So Lit Song Lit
Cincinnati Song Initiative
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Top 10 So Lit Song Lit Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best So Lit Song Lit episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to So Lit Song Lit 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 So Lit Song Lit episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
05/16/24 • 18 min
American composer Craig Bohmler has an extensive list of musicals as well as operas, art songs, concerti, etc. He has at least ten song cycles to his credit, and his music is highly accessible for audiences while still giving musicians as fun challenge to perform!
His cycles Love Letters and Quatre Petites Chansons pour le Petit Déjeuner are available from Sheet Music Plus as well as many other outlets.
Recordings featured in this episode, performed by Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, and Ellen Rissinger, pianist:
- Love Letters
- Unconditional Love
- Quatre Petites Chansons pour le Petit Déjeuner
- I. À Monsieur Fauré
- III. À Monsieur Poulenc
- IV. À Monsieur Debussy
Recorded at Morningstar Studios in Norristown, PA.
***
So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.
You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.
You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree
You can find out more about Zach on his website, https://www.zacharydeansmith.com/
This episode is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about CMU and apply today.
Season 2 Trailer
So Lit Song Lit
08/03/23 • 2 min
Season 2 drops starting August 17th! This season Toni Marie and Ellen are focusing on queer composers, with guest host Zachary Dean Smith. Make sure to subscribe and tell all your friends, colleagues, and students!
10/01/24 • 33 min
William Grant Still (1895-1978) was the first African-American to have a symphony performed by a major US orchestra (Symphony No. 1-"Afro-American" in 1931), to have an opera performed by a major US opera house (Troubled Island by New York City Opera in 1949), to conduct a major US orchestra (the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra in 1955), and to have an opera performed on television (A Bayou Legend in 1981). His songs have a very American sound, with hints of French harmonies and spirituals.
Our special guest hosts today are baritone Lester Lynch, who balances his international career with teaching at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and composer M. Roger Holland, II, from the University of Denver, who runs The Spirituals Project and composed Ubuntu: I Am Because You Are, premiered by Kantorei (as soon as there is a clip, we will add this to the show notes!).
Recordings featured in this episode, performed by Aliyah Quill, soprano, Solomon Onyukwu, baritone, and Ellen Rissinger, pianist (click on the titles for purchase information):
- Idolatry
- Poème
- Parted
from the anthology William Grant Still: An Art Song Collection:
- Bayou Home
- Citadel
Recorded at the Carnegie Mellon School of Music Recording Studio in Pittsburgh, PA.
***
So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.
You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.
You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree
Aliyah Quill and Solomon Onyukwu are students/graduates of Carnegie Mellon University.
This episode is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about CMU and apply today.
Vocalises
So Lit Song Lit
05/18/23 • 26 min
For the last episode of the season, we wanted to present a special topic: Vocalises! Not just for warming up, they can be incredible pieces for an audience as well. This episode covers the Fauré and Copland vocalises, as well as Turina's Op.74, his song cycle Vocalizaciones, with special guest, Jennifer Aylmer, Associate Professor of Voice at Carnegie Mellon University.
Since recording the podcast we've found a couple of other cycles of vocalises, including Daniel Pinkham's Vowels and Prokofiev's Op. 35 Пять песен вез слов (Five Songs without Words--also often performed by violinists). Let us know if you find any others!
Recordings featured in this episode, performed by Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, and Ellen Rissinger, pianist:
- Fauré: Vocalise-étude
- Copland: Vocalise
- Turina: Vocalizaciones, Nos. 1, 2, 5, and 6
Recorded at The Camp Recording Studio in Elizabethtown, PA.
Season 2 will begin on August 17, 2023, and will focus on LGBTQ+ composers.
***
So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about their network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.
You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.
You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree
This episode is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about CMU and apply today.
Season 1 Trailer
So Lit Song Lit
08/13/22 • 1 min
Introducing So Lit Song Lit, where we reimagine the repertoire by examining less familiar art songs with lively discussion and sound clips! Join vocal coach Ellen Rissinger and soprano Toni Marie Palmertree as they explore the treasure trove of Lieder, Mélodies, Romances, and Art Songs. First episode drops August 18!
This podcast is sponsored by Cincinnati Song Initiative.
David del Tredici: Songs for Baritone and Piano
So Lit Song Lit
03/07/24 • 17 min
American composer David del Tredici is considered a pioneer of neo-Romanticism, and his art songs definitely show that. With many art songs, song cycles, vocal chamber works, and compositions for voice and orchestra, it is well worth perusing his website (which also lists clips to hear the pieces!) to check out the rest of his output.
His volume Songs for Baritone and Piano (with 11 songs, including the cycle Gay Life) is available at Sheet Music Plus.
Recordings featured in this episode, performed by Troy Cook, baritone, and Ellen Rissinger, pianist:
- Ballad in Yellow
- 2. In the Temple (Gay Life)
- 5. Here (Gay Life)
Recorded at Morningstar Studios in Norristown, PA.
