VoiceBox

(Re-run: This program originally aired on August 5, 2011)

Vienna isn’t the only place where boys sing like angels. The Bay Area and other parts of this country boast some formidable choruses made up of talented young male singers. Kevin Fox, the founding artistic director of the Pacific Boychoir Academy based in Oakland joins VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a chat about the defining characteristics of boys’ voices and the ins and outs of training them en masse.

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(Re-run: This program originally aired on July 15, 2011)

The process of bringing a star recitalist to town for a concert is as thrilling as it is complex. Ruth Felt, the founder and president of the presenting organization San Francisco Performances joins VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for an exploration of what it takes to keep audiences – and divas – happy.

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(Re-run: This program originally aired on July 8, 2011)

Music history and culture is full of famous singing families, from the von Trapps to The Jackson Five. Join singing siblings Jennifer and Laurie Hall of the band Ruby Howl and VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a discussion about the power of sharing the mike with the people you grew up with.

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(Re-run: This program originally aired on June 24, 2011)

High school choruses are the place where many kids get their musical education. And with TV shows like “Glee” whipping up enthusiasm for group singing among teens, high school choir is finally becoming hip. VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman chats with Steven Hankle, chorus teacher at San Francisco’s Mission High School; and Todd Wedge, chorus teacher at San Francisco's School Of The Arts; about the ins and outs of their jobs.

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(Re-run: This program originally aired on July 1, 2011)

In Hawaiian Hula, singing and dancing going hand in hand. Join Patrick Makuakane, director of Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu, a hula a hula school and performance company based in San Francisco, and VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman, for a journey into this ancient artistic tradition.

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(Re-run: This program originally aired on May 27, 2011)

Shakespeare praised women with low voices for good reason. Join the deep-souled songstress Melanie DeMore and VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a celebration of some of the world’s most wonderful women vocalists who make the space below the alto line firmly their own.

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(Re-run: This program originally aired on May 6, 2011)

Composers are increasingly asking vocal groups to accompany themselves on a variety of instruments. David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Little Match Girl Passion is a case in point. What about the other way around? Join the members of The Real Vocal Ensemble, a string quartet that specializes in singing while playing, and VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for an exploration of how to combine these two distinct skills to make beautiful music.

(Re-run: This program originally aired on April 22, 2011)

The magnificent American mezzo soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, who had strong ties to the Bay Area, and died at a young age in 2006, is beloved by classical music industry insiders, but isn’t as well known to the broad public as she ought to be. Hard on the heels of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra’s CD release of Hunt Lieberson’s interpretations of Handel arias and Les Nuits D’ete by Berlioz recorded in the 1990s, Philharmonia Baroque’s music director, Nicholas McGegan, joins VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a profile of this unforgettable vocalist.

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(Re-run: This program originally aired on August 19, 2011)

Children love to sing. But sometimes they can fall into bad habits if they don’t have parents or teachers to help them figure out how to look after their voices from a young age. Voice experts and American Speech Language Hearing Association members Sarah Schneider and Katherine Verdolini Abbott join VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a look at how kids’ voices work and what keeps them safe when they sing.

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(Re-run: This program originally aired on January 7, 2011)

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.

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