Countermelody

Episode 488. Ileana Cotrubaș In Memoriam

Ileana Cotrubaș, the exquisite Romanian soprano, departed this earthly plane last week at the age of 87. She was one of the operatic artists I most revered and respected,

Episode 487. Jill Gomez In Memoriam

Jill Gomez, the brilliant, intrepid Trinidadian-British soprano, known for the last fifteen years of her life as Jill Carnegy, Countess of Northesk, died on August 11, ju

Episode 486. The Other Maureen Forrester

This episode celebrates one of the twentieth century’s great contraltos, Canadian icon, Maureen Forrester, an exceptionally versatile, profoundly communicative artist. Th

Episode 485. Anneliese Rothenberger singt Stolz und Lehár

The theme of today’s episode is “escapism,” a valuable and even necessary pursuit in the world in which we find ourselves currently existing. What more glorious escapism

Episode 484. Bubbles on the Nile, Handel Edition

Today’s episode is the second of my so-called “Bubbles on the Nile” series, performances by Beverly Sills (and a host of other divas) in unexpected roles. While the first

Episode 483. Adele Addison @ 101

Today beloved African American soprano Adele Addison, still “sharp as a tack” according to one of her close friends, celebrates her 101st birthday. And today, just as I d

Episode 482. Georges Thill: French Twist

A further celebration of great French singers today, featuring one of the greatest of them all, tenor Georges Thill (1897 – 1984). But as always with Countermelody, there

Episode 481. The Young Eleanor Steber

Today, July 17, 2026, is the one-hundred-and-twelfth birthday of Eleanor Steber, in the opinion of many, the finest American soprano that ever lived. Her combination of t

Episode 480. Bacquier Encore

Allons, enfants de la patrie! Let’s celeberate Bastille Day in style! And what better exemplar of the power and élan of French music than the great Gabriel Bacquier?! It

Episode 479. Get to Know Alain Vanzo

I return to Countermelody‘s Salut à la France miniseries with a tribute to the Monaco-born French-naturalized tenor, Alain Vanzo (1923-2002). There was simply no more ele

Episode 478. Martial Singher: Un recueil de mélodies

Today is the first in a series of episodes honoring our Gallic friends, who this month also celebrate their independence day, call it what you will, Bastille Day or Le Qu

Episode 477. American Orchestral Song [Queer Edition]

I know, I know, I said that we were done with Pride for 2026. But honestly, given the tenor of the times (no pun intended), we have to continue foregrounding Pride every

Episode 476. Getting a Handle on Henriëtte Bosmans

The final official #Pride2026 episode on Countermelody introduces the Dutch composer, pianist, and critic Henriëtte Bosmans (1895 – 1952), a fascinating figure of extraor

Episode 475. A Queer Boy’s Favorite Pop Divas

We are still in the midst of our summer holiday. And oh, what a sweltering summer it is turning out to be! Because of this, rather than producing a brand-new episode toda

Episode 474. Brigitte Fassbaender sings Brahms

Pride 2026 at Countermelody continues with an episode devoted to the towering German mezzo-soprano Brigitte Fassbaender, not only one of the great opera stars of the late

Episode 473. Renata Scotto and the Opera Queens

We are quickly approaching the third anniversary of the death of Renata Scotto, and that sad commemoration, combined with my desire to produce an episode celebrating Oper

Episode 472. Ben Bagley Revisited: Lies Come True

A year ago I published an episode entitled “Gay Eccentrics,” which featured a number of the most delightfully peculiar personalities sprinkled across queer music history.

Episode 471. Joan Caplan In Recital

Today we visit the rare recorded output my beloved teacher, Joan Caplan (15 October 1932 – 19 April 2025), live performances made during her active years as a song recita

Episode 470. Peter Pears Plays Around

A year ago, I published as my final Pride 2025 episode, Pears Sings Not-Britten, which explored the voice and artistry of British tenor Peter Pears in repertoire other th

Episode 469. Muriel and Angela: Together Again for the First Time

The 1950s recorded collaboration between two iconic artists: African American musical star Muriel Smith and Angela Morley: composer, conductor, arranger, and trans pionee