***
So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about their network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.
You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.
You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree
You can find out more about Zach on his website, https://www.zacharydeansmith.com/
You can find out more about Troy Cook on his website, https://www.troycookbaritone.com/
This episode is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about CMU and apply today.
Season 3 Trailer
So Lit Song Lit
08/06/24 • 2 min
Season 3 drops starting August 20th, this time on Tuesdays! This season, Toni Marie and Ellen focus on Black composers, with an incredible array of guest hosts and performers. Make sure to subscribe and tell all your friends, colleagues, and students, you won't want to miss this season!
So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.
Undine Smith Moore: Songs
So Lit Song Lit
10/29/24 • 16 min
Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989) was a classical pianist who trained at several prestigious universities, and despite her professors urging her to become a professional, she chose to become a public school music teacher and professor. She preferred to compose vocal music; her songs have a sweep and line to them that make them a joy to play and sing.
Recordings featured in this episode, performed by Gracyn Blu Louis, mezzo-soprano, Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, and Ellen Rissinger, pianist:
From An Anthology of African and African Diaspora Songs
- I Want To Die While You Love Me (sung by Gracyn)
- I Am In Doubt (sung by Toni Marie)
From the Anthology of Art Songs by Black Composers
- Love Let The Wind Cry... How I Adore Thee (sung by Toni Marie)
Recorded at Carnegie Mellon School of Music Recording Studio in Pittsburgh, PA, and Morningstar Studios in Norristown, PA.
***
So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.
You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.
You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree
For more information on Gracyn Blu Louis, visit their website, or you can follow them on Instagram @gracynblu
This episode is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about CMU and apply today.
R. Nathaniel Dett & Hall Johnson: Songs
So Lit Song Lit
09/17/24 • 19 min
R. Nathaniel Dett was a Canadian-American composer and concert pianist with a degree from Oberlin College. His arrangements of spirituals use the piano to great effect in bringing out the text--he also has an extensive repertoire of choral music. Hall Johnson was a professional violinist/violist who formed many choirs, the most famous of which (the Hall Johnson Choir) sang on over 30 major motion pictures (including several Disney films!). His Ride On, King Jesus should be a staple of the canon.
Recordings featured in this episode, performed by Ricky L. Owens, Jr., countertenor, and Ellen Rissinger, pianist:
Dett (click on the titles for score information):
Johnson:
Recorded at The Church Recording Studio in Pittsburgh, PA.
***
So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.
You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.
You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree
For more information on Ricky L. Owens, Jr., countertenor, visit his website.
This episode is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about CMU and apply today.
Florence Price: Songs
So Lit Song Lit
10/15/24 • 21 min
Known as a symphonic composer, Florence Price was the first African-American female to have one of her composition performed by a major orchestra in the US. Her music was rediscovered in 2009 in her old summer home, which has led to many of her works being recently published and premiered. Also an excellent pianist, her art songs include some virtuostic playing for the pianist, along with melodies that capture the text in a way that feels very immediate and can work anywhere in a recital.
Recordings featured in this episode, performed by Ricky L. Owens, Jr., countertenor, Gracyn Blu Louis, mezzo-soprano, Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, and Ellen Rissinger, pianist:
- Hold Fast to Dreams (sung by Ricky)
- Night (sung by Gracyn)
- The Heart of a Woman (sung by Toni Marie)
- Dawn's Awakening (sung by Gracyn)
- An April Day (sung by Toni Marie)
Score are available from Classical Vocal Reprints:
We also mentioned our CSI colleague Karen Slack, soprano, who has the video podcast KikiConversations on YouTube--she has a new CD out of unpublished Florence Price songs with pianist Michelle Cann entitled Beyond the Years.
Recorded at The Church Recording Studio in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon School of Music Recording Studio in Pittsburgh, PA, and Morningstar Studios in Norristown, PA.
***
So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.
You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.
You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree
For more information on Ricky L. Owens, Jr., countertenor, visit his website.
For more information on Gracyn Blu Louis, visit their website, or you can follow them on Instagram @gracynblu
This episode is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about CMU and apply today.
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FAQ
How many episodes does So Lit Song Lit have?
So Lit Song Lit currently has 50 episodes available.
What topics does So Lit Song Lit cover?
The podcast is about Art, Cincinnati, Performance, Classical, Music, Opera, Song, Podcasts and Education.
What is the most popular episode on So Lit Song Lit?
The episode title 'NewMusicShelf Anthology of New Music: Trans and Non-Binary Voices' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on So Lit Song Lit?
The average episode length on So Lit Song Lit is 17 minutes.
How often are episodes of So Lit Song Lit released?
Episodes of So Lit Song Lit are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of So Lit Song Lit?
The first episode of So Lit Song Lit was released on Aug 13, 2022.
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