Countermelody
Countermelody is a new podcast devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. 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 interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please also visit the Countermelody website for updates, additional content, and to pledge your support. www.countermelodypodcast.com
- Update frequency
- every 3 days
- Average duration
- 91 minutes
- Episodes
- 323
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
Episode 274. Odetta (Listeners’ Favorites)
The United States seems (if this could be possible) even more divided and challenged than it did a week ago. In spite and even because of that, I am continuing my salute to the truly great Americans …
01:32:55 |
Mon 22 Jul 2024
Episode 273. Paul Robeson (Listeners’ Favorites)
I am here visiting my family in Milwaukee this week, a time which has proven to be a landmark in the downward spiral of our country into fascism. And all right here in our own backyard! It all struck…
01:40:08 |
Fri 19 Jul 2024
Episode 272. Lenora Lafayette (Listeners’ Favorites)
Every so often I discover a singer who had previously not come under my radar, but who simply blows me away with their voice, artistry, and communicative powers. Such an artist is the Baton Rouge-bor…
01:12:28 |
Mon 15 Jul 2024
Episode 271. Muriel Smith (Listeners’ Favorites)
As I embark on several weeks of vacation, I bring you the first of several episodes from the early years of the podcast in between the new episodes that I will produce with somewhat less frequency be…
01:14:22 |
Thu 11 Jul 2024
Episode 270. Eleanor Steber Revisited
I sat in my apartment in Berlin on the Fourth of July wondering how, after the events of this past Monday, I can possibly pay tribute to our nation as it “celebrated” its birthday. Then it hit me: si…
01:42:14 |
Fri 05 Jul 2024
Episode 269. Alberta Hunter
Please join me today for this overview of the roller coaster career of Alberta Hunter (01 April 1895 – 17 October 1984), a jazz legend whose surprising and extraordinary life was shaped by a voice th…
01:27:13 |
Thu 27 Jun 2024
Episode 268. Will Parker Redux
Today I revisit the life and legacy of lyric baritone William Parker (05 August 1943 – 29 March 1993), to whom I devoted an episode exactly a year ago. To further explore his unmatched contribution t…
01:26:13 |
Wed 26 Jun 2024
Episode 267. A Cavalcade of Pop Contraltos
My intention this week to produce a joyous new episode further celebrating contraltos, was undermined by multiple deaths this past week in the musical world, including French pop icon Françoise Hardy…
01:36:44 |
Fri 21 Jun 2024
Episode 266. Sisters in Sapho (Listeners’ Favorites)
It’s been a whirlwind of a week chez Gundlach and I find myself at the end of it without a new episode ready to post. In addition to that, we are already halfway through Pride Month and I realized th…
01:53:07 |
Fri 14 Jun 2024
Episode 265. Meet Hana Janků
Have you ever encountered a singer that no one has apparently heard of, yet once you have discovered them, you feel compelled to introduce them to practically everyone you know? I’ve had this experie…
01:33:31 |
Thu 06 Jun 2024
Episode 264. Rescue Mission (Forgotten Divas Edition)
During Black History Month this year I featured a group of five exceptional singers I dubbed, for lack of a better term, “Forgotten Divas.” Each of these women, sopranos Delcina Stevenson, Annabelle …
01:16:16 |
Fri 31 May 2024
Episode 263. Contralto Central
Finally, the first in my long-promised series on the contralto voice! The contralto is a rara avis in the today’s opera and classical music scene, and yet back in the day, there seem to have been mor…
01:42:03 |
Fri 24 May 2024
Episode 262. Sylvia Sass Revisited
Several summers ago I published my first episode celebrating the artistry of Sylvia Sass which primarily featured her 1984 album of pop songs sung in Hungarian. At the time I called it, without any i…
01:35:32 |
Fri 17 May 2024
Episode 261. Thom Baker Introduces Rosanna Carteri (Listeners’ Favorites)
Today’s episode is one of my Listeners’ Favorites episodes, this one introduced by my wonderful friend Thom Baker. He had just written me about his enthusiasm for the Rosanna Carteri episode I posted…
01:51:54 |
Wed 08 May 2024
Episode 260. Robert McFerrin Revisited
In the very first season of Countermelody I presented an episode which featured both Lawrence Winters and Robert McFerrin, two of the most significant baritones of the twentieth century, and both tra…
01:12:54 |
Thu 02 May 2024
Episode 259. Lawrence Winters Revisited
During the first season of Countermelody I presented the great African American baritone Lawrence Winters in an episode which paired him with his contemporary Robert McFerrin. Today Winters (born Law…
01:35:32 |
Sat 27 Apr 2024
Episode 258. (Frank) Lopardopalooza
Today I present to you the American lyric tenor Frank Lopardo, who from 1984 through 2014 appeared in all the major opera houses of the world, celebrated particularly for his Mozart and Rossini roles…
01:27:13 |
Thu 18 Apr 2024
Episode 257. The Marvelous Marvis Martin
I have been juggling a number of brand new episode ideas for the coming weeks, but when I discovered that Sunday April 7 was the birthday of Marvis Martin, one of my favorite sopranos, I put all thos…
01:13:31 |
Tue 09 Apr 2024
Episode 256. Mari Lyn’s Golden Treasury of Chutzpah (Alternate Universe Bel Canto III)
Many of my listeners look forward with eager anticipation to my annual April Fool’s episodes, and today’s packs a particularly powerful punch! A few months back my friend Thomas Bagwell, a perpetual …
01:12:38 |
Mon 01 Apr 2024
Episode 255. Art Songs for Holy Week
I return to you with one final episode for the month of March, again focusing on Holy Week. In this case, I present to you art songs on contemplative, Biblical, even Lenten themes. Composers represen…
01:13:03 |
Thu 28 Mar 2024
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are the property of DANIEL GUNDLACH. This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by eachpod.com.