, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Martha Schlamme, Maurizio Vaucaire, Michael Bartlett, Patricia Brooks, Paul Bowles, Pierre Bernac, Pierre Louÿs, Rex Koury, Riccardo Zandonai, Richard Strauss, Ruben Rengel, Samuel Matlovsky, Steven Blier, The Pirates of Penzance, Theo Hoffman, Three Penny Opera, Valerie Masterson, W.S. Gilbert, William Bolcom, William Sharpcountermelody

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Today a new segment of Countermelody Conversations that has been months in the offing! One of the ineffable delights of hosting Countermelody over the years is the connection it has brought me with my listeners, fans, and subjects, including some extraordinary (and sometimes famous) musicians and people. One of the podcast’s most devoted fans is a man that I have held in adulation for years: pianist and educator Steven Blier, co-founder of the New York Festival of Song, now concluding its 38th season. Powered by Blier’s vision, musical insight, and an intrepid sense of stretching boundaries, NYFOS has revolutionized the genre of the song recital. Last November, Steven’s extraordinary memoir, From Ear to Ear: A Pianist’s Love Affair with Song, was published to great acclaim by W.W. Norton. A few years ago I, as the host of Countermelody, received a fan letter from this man whom I have admired for decades. Since then, I pay him a visit whenever I return to New York and have also taken in every NYFOS concert I possibly can. This past February, almost exactly two months ago, in the depths of New York’s ungodly deep freeze and the week before NYFOS’s powerful concert entitled “Fugitives,” I paid a visit to Steve at the Upper West Side apartment he shares with his husband Jim, and we resumed our ongoing conversation about music and song. And this time I brought my mic along! Our widen-ranging and in-depth conversation covers the gamut from many topics and personalities discussed in the book, punctuated throughout by fascinating musical examples, including by frequent NYFOS collaborators Kate Lindsey, Theo Hoffman, Cyndia Sieden, William Sharp, and Julia Bullock, with special focus on the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. As a lover of great singers of the past, I am also deeply moved and amused by our discussion of Steve’s encounters with Valerie Masterson, Martha Schlamme, Patricia Brooks, and others. I am naming this week “Steven Blier Week” at Countermelody, for on Friday I shall bring you “The Art of Steven Blier,” an additional episode featuring nearly forty years of recorded performances of Steven Blier, both live and in the studio.

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

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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 352. Faboo Young Singers, Part II

April 21, 2025African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Canadian Singers, Countertenors, Crossover, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Gustav Mahler, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Young SingersAchim von Arnim, Aleksandr Pushkin, Antonio Vivaldi, Apostolo Zeno, Artur Ruciński, Ben Jonson, Beth Taylor, Carlo Gozzi, Claudio Monteverdi, Clemens Brentano, Craig Ketter, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Die schweigsame Frau, Domènec Terradellas, Domtille Murez, Ella O’Neill, Endgame, Eugene Onegin, Ewa Płonka, Fin de Partie, Francesca Pia Vitale, Francesco Barfoed, Francesco Corti, Georg Zeppenfeld, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Adami, Gustav Mahler, György Kurtág, Hall Johnson, John Austin Clark, John Holiday, John Masefield, Joseph Parrish, Julius Drake, Kent Nagano, Key’mon Murrah, La Merope, Langston Hughes, Laurence Kilsby, Omer Meir Wellber, Paul Mc Cartney, Philippe Sly, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, Rebecca Clarke, Renato Simoni, Richard Strauss, Samuel Beckett, Simone Young, Stefan Zweig, Steven Blier, Theo Hoffman, Thibaut Roussel, Thomas de Pierrefeu, Turandot, Yevgeny Onegin, Zachary Wildercountermelody

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This is the second part of an episode begun last week featuring the cream of the crop of today’s young artists. As with the performers heard last week, they represent the finest opera and classical singers working today; it is my distinct pleasure (and honor) to present them to you. They include sopranos Francesca Pia Vitale and Ewa Płonka; mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor; countertenors John Holiday, Key’mon Murrah, and Reginald Mobley (pictured); tenors Laurence Kilsby and Zachary Wilder; baritones Artur Ruciński and Theo Hoffman; and bass-baritones Philippe Sly, Joseph Parrish, and Georg Zeppenfeld in repertoire ranging from Monteverdi and Vivaldi to Rebecca Clarke, Hall Johnson, and Paul McCartney. It has been my pleasure to hear many of these singers live and I look forward to hearing them all again in person (and as soon as possible!)

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 or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 237. Paul Kirby Introduces Charles Ives (Listeners’ Favorites VIII)

January 27, 2024Art Song, Comic Relief, Great Baritones, Holiday Music, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Twentieth Century MusicAlan Feinberg, Alan Mandel, Charles Ives, Craig Rutenberg, Dalton Baldwin, Donald Gramm, Donald Hassard, Gerald Finley, Jerry Hadley, Julius Drake, Kneebody, Kurt Ollmann, Mary Dibbern, Richard Cumming, Samuel Ramey, Sanford Sylvan, Steven Blier, Theo Bleckmann, Thomas Stewart, Warren Jones, William Parker, William Sharpcountermelody

