Agile Vocalist
Rachel Medanic
Agile Vocalist is a podcast about sound and the performing arts with a California connection. Explore artist stories and learn music history, get inspired, and learn about how sound and the arts impact our lives. Created and hosted by Rachel Medanic, Agile Vocalist is for the curious, the creative, and for anyone willing to explore the connection between sound and our shared humanity.
Agile Vocalist episodes, liner notes, and additional visual materials also available at: https://www.agilevocalist.com
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Top 10 Agile Vocalist Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Agile Vocalist episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Agile Vocalist for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Agile Vocalist episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
The Language that Connects Us With Poet Ali
Agile Vocalist
03/21/24 • 40 min
Poet Ali is a poet, compelling performer, lyricist, performance artist and inspirational speaker whose performances and presentations focus on connection with ourselves and our environments. As a soulosopher and entertainer, he is a inspires us to use our gifts to catalyze self-discovery and well-being. As an Iranian-American, Ali gives talks for both youth as well as adult audiences and his unique form of spoken word stands out and isn't easily categorized.
His TED Talk, the Language of Being Human, has been viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube and is frequently used middle school educational resource. @PoetAli
More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.
- Follow Agile Vocalist on IG
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- Support Agile Vocalist, a privately funded labor of love dedicated to the arts! Leave a tip here.
03/01/24 • 4 min
21 Guests and 27 episodes later, Agile Vocalist has hit its three year mark (which is kind of amazing for a podcast). Thank you to my season 3 guests:
Cellista, Alphabet Rockers, Rob Jensen and Warren Trezevant, Sonic Runway creators, sound healer & instructor, Melissa Felsenstein, taiko artist Janet Koike, and carillonist, Simone Browne for their amazing sound and arts stories in season 3!
Listen to this epsiode to learn how to get yourself listener gifts to unleash your inner vocalist (and upgrade your wellness). You'll also get a sneak peep about our upcoming guest!
More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.
- Follow Agile Vocalist on IG
- Subscribe to Agile Vocalist on YouTube
- Support Agile Vocalist, a privately funded labor of love dedicated to the arts! Leave a tip here.
The Mysterious Carillon with Simone Browne
Agile Vocalist
01/31/24 • 32 min
The sounds of bells in towers is a common experience to many around the world. But the reality is there is an entire profession devoted to carillons-- actual lever and pedal instruments making the sounds of bells you hear. Carillons exist all over the U.S., Europe and other parts and are commonly heard from the top of towers and built structures.
This interview features Simone Browne, professional carillonist and UC Berkeley student who shares how she found the profession and its effects on the audible worlds immediately around the instruments.
More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.
- Follow Agile Vocalist on IG
- Subscribe to Agile Vocalist on YouTube
- Support Agile Vocalist, a privately funded labor of love dedicated to the arts! Leave a tip here.
Taiko Beat of Collaboration with Janet Koike
Agile Vocalist
12/31/23 • 41 min
Janet Koike is the Founder of Rhythmix Cultural Works in Alameda, California. She is also the Artistic Director of Maze Daiko ensemble. In this episode she shares her journey from textile fashion design to tap dance to playing taiko, the Japanese drum. Janet's experiences bringing remind us all of the alluring power of sound, how artists are ambassadors for new paradigms, and the power of community that can be created when you bring performing art forms together.
Note: An earlier version of this episode was published Dec. 30, 2023 but the episode has now been corrected in her bio about her relationship with San Francisco Taiko Dojo.
More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.
- Follow Agile Vocalist on IG
- Subscribe to Agile Vocalist on YouTube
- Support Agile Vocalist, a privately funded labor of love dedicated to the arts! Leave a tip here.
Sound Healing with Melissa Felsenstein
Agile Vocalist
11/06/23 • 61 min
Have you ever pondered what it might be like to experience a moment of tranquility amidst the chaos of daily life? Melissa Felsenstein, the founder of Innersounds Meditation, reveals how sound healing can be your haven. Melissa used this therapeutic technique to conquer her personal battles with anxiety and depression, but she's also refined it into a unique formula to certify a new generation of sound practitioners.
Sound healing has many benefits including healing the nervous system and creating calm to allow the body to work better. Melissa provides an insider's look at her 200-hour professional sound healing practitioner course, designed to equip aspiring practitioners to become a professional sound healers. We talk about the process of crafting crystal bowls and gongs and the differences between them.
From achieving meditative states, reducing insomnia, to balancing chakras, Melissa lets listeners taste the experience: at the end of the episode there is a mini sound bath.
More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.
- Follow Agile Vocalist on IG
- Subscribe to Agile Vocalist on YouTube
- Support Agile Vocalist, a privately funded labor of love dedicated to the arts! Leave a tip here.
