Martha Guth - Opera Singer

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The newest Episode:

VISI 2010

This episode is centered around the Vancouver International Song Insititute.  This is a fabulous program headed by artistic director Rena Sharon in the stunning city of Vancouver, Canada.  VISI, centered on the campus of the University of British Columbia, is a two and a half week intensive program in June for college level performers/students of classical song, pedagogues, and musicologists.   VISI also includes a beloved performance festival in venues all around the city of Vancouver with an intensive season during the institute.

This episode we feature the stylings of world renowned collaborators and teachers:  Soprano Tracy Dahl with Pianist Margo Garrett, and Baritone Francois LeRoux with Pianist Mickhail Hallack.  Songs of John Greer, Robert Fleming and Claude Debussy.

Performers for this episode are listed below.  As always, a youtube or a google search can also provide many hours of entertainment from these artists...yes, even in the world of Classical song.

Vancouver International Song Institute:    www.songinstitute.ca

Tracy Dahl     www.dispeker.com/page/dahl

Margo Garrett

Francois LeRoux     www.francoisleroux.net

Mickhail Hallack     www.mickhailhallack.com

Composer Libby Larsen

In this episode we have the pleasure of hearing an interview with the extraordinary American composer Libby Larsen.  We also take an in depth look at her often-performed cycle 'Try me good king', five songs set to the last words of five of the six wives of Henry the VIIIth.   

Libby Larsen   www.libbylarsen.com

Martha Guth    www.marthaguth.com

Anne Kissel Harper    http://www.fredonia.edu/music/faculty/bios/kissel.asp

Florestan Recital Project   www.florestanproject.org 

The Ballads of Carl Loewe

In this episode Bass Baritone Shenyang and Pianist Vlad Iftinca perform three ballads from their Alice Tully Hall Recital in NYC.  Beautiful collaboration, impeccable musicianship and exciting storytelling bring these fanciful tales to life.  One depicts Goethe's fateful Elf-King who brings about the demise of all who see him, another falls in love with the queen of the fairies, and a third ends up the blacksmith for the Norse God Odin who is off to fight in Battle.

This latest episode centers around American composer Tom Cipullo.  We interviewed him at his home in Long Island City and also present four of his songs.  Special thanks to the Albany label for their generous permission to have Paul Sperry's fabulous rendition of 'Reasons why I don't keep a gun in the house' aired today on the podcast. 

Erika Switzer    www.erikaswitzer.com

Tom Cipullo    www.tomcipullo.com

Liza Stepanova    www.liza-stepanova.com    

Anthony Mcgee

Andrew Garland     www.andrewgarland.com

Donna Loewy

Paul Sperry     www.paulsperry.net

Viva Espana!

This most recent episode features the beautiful, passionate and lyrical songs from Spain.   Join us as we explore the music of Turina, de Falla, and  Montsalvatge.  Guest speaker and opera singer Ricardo Lugo gives us our much needed Spanish lessons along the way. 

Hugo Wolf!

We continue on with more form the big German song composers.  This songcast is dedicated to the tormented genius of Hugo Wolf.   Not known far outside the world of 'Art song', this composer was a master of the miniature and dedicated much of his compositional efforts to classical song.  We explore four of his songs with poetry by two greats: Goethe and Moerike.  Enjoy!

Shenyang, Bass-Baritone

Vlad Iftinca, Piano

Valentines Day

This episode is dedicated to the ones we love, near and far.  We are listening to songs by Hugo Wolf, Johannes Brahms, Gabriel Faure, Franz Schreker, and Sergei Rachmaninov. 

Erika Switzer    www.erikaswitzer.ca

Lenneke Ruiten   www.lennekeruiten.com

Thom Janssen   www.thomjanssen.nl

Julian Pregardien     www.julianpregardien.de

Goetz Payer

Debra Stanley

Michael guido

Joseph Kaiser

Colin Balzer    www.colinbalzer.com

Stefani Iranyi

Tyler Duncan    www.tylerduncan.ca

Performers for our Schubert Podcast:

Erika Switzer     www.erikaswitzer.ca

Colin Balzer     www.colinbalzer.com

Tyler Duncan     www.tylerduncan.ca

Robyn Driedger-Klassen     www.robynklassen.com

Karen Lee-Morlang     www.karen.lee-morlang.com

David Santos

Thomas Wija

The great passion in my career is the world of classical song.  Renowned pianist Erika Switzer and I will co-host the upcoming episodes. We will look at song in a different light that will air every other week.  Each podcast will be centered around a theme, and include live recordings spanning Mozart to the present day. We will also have the pleasure of including interviews with composers, musicologists and poets whose voices add a meaningful dimension to our conversations about song and performance.  This podcast offers favorite repertoire, performed by ourselves and the many wonderful colleagues we have the pleasure to work with.  This new generation of song singers have won international awards for excellence in their field and are currently performing in all corners of the globe.   My hope is that this venue has the intimacy that the first composers of song originally had in mind, and that what has been delighting us on the concert stage can now be enjoyed in your living room. -Please enjoy!   Special thanks to Matthew Principe for his commitment and enthusiasm as producer and Matt Galek for his invaluable help with this project. 

Episode 12:

For more information on the performers of 'Hollydaze' please see the list below.   

Erika Switzer     www.erikaswitzer.com

Lynne Mcmurtry     www.lynnemcmurtry.com

Alison D'amato     www.alisondamato.com

The Florestan Rectial Project     www.florestanproject.org

Jennifer Zetlan     www.jenniferzetlan.com

David Shimoni     www.pianoteachers.com/dshimoni/index.html

Susan Platts     www.susanplatts.com

Lambert Orkis     www.lambertorkis.com

Steven Dann

ATMA Recordings     www.atmaclassique.com

Episode 11:

For more information on the performers of the Francis Poulenc songcast, see the links below.   Debra and Michael's recordings were made in the Velte-Saal at the Hochscule fur Musik in Karlsruhe, April 21st, 2009.  Claire and Marc's performance was recorded in October of 2002.

Episode 10: 

Information for 'Waves of Destruction':