Shows
Agile VocalistFrom Opera to Negro Spirituals and Beyond with Alexander TaiteSend us a textOakland born Alexander Taite has had the passion and talent for music all his life. He started on piano at age 8 and by age 16 had completed high school studies and went on to teaching at Oakland School for the Arts right after college. He's known as an opera and choral singer director throughout the Bay Area and has created a one-man show called Deep River: The Flow of Negro Spirituals Through Time.Alex has sung every season with the San Francisco Opera since 2007 and has directed myriad choruses, choral projects, and...
2025-04-041h 10
Agile VocalistFolk and the Appalachian Sound with Evie LadinSend us a textEvie Ladin, is a dancer, banjo player, singer/songwriter, square dance caller and so much more. Her childhood was rooted in the then emergent world of folk music and dance, and the sounds of Appalachian traditions. Her art brings the light of these many talents together as a performer who can also be experienced as one of three in: Evie Ladin Band. The Band includes percussionist Keith Terry, and instrumentalist Erik Pearson. More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found o...
2025-01-1550 min
Agile VocalistBanjo, Bass, Body and Band with Evie Ladin and Keith TerrySend us a textIt's often said of living in the city (any city really!) that we can't have nice things. Well, for Oakland, California that's not the case when it comes to Evie Ladin Band. Evie and Keith are 2/3 of the act that explores the depths of banjo, vocals, bass and strings with songs that tug the heart, make you wanna get up and country dance and more. Along with instrumentalist, Erik Pearson, the trio that is Evie Ladin band delights and entertains anyone who can listen and watch.This conversation with Evie and...
2024-12-1523 min
Agile VocalistA World of Percussion with Keith TerrySend us a textA performance art of rhythm, claps, slaps, stomps and sounds that is a feast for the senses--especially if you're actually doing it--is something Keith Terry calls body music. He describes it as music that can be seen and dance that can be heard and in this conversation he shares his journey from drummer to body music master. Keith is the life partner of Evie Ladin who will be featured in later episodes and together they collaborate when they perform as part of the trio called Evie Ladin band. Liner notes and l...
2024-11-0442 min
Agile VocalistWhat's Your Frequency? Dive in with Vocalist, Destani WolfSend us a textFrom her current role as a MOTION vocalist and improviser sharing the stage every Monday with Bobby McFerrin in Berkeley to her 3 Grammy nominations Destani Wolf's sound has been on over 40 albums. During the pandemic, this original Cirque du Soleil vocalist delved into sound frequencies and healing--she finishes our episode with a little audio bath of both her sound bowl playing and voice. A rich and delightful episode. More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist w...
2024-09-2138 min
Agile VocalistCombining the Performing Arts with Tachíria FlamencoSend us a textMx. Flamenco is a dancer, actor, singer and comedienne who shares her unique blend of performance with the San Francisco Bay and beyond. In this conversation we explore the sounds of flamenco as a dance form and how she brings it together in her ongoing series of world premiere collaborations with artists of other genres. Tachíria is working on her one-woman show and finishing her Masters degree after being a working professional flamenco dancer since the age of 14. More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual ma...
2024-07-0843 min
Agile VocalistPart 2 with San Francisco Bay Area Salsa & Latin Musician, Edgardo CambónSend us a textPart 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 a...
2024-05-2140 min
Agile VocalistSalsa and Latin Music Powerhouse, a Conversation with Edgardo CambónSend us a textEdgardo Cambón is a Uruguayan-born singer who fell in love with percussion after setting aside guitar and getting early exposure singing as a young boy. As a teacher band leader and Latin music business man now, Edgardo continues to perform. His musical career has taken him throughout South America, Europe, and Africa. Since1986, he's been in high demand in the U.S.In this two-part conversation, we cover his career, his love of music and how he discovered drums by treating his guitar first as a percussion instrument. Edgardo brought a...
2024-05-0143 min
Agile VocalistThe Language that Connects Us With Poet AliSend us a textPoet 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...
