The VOXPLORATION Podcast

In this episode, the young and scintillating soprano Bridget Ann Johnston shares her expertise on the history of yodeling, a vocal technique believed to be thousands of years old. It appears in several cultures throughout the times, including polyphonic music of Central Africa, Persian music, the Alpine countries, and its influence in American folk music.

A native from Lisboa, Portuguese Sara Serpa is a singer, composer, improviser, who through her practice and performance, explores the use of the voice as an instrument. Serpa has been working in the field of jazz, improvised and experimental music, since moving to New York in 2008. Her ethereal music draws from a broad variety of inspirations including literature, film, visual arts as well as history and nature. In this episode we explore her career as a singer and a composer leading up to a conversation about her latest album Recognition, released in June 2020. A multi-disciplinary work that traces the historical legacy of Portuguese colonialism in Africa through moving image and sound.

Edson Cordeiro is a Brazilian countertenor and pop and jazz singer. His repertoire covers everything from opera and lieder to traditional Brazilian folksongs to 1970s disco music. It includes covers of Nina Hagen, Janis Joplin, Prince and Édith Piaf, along with medieval psalms. As a vocal talent, Cordeiro has a four-octave voice. This episode is a fun, light hearted conversation with this incredible Brazilian legend, a pioneer in many areas, not only in the music realm.

Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist Joyce Moreno is a female icon of some of the best music that the country has produced up to this point in time. In this episode, Joyce shares intriguing insights about her career, her journey into crafting her space as a female musician in a world dominated by men, the good, the bad, and the ugly of the music industry over the past decades, among other gems.

As a concert narrator, Jamie Bernstein has appeared everywhere from Beijing to London to Vancouver. In addition to her own scripted narrations. Jamie also performs standard concert narrations, such as Walton's “Facade,” Copland's “A Lincoln Portrait” and her father's Symphony No. 3, “Kaddish.” A frequent speaker on musical topics, Jamie has presented talks around the world, from conferences in Japan to seminars at Harvard University. In Spanish-speaking locations such as Madrid and Caracas, Jamie narrates en español—thanks to her Chilean-born mother Felicia, who raised her three children to be bilingual.

Lila Palmer is a dramatist, facilitator and classically trained soprano. In this episode, we explore bullying in the music industry. An illegal recording of a live performance where a tenor cracks terribly on a high note prompted me to ask questions. Lila, a beautiful, energetic writer, speaker, and person, voices her opinions in elegant, clear, and emotionally compelling ways.

Singer Dianne Reeves and Guitarist Romero Lubambo have been making music together for decades. In this episode, we explore this unique kind of partnership and the magic behind this connection. What is the glue that holds it together? What type of training do improvisational artists go through to stay on the same page, no matter how intricate the musical liberties they take with each other? Here you'll find that the higher the leaps, the more at stake; they always land together.

Badi Assad is one of Brazil's most exciting performers.  A heartfelt vocalist, an accomplished guitarist, a talented songwriter, she is also a unique creative spirit who, through sonic experimentations has been called by American music critics as a "One Woman Band." In this episode, Badi and her niece Clarice explore many facets of Badi's career through the years, in a fun, engaging and light-hearted way.

Composer, clarinetist, and conductor Derek Bermel is a master architect of musical emotions with a great taste for 'interior design'; i.e. the details, nuances, and beauty he creates by bringing so much attention to detail to his rich orchestration. This episode centers on three of his compositions that have one thing in common: The Human Voice. Find out how his passion for the voice fuels his never-ending imagination to keep on creating.

Maria João is a very unique and creative vocalist from Portugal, versed in many styles, including folk music, avant-garde, jazz, and electronica.  In this episode, we talk about many of her influences, inspiration, career, beliefs, the state of the art form in current times, and her future projects. Her upbeat personality and sunny energy are contagious in the best sense of the world.  She has greatly influenced many singers of the new generation.

Ronnie Malley is a world music singer, multi-instrumentalist, playwright, actor, producer, educator, and a businessman.  He speaks several languages and has done a great number of collaborations with a diverse number of artists, crossing cultural barriers and helping people connect through music.  How does he do it?  In this episode, he shares inspirational stories about how to never stop learning, and how he became a polymath of the 21st century.

A true bass is considered a very rare voice type in the operatic world. A recent graduate of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, bass David Leigh has drawn acclaim throughout the United States and abroad for his visceral voice and intelligent singing.  In this episode, David shares wonderful anecdotes, fun facts of his life, and encouraging stories that led him to become the powerful singer he is today.

British Palestinian Reem Kelani's work is filled with passion and fueled by a deep desire for the cultural preservation of Palestinian folk music.  A political humanist, as she self describes, Kelani has been at the forefront of major humanitarian events, fundraising, and charity campaigns.  Kelani's upcoming project entitled "This land is your land" includes music from Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Iran, and other countries currently on President Trump's travel ban list.

Annika Socolofsky is a composer and Avant folk vocalist.  Described as "unbearably moving" (Gramophone) and "just the right balance between edgy precision and freewheeling exuberance" (The Guardian), her music erupts from the embodied power of the human voice and is communicated through mediums ranging from orchestral and operatic works to unaccompanied folk ballads.  Her research focuses on physiology in contemporary vocal music, using the music of Dolly Parton.

Social media sensation B.C. Manjunath is a mridangam and Konnakol master and a dedicated advocate for music education. A celebrated artist specialized in Classical Indian music, Manju is also well versed in western music notation and collaborates with artists worldwide, including Akram Khan, the renowned English dancer and choreographer of Bangladeshi descent.

Be it the NY Times or the SF Classical Voice, words such as "powerful and crystalline" are frequently used to describe soprano Laura Strickling's voice. Celebrated for her performances of art songs, the Chicago native shares captivating stories about her career.

Christylez Bacon is a Progressive Hip-Hop artist and multi-instrumentalist from Washington, DC, with a mission towards cultural acceptance and unification through music.  In this episode, Chris shares heartfelt stories about his life and insights into collaborations with artists ranging from the contemporary Arabic music of Egypt and the music of Brazil. A charismatic improviser, he also graces us with a breathtaking freestyle demonstration.

The Indian singer, composer, and flutist Varijashree Venugopal has recently taken the music world by storm.  With her unique, impressive scat singing technique mixing her native Carnatic music style with other musical genres such as Brazilian music and jazz, she continuously dazzles audiences worldwide.  In this episode, Venugopal generously shares some of her musical heritage through stories and amazing technique demonstrations, in a delightful insight into her musical world.