VoiceBox

Song is deeply ingrained in this country’s cultural identity. The celebrated American baritone Thomas Hampson joins VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a discussion about how the poetic and sonic legacy of vocal music has shaped American culture across the centuries.

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Every voice specialist knows that if you want to sing healthily, you first have to be able to speak healthily. Join VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman and American Speech Language Hearing Association voice experts Sarah Schneider and Joanna Cazden for a conversation about the connection between the two ways we use our voices.

This episode of VoiceBox is generously underwritten by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). Visit www.asha.org for more information.

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The United States tend to dominate the pop a cappella scene these days thanks to the appeal of TV shows like The Sing Off and the growth of the college a cappella movement in this country. But Europe is an equally vital place for the genre, as Tine Frise, a member of the Danish vocal ensemble Postyr Project, explains in conversation with VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman.

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The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival has become a favorite annual event on the Bay Area cultural calendar, attracting a top-tier lineup of vocal artists from the world of bluegrass music and beyond. Banjo player, bluegrass music aficionado and festival founder Warren Hellman joins VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for an exploration of the best bluegrass vocalists around today and standout artists working in related genres.

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

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Boasting more than 500 choirs, The Bay Area is agog with choral ensembles. As part of an ongoing series celebrating the local choral scene, join Helene Whitson, co-author of the San Francisco Bay Area Chorus Directory and founder of the San Francisco Bay Area Choral Archive and VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a listen to some of the best Bay Area choruses around on the scene today.

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Choral singing is a pursuit of millions of people in this country, though the art form gets little mainstream attention. Ann Meier Baker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Chorus America, takes time out of the her busy Chorus America Conference schedule (the event is happening in San Francisco this year from June 8-11) to share her views about choral singing today and what the future holds for the choral arts with VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman.

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(Re-run: program initially aired on April 15, 2011)

The art of opera translation is subtle yet crucial. Get it right, and the audience feels like they’re experiencing the work with as much richness as the original; get it wrong, and there’s no music to be heard. Mairi McLaughlin, Assistant Professor of French and Linguistics at UC Berkeley and Donald Pippin, director and founder of San Francisco’s Pocket Opera, join VoiceBox host Chloe Veltman for a discussion about what makes English translations of operas written in languages like Italian and French work – and what doesn’t.

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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.

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Founded in March 1941, San Francisco's 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.

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