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My friend Paul Kirby is a musical polymath: a tenor of excellence who performs throughout the world as both a soloist and as a valued member in small vocal ensembles; he is also a killer banjo player and bluegrass singer, and a member of the Norwegian group Stemmespesialisten that combines voice lessons, voice massage and coaching. In addition he has worked as a musical administrator and is a Timani teacher in training: an education that focuses on in-depth anatomical knowledge in order to enhance movement and playing for musicians. He has also been a valued and trusted friend of mine for the past twenty years, and was a major encouragement and support when I was putting Countemelody on its feet. For his favorite episode of the podcast, Paul has chosen the Fourth of July episode I posted in 2021. In this episode I bring you a gorgeous conglomeration of great baritones and bass-baritones performing songs by the emblematic American composer Charles Ives. In this episode we hear thirty of his songs which display a wide range of compositional, musical, and literary styles. Some of the greatest Ives interpreters are represented here, including Thomas Stewart, Samuel Ramey, Donald Gramm, Sanford Sylvan, Kurt Ollmann, Gerald Finley, William Sharp, and William Parker, accompanied by Alan Mandel, Dalton Baldwin, Alan Feinberg, Warren Jones, Steven Blier, Craig Rutenberg, and others. I finish the program with Jerry Hadley performing that most celebratory of Ives’s songs, “The Circus Band.” Since this episode was first posted I have gone on to produce full episodes on Donald Gramm, William Parker, and Jerry Hadley. Thanks, Paul, for your support, encouragement, and wonderful introduction to this episode that also does not shy away from the question of Ives’s alleged homophobia, but remains focused on the composer himself as well as the array of wonderful performers who celebrate Ives’s fascinating combination of old-fashioned Americana and revolutionary compositional techniques.

Episode 172. Ned Rorem In Memoriam

November 25, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAdolph Green, Anita Darian, Ann Schein, Betty Comden, Beverly Wolff, David Triestram, Dolores Ziegler, Donal Nold, Donald Gramm, Donald Sulzen, Eugene Istomin, Frank O’Hara, Howard Moss, John Ashbery, John Stewart, Joseph Rabbai, Kurt Ollmann, Laura Aikin, Leonard Bernstein, Marie-Laure de Noailles, Martina Arroyo, Monique McDonald, Ned Rorem, Paul Goodman, Paul Monette, Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Phyllis Curtin, Regina Sarfaty, Robert Louis Stevenson, Roberta Alexander, Rufus Müller, Ryan Edwards, Sandra Walker, Steven Blier, Sylvia Plath, Theodore Roethke, Walt Whitman, William Penncountermelody

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Greetings to all from my former home of Manhattan! Upon landing here a week ago, I was greeted by the news of the death of Ned Rorem, the man previously known as “America’s Greatest Living Composer,” who just last month had celebrated his 99th birthday. Though he won the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1976 for his orchestral work Air Music, Rorem was most celebrated for his vocal music, in particular his art songs. In this episode, I will delve into that aspect of his output, from his earliest published work to his extraordinary late masterpiece Evidence of Things Not Seen. The episode features singers who collaborated closely with the composer, including Phyllis Curtin, Donald Gramm, Beverly Wolff, Regina Sarfaty, Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Kurt Ollmann, and others. Many other singers were also drawn to Rorem’s songs, including Leontyne Price, Jan DeGaetani, Martina Arroyo, and Laura Aikin, all of whom are represented here. As celebrated as a frank and forthright diarist and essayist as he was as a composer, Rorem (like his British counterpart Benjamin Britten) had extraordinary taste in the poetry and texts he chose to set. In this episode alone, we hear compositions set to words of Sylvia Plath, Paul Goodman, Walt Whitman, Paul Monette, Theodore Roethke, Frank O’Hara, and others. The episode concludes with a tribute to another musician who died earlier the same day, the American collaborative pianist David Triestram, who accompanies his dear colleague and friend Roberta Alexander in Leonard Bernstein’s poignant and timely song “Some Other Time.”

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.

Episode 96. Great Baritones Sing Charles Ives

July 4, 2021Art Song, Great Baritones, Holiday Music, In Memoriam, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Queer Pride, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAlan Feinberg, Alan Mandel, Charles Ives, Craig Rutenberg, Dalton Baldwin, Donald Gramm, Donald Hassard, Gerald Finley, Jerry Hadley, Julius Drake, Kneebody, Kurt Ollmann, Mary Dibbern, Richard Cumming, Samuel Ramey, Sanford Sylvan, Steven Blier, Theo Bleckmann, Thomas Stewart, Warren Jones, William Parker, William Sharpcountermelody

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To help me and all my American friends celebrate the Fourth of July, I bring you a gorgeous bevy of great low-voiced singers performing songs by that emblematic US-American composer Charles Ives. I offer thirty of his songs which display a wide range of compositional, musical, and literary styles. Some of the greatest Ives interpreters are on display here, including Thomas Stewart, Samuel Ramey, Donald Gramm, Sanford Sylvan, Kurt Ollmann, Gerald Finley, William Sharp, and William Parker, accompanied by Alan Mandel, Dalton Baldwin, Alan Feinberg, Warren Jones, Steven Blier, Craig Rutenberg, and others. I finish the program with late Jerry Hadley performing that most celebratory of Ives’s songs, “The Circus Band.”

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. 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 including artist photos and episode setlists. And please head to my 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.