2024-03-2140 min
Agile VocalistLearn How to Unleash Your Agile Vocalist, The Podcast Turns Three!Send us a text21 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!
2024-03-0104 min
Agile VocalistThe Mysterious Carillon with Simone BrowneSend us a textThe sound 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 that make the sounds you hear. Carillons exist all over the U.S., Europe and the world 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 effect on the audible world immediately around the instruments.
2024-01-3132 min
Agile VocalistTaiko Beat of Collaboration with Janet KoikeSend us a textJanet 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 n...
2023-12-3141 min
Agile VocalistSound Healing with Melissa FelsensteinSend us a textHave 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...
2023-11-061h 01
Agile VocalistVisualizing Sound with Rob Jensen and Warren Trezevant, Creators of Sonic RunwaySend us a textWhat 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. ...
2023-09-3030 min
Agile VocalistLiminal Space: Summer FrequenciesSend us a textWhat 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 ab...
2023-07-2806 min
Agile VocalistHip Hop for Change with Grammy-Winning Alphabet RockersSend us a textIn 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...
2023-06-2247 min
Agile VocalistTaking Cello to New Vibrations with CellistaSend us a textExposed to cello at an early age, Cellista broke away from her classical cellist training to follow her calling to create and collaborate with other art forms including beatboxers, spoken word artists, dancers, and musicians. Her work continues to reflect on and engage the cultural circumstances she experiences around her and she produces what she calls stage poems inspired by French Realists that include pillars of music, film, dance and literature. Liner notes and more information about this episode can be found at: https://agilevocalist.com/2023/05/21/taking-cello-to-vibrations-with-cellista/More about A...
2023-05-2130 min
Agile VocalistGrace Note: Season 2 Wrapped and You!Send us a textSeason 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...
2023-04-1907 min
Agile VocalistFrom the Mississippi Delta to the Board of the Grammys with Chelle JacquesSend us a textChelle Jacques is a career musician, bandleader, educator and more. In this episode she shares the story of her recently launched Daughters of the Delta Project featuring the musical contributions from the women artists of Louisiana we so rarely hear about. She also shares how she got involved with The Recording Academy, best known for producing the annual Grammy Awards. She now serves in a leadership position with the organization's California/Colorado chapter.Hear about the business of art, Chelle's powers of manifestation, and her experience being an artist and an...
2023-01-2835 min
Agile VocalistAnimal Sounds: Metamorphosis and FridaSend us a textI talked to Frida the parrot as she was on exhibit as part of a larger an immersive art experience. This Agile Vocalist episode dives into animal sounds and share a one-of-a-kind recording of my interactions with a parrot I went to “interview.” Our interactions proved some of the most varied from any she’d had with other humans, and it marveled her owners, the hosts and artists at San Francisco’s Gregangelo Museum.Liner notes and more are available at: https://agilevocalist.com/2022/12/30/animal-sounds-frida-and-metamorphosis/More about Agile Vocalist, including...
2022-12-3010 min
Agile VocalistFrom California to Tiny Desk Entry with Folk Musician, Moira SmileySend us a textFolk and classical musician, composer, arranger, instrumentalist, and vocalist Moira Smiley has a broad repertoire of mystical and passionate music that pulls your heart strings. And if you sing, you may find yourself learning something she's written. Her songs, arrangements, artistic collaborations, body percussion sequences, and more have captured audiences shifting some from spectator into participant. With her move from California back to Vermont, where she was raised, Moira continues to create art informed by her belief that singing creates community. Her work embodies the sounds of a hopeful future and f...
2022-11-2950 min
Agile VocalistReimaging Opera at Burning Man with Marisa WinterSend us a textWhat’s it like to lead the edge of change in the arts? Vocalist, Marisa Winter (Diva Marisa) has done that with her career and she remains driven to offer new audiences music in context. As a classically trained opera singer and Burning Man performer, she shares the impact Burning Man has made on experiential art everywhere. Marisa’s early life vocal experiences at first caused her to reject opera, but then she fell back in love with dedication it required. In this conversation, we explore the ways she’s brought opera t...
