Programming: Q1 2011

Jan 7 Second Coming: The success of show tunes in the pop music world

Many songs from the world of musical theatre go on to enjoy successful second lives on the pop charts. Theatre journalist Chad Jones joins VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for an exploration of some of the most memorable show tune crossovers in musical theatre history and what it takes for a song to leap beyond the footlights.

Jan 14 Holy Melisma!: A composer’s guide to the development and practice of ornamentation in singing

Ornamentation has been a staple of vocal music for hundreds if not thousands of years. Join composer and writer Brian Rosen and VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a discussion about the ways in which singers (and composers) adorn melodies – and the factors that separate memorable from forgettable embellishments.

Jan 21 Siberian Express: The art of Tuvan throat singing

Tuvan throat singing is an ancient vocal art form that hails from Siberia. Join Sayan Bapa and Radik Tyulyush, two members of the acclaimed Tuvan ensemble Huun Huur Tu, for a discussion about the history of -- and techniques involved in practicing -- this mesmerizing artistic tradition.

Jan 28 Wired for Sound: Daniel Lannon of the Frail on electropop vocals

Singing electronic rock and dance music requires particular skills from a vocalist. Daniel Lannon, the lead vocalist with the San Francisco-based electropop band, The Frail, joins VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a discussion about how working with synthesizers and other electronic instruments affects his vocal production and repertoire.

Feb 4 Crowd Scenes: Opera choruses take center stage (re-run)

The world’s finest opera chorus members are composed of brilliant vocalists who don’t get much credit for making an opera production really sing. Join the San Francisco Opera’s chorus director, Ian Robertson, and VoiceBox host, Chloe Veltman, for a discussion about what it takes to sing in an opera chorus. (This show originally aired on October 8, 2010.)

Feb 11 Call of the Wild: The art of yodeling (re-run)

When most people think of yodeling, images of milkmaids in clogs and frilly aprons and strapping lads in lederhosen lowing at each other across alpine mountain-tops come most easily to mind. But as Americana singer Dan Hicks and VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman hope to demonstrate, there’s more to the art of yodeling than meets the yodel-eye. (This show originally aired on November 12, 2010.)

Feb 18 The Multitasking Vocalist: Singers who accompany themselves on the piano

Learning to play the piano while singing isn’t easy. It requires years of practice and the ability to multitask, rather like playing a drum-kit. Join Bay Area chanteuse and pianist Jill Tracy and VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a conversation about how to combine these two distinct skills to make beautiful music.

Feb 25 Lieder Alive!: Workshopping the German art song

Alongside arias from operas, lieder, a type of art song developed in Germany in the 19^th century, are a beloved staple of a classically-trained singer’s repertoire. VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman is joined in the studio by Maxine Bernstein, founder of Lieder Alive!, a Bay Area-based music series dedicated to furthering the art of lieder, and Kindra Scharich, a recitalist and opera singer who loves to perform lieder, for an exploration of this lyrical art form.

Mar 4 Boogie Woogie Bugle Bash: Celebrating KALW’s 70^th anniversary with songs that came into being in 1941

Founded in March 1941, KALW appeared on the airwaves in a year that was rich in melody. VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman takes a step back in time for a special KALW anniversary celebration featuring some of the year’s biggest hits -- and more quirky offerings.

Mar 11 Wild Women of Song: The great female composers of the jazz era

Many of the pop cannon’s most treasured vocal music standards were penned by women composers in the first half of the last century. Vocalist and songwriter Pamela Rose joins Chloe Veltman in the studio for a discussion about Peggy Lee, Alberta Hunter and some of the other “wild women of song” whose work has endured over the decades.

NB This program replaces a previously advertised episode of VoiceBox about The Rrazz Room, featuring Rrazz Room founder Robert Kotolny. Mr. Kotolny will appear on VoiceBox for a discussion about running a vocal music-focused nightclub at a later date, to be determined.

March 18 & 25 – VoiceBox takes a break while KALW's Alan Farley presents the next two installments of his Ira Gershwin documentary series

Apr 1 Trains, Planes and Automobiles: The art of staying healthy on the road as a touring vocalist

Traveling is part of everyday life for professional singers. But touring can be challenging to vocalists from a health perspective. VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman invites voice therapists and American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) members Sarah Schneider and Joanna Cazden for a conversation about how singers can cope with such hazards as cramped tour buses and airless planes to stay healthy on the road.