By Sparks & Wiry Cries
Sparks and Wiry Cries began in 2009 as a podcast and online magazine with a vision to contextualize art song in the sharing of recordings, interviews, and articles by prominent artists and scholars
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The podcast currently has 28 episodes available.
Martha sits down with storied tenor Paul Sperry for a conversation about his early music education, the state of song careers, working with Pierre Bernac, and his many collaborations with some of the most extraordinary composers of our times.
April 14, 2023
Martha interviews composer Shawn Okpebholo and baritone Will Liverman about our commission, Songs in Flight. Shawn and Will talk about their long history of collaboration, grappling with difficult and personal subject matter, and bringing one’s authentic self to performance and composition. Songs in Flight will receive its world premiere this week in NYC, as part of the 2023 sparksLIVE events. More information about Sparks & Wiry Cries and our sparksLIVE events are available at our website.
Martha Guth interviews LaToya A. Lain, soprano, jessica Care moore, poet, and Andrew Staniland, composer about creating the 2021 commission "Ramadan 20 vs COVID 19" with Erika Switzer, co-founder of Sparks and Wiry Cries. The piece received its world premiere during the 2021 songSLAM festival, and the score is available through the Sparks and Wiry Cries shop.
An insightful interview with composer/writer Herschel Garfein in his Park Slope Apartment about his newest song cycle: Mortality Mansions with texts by poet Donald Hall. We discuss 'why song', his own compositional style, and the delights of Donald Halls poetry.
A wonderful conversation with poet Donald Hall in his home in New Hampshire.
January 6, 2017
The Internationally renowned baritone speaks about his love for American Song, the Hampsong Foundation and the 'Song of America' educative initiative which explores the history of American Culture through Song.
An interview with pianist Graham Johnson from the comfort of his own home in London.
January 8, 2014
An Interview with composer Scott Wheeler and an in depth look at his cycle 'Wasting the Night', poetry by Edna St. Vincent Millay.
February 1, 2013
The Casement Fund Song Series (now the songSLAM Festival) kicks off its inaugural concert with a live podcast event!
The Motown project and Alicia Hall Moran. In this interview, we speak to the creator and star of this incredible new fusion of Motown, Classical song and Opera, creating an incredible new hybrid and expanding the definition of art song.
The podcast currently has 28 episodes available.