2022-10-0238 min
Agile VocalistThe Touch of Music with Dr. Pianist, Makiko HirataSend us a textDr. Makiko Hirata (“Dr. Pianist") is on a mission to promote the power of music to heal and unite. In this episode, she talks about reconciling her training in classical piano with being a woman in music as well as how musicians have a role to play as first responders in times of climate catastrophe. She has shifted her career from being an "Olympian pianist” performer who uses performance to demonstrate ever increasing mastery of challenging piano pieces to instead playing simpler pieces that better connect and resonate with her audiences....
2022-06-1232 min
Agile VocalistMusic for Refugees with Betsy BlakesleeSend us a textBetsy Blakeslee’s work has connected refugees with the healing power of music for two decades. She directed expressive arts programs for refugee youth in Bosnia and Croatia during the wars of the 1990s. Since 2016, her Expressive Arts Refuge team and Moira Smiley have been running similar programs at refugee camps in France, Greece, and Lebanon.In this episode she shares stories of how her experiences as a volunteer have touched the lives of Sudanese and Syrian children. She talks about how expressive arts- music and body percussion touch and shift tr...
2022-04-0238 min
Agile VocalistAgile Vocalist Epilogue, Season 1: Bathrooms, Cars & the FutureSend us a textIn celebration of Agile Vocalist's 1-year anniversary, this epilogue takes you back through an unexpected trend that emerged with many of my guests about creativity. The theme was this: people are often most creative and get their sound practice and ideas... in the bathroom, specifically the shower. Cars were also a theme as havens for creating. Who knew?Talking about bathrooms, showers, cars & visions for the arts (post-pandemic) are my guests from the past year (in order of app(H)earance):Chloe Medanic-Watt (intro/outro)Rachel Medanic
2022-03-0606 min
Agile VocalistDisc Jockeying to Engage with Justin JamesSend us a textWhat is it like to be a modern-day disc jockey(DJ) artist? How, with sound alone, does a DJ engage people they’ve never met to celebrate, raise the energy, hop onto a dance floor, and come together for a shared experience? I talk engagement and the craft of DJing, including the craft of Dance Floor Architecture in this interview with veteran DJ, Justin James. His work leading Justintertainment, an events company with a team of DJs for hire, helps us to understand the power and skill needed to bring unique sound and mu...
2022-01-0140 min
Agile VocalistBritish Angel for Gospel Music with Opal Louis NationsSend us a textGrowing up in England, Opal Louis Nations was passionate about soul music and followed his calling to perform it amid England’s soul and blues scene. In this interview Opal shares the roots of the painful history of gospel music and its evolution through decades of the 20th century to the 1960s. The episode includes rare music from his vast vinyl collection along with Opal's candid and brilliant humor in his short story, The Three Gospel Brushes. In addition to writing, producing, and being a dedicated musical historian, Opal shares his talents as a...
2021-11-2141 min
Agile VocalistMusic as Accompaniment to Life, Work & Feelings with Vidya Srinivasan (Part 2 of a 2-part episode)Send us a textThis continuing conversation with Indian classical music vocalist, Vidya Srinivasan gives us insights into how she balances a multi-dimensional life with music and how music is a tool as frequently used in her work life as it is in her personal life as a creator and performer.Vidya Srinivasan was introduced to the world of music at age 2 by her parents. Enrolled in music school at age 3 to learn Carnatic music, she gave her first solo concert at age 5. She holds a degree in Carnatic music. Vidya has performed in 4 Indian...
