Programming: December 2010

Dec 3 A Rare Beast: Discovering Milton Babbitt’s Music for the Mass

With its dense texture, severe atonality and reliance on electronics for special effects, the music of the contemporary American serialist composer Milton Babbitt certainly isn’t to everyone’s taste. International Orange Chorale members Zane Fiala, Jeremy Faust and Elaine Robertson join VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a discussion about how a volunteer chorus in San Francisco gave the world’s first ever a cappella performances of “Music for the Mass” -- Babbitt’s challenging and little-known 1941 choral work – and explain how the work defies all expectations.

Dec 10 Hogging the Mike: On the Joys of Karaoke

Karaoke is a hugely popular pastime, with karaoke bars flourishing in cities large and small and people investing in their own home systems all over the world. Join San Francisco KJ Keith Houston (aka Roger Niner) and VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a discussion about why karaoke has grown to become such a global phenomenon, what makes a great karaoke song and how to deliver a show-stopping rendition of “My Heart Will Go On” even if you’re not Celine Dion when you next hit your local karaoke bar.

Dec 17 Maestras Unveiled: Women Composers of the Baroque

Over the past decade, the early music ensemble Magnificat has taken a special interest in music written by women during the Baroque such as Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, Isabella Leonarda, Barbara Strozzi and Francesca Caccini. Warren Stewart, the artistic director of the Magnificat early music ensemble, joins VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a discussion about how these composers practiced their art in the face of cultural restrictions on the creative expression of women and produced eloquent masterpieces.

Dec 24 The Local Vocal: Bay Area singer-songwriter showcase

The Bay Area is packed with brilliant singer-songwriters, but many of us simply aren’t aware of the talent right here on our doorstep. In the second in an ongoing series of special programs showcasing the artistry of local singer-songwriters, Robin Applewood, co-producer of Songwriters Unplugged, a weekly singer-songwriter event at Yoshi’s jazz club in San Francisco, and VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman, sample the music of some of the finest Bay Area artists around.

Dec 31 Slavic Sensations: Kitka on Eastern European singing traditions
(rerun)

Some of the world’s most soul-wrenching and joyous vocal music comes from Eastern Europe. Shira Cion of the acclaimed Bay Area-based women's vocal ensemble Kitka joins VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman on a journey through Balkan, Slavic, and Caucasian territories to explore the region’s most intoxicating singers and talented composers of song. This show originally aired on July 16, 2010.