09/30/23 • 30 min
What does it take to synchronize light and sound? Co-creators Rob Jensen and Warren Trezevant, talk about their work creating Sonic Runway, an art installation conceived at Burning Man. Sonic Runway immerses the spectator in colorful synchronized visuals that animate the speed of sound.
Hear the story behind their meticulous creation process, making the exhibit first for Burning Man in 2003 and how its success grew to transform it into a traveling exhibit to sites around the U.S., England, Canada, and finally to a replicated exhibit in Chengdu China.
Listen in as we explore the myriad ways the Sonic Runway has reshaped the perception of sound for thousands of people around the world. Sonic Runway is a communal experience that has left audiences smiling, marveling and connecting with each other. Watch and listen to the Runway in action here.
More visuals and information about this episode can be found at: https://agilevocalist.com/2023/10/01/watching-sound-t...warren-trezevant/
More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.
- Follow Agile Vocalist on IG
- Subscribe to Agile Vocalist on YouTube
- Support Agile Vocalist, a privately funded labor of love dedicated to the arts! Leave a tip here.
Liminal Space: Summer Frequencies
Agile Vocalist
07/28/23 • 6 min
What did you do this summer? What's left still to experience? Better yet, what did you hear? July is a liminal space and time to dive into the creative. This summer soundscape is an annual season pause so you can listen to July. Traveling through California, Oregon, and landing in Washington at performing arts family camp, you're invited to come along for the auditory ride.
Catch up with any Agile Vocalist episodes you may have missed now as new episodes start rolling out again in September.
More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.
- Follow Agile Vocalist on IG
- Subscribe to Agile Vocalist on YouTube
- Support Agile Vocalist, a privately funded labor of love dedicated to the arts! Leave a tip here.
Hip Hop for Change with Grammy-Winning Alphabet Rockers
Agile Vocalist
06/22/23 • 47 min
In 2007, Tommy Soulati Shepard and Kaitlin McGaw formed Alphabet Rockers to make music that makes change. This episode discusses how they met, the wide variety of their performing backgrounds and how they, 3 professional children artists and a host of other artist collaborators use hip hop to put a child's experience at the heart of its message.
The Alphabet Rockers mission is to create music that disrupts racism, educates and fills children and adults with messages of hope and joy. Tommy and Kaitlin talk about how a parent's role is so important in nurturing a child's growth and confidence. Their work encourages both children and adults to reflect on their own experiences, actions, non-actions and to ponder the role of silence.
More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.
- Follow Agile Vocalist on IG
- Subscribe to Agile Vocalist on YouTube
- Support Agile Vocalist, a privately funded labor of love dedicated to the arts! Leave a tip here.
Grace Note: Season 2 Wrapped and You!
Agile Vocalist
04/19/23 • 7 min
Season 2 has concluded. This episode is how you can (wherever you are!) share in the podcast festivities (listening, sending me an email). Listen as I review the guests we had over the past year, sing you a little song, and recognize some of the amazing people who've supported me in this journey. Season 3 is coming!
Listen and then send me an email- this podcast is now big enough that I don't know who you are. Really! Tell me what you do while you listen. Be honest you podcast lullabye types! Hear my supporters and get a listen back to some of what this season's guests have shared.
I look forward to hearing from you in the pixels for a change!
More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.
- Follow Agile Vocalist on IG
- Subscribe to Agile Vocalist on YouTube
- Support Agile Vocalist, a privately funded labor of love dedicated to the arts! Leave a tip here.
05/20/24 • 40 min
Part two with Edgardo covers the power of music that's connected to dance forms, origins of Edgardo's band, Candela, and his eye-opening process of how he used to create original music as he was waiting tables in a restaurant.
- If you find yourself in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2024, check out Edgardo's newest on Thursday nights at Fame Venue in San Francisco. Come hear the music and dance!
Be sure you don't miss part 1 of the conversation here.
More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.
- Follow Agile Vocalist on IG
- Subscribe to Agile Vocalist on YouTube
- Support Agile Vocalist, a privately funded labor of love dedicated to the arts! Leave a tip here.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Agile Vocalist have?
Agile Vocalist currently has 34 episodes available.
What topics does Agile Vocalist cover?
The podcast is about Music, Audiophile, Music History, Podcasts, Arts and Performing Arts.
What is the most popular episode on Agile Vocalist?
The episode title 'Salsa and Latin Music Powerhouse, a Conversation with Edgardo Cambón' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Agile Vocalist?
The average episode length on Agile Vocalist is 31 minutes.
How often are episodes of Agile Vocalist released?
Episodes of Agile Vocalist are typically released every 32 days, 18 hours.
When was the first episode of Agile Vocalist?
The first episode of Agile Vocalist was released on Feb 12, 2021.
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