2021-10-2125 min
Agile VocalistAn Indian Classical Voice for Modern Times with Vidya Srinivasan (part 1 of a 2-part episode)Send us a textWorking in technology, it’s rare to find someone whose passion is as deeply embedded in the arts as it is in the sciences. With very early life training in Carnatic music, Vidya Srinivasan’s career journey is filled with insights about how she uses a music as a tool for creativity, problem-solving, and as a means for processing life's emotional rhythms. In this two-part episode, we explore her career, the basics sounds and flavors of Indian classical music, and Vidya’s abundant wisdom as well as her life turning point when she realiz...
2021-10-2022 min
Agile VocalistInterfaith Gospel for Life and Health with Mary FordSend us a textOakland Interfaith Gospel Choir singer Mary Ford talks about her career with the group and her life roots with the art form. Mary chose the gospel at a crossroads after nearly losing her life on her honeymoon. The power of music on and inside the body as well as the unifying spirit it brings to audiences and performers is featured in this conversation with Mary. Mary Ford has been a vocal performer for 45 years. She has sung a capella, as an accompanied soloist and most recently has been a member of t...
2021-06-2320 min
Agile VocalistMaking Music Synchronously via the Internet with Brian WalkerSend us a textIn this conversation with audio engineer, Brian Walker, we talk through Brian's work learning the JackTrip technology. Use of JackTrip dramatically reduces audio latency while preserving original audio quality. The technology allows musicians to make music together synchronously via the internet and can be used for either rehearsals or live performances. This episode contains performance examples using JackTrip from the San Francisco Girls Chorus as well as Brian's singing group, Worldsong.Brian Walker is an audio engineer who has had an extensive career recording, mixing and mastering audio for gaming experiences...
2021-04-2228 min
Agile VocalistVirtual Music for People Who Are Dying with Jennifer Hollis (part 2 of a 2-part episode)Send us a textIn this continuing conversation about Jennifer Hollis's music-thanatology work (part 2 of a 2-part episode), she shares her perspective on the future of music-thanatology and Harps of Comfort, an organization she formed that has adapted with virtual music to the circumstances of Covid-19. Jennifer Hollis is a writer, music-thanatologist and project director for Harps of Comfort, an organization that provides virtual harp and vocal music to isolated COVID-19 patients. Jennifer is the author of Music at the End of Life: Easing the Pain and Preparing the Passage. Her essays and articles have a...
2021-04-2018 min
Agile VocalistAn Art to Comfort the Dying with Jennifer Hollis (part 1 of 2-part episode)Send us a textThere is a little-known branch of the performing arts that brings harp and vocal music to the bed side of the dying. It’s called music-thanatology. In this part 1 episode with music-thanatologist Jennifer Hollis, she shares what music-thanatology is and the amazing discoveries she made about the field researching her book about the power of music in medicine.Jennifer Hollis is a writer, music-thanatologist and project director for Harps of Comfort, an organization that provides virtual harp and vocal music to isolated COVID-19 patients. Jennifer is the author of Music at th...
2021-04-1920 min
Agile VocalistHow the Blues Liberated Women with Pamela Rose (Part 2 of a 2-part episode)Send us a textPart 2 of my 2-part conversation with San Francisco Bay Area vocalist, Pamela Rose. Originally published: March 2021 as a celebration of International Women's Day.Pamela Rose is a jazz and blues vocalist who has thrilled local and international audiences for decades with her swinging, soulful style. Rose has performed at clubs and jazz and blues festivals throughout the United States, Germany, and Denmark. She has six recordings to her name. In recent years, Rose has toured nationally with her critically acclaimed show Wild Women of Song: Great Gal Composers of the Jazz Era...
2021-03-2527 min
Agile VocalistThe Screaming Fields, Re-examining the Function of Screaming as an Emotional SoundSend us a textAgile Vocalist's inaugural compact audio memoir episode. This episode is a personal reflection on and for our world navigating Covid-19 and the treacherous realities of 2020. This compact audio memoir was created as an expression of gratitude for all the people who powered us through 2020: healthcare workers, essential workers, all those whose work is “now seen.” I am so thankful for them and the perils they faced putting their lives at risk to simply “go to work.”This audio memoir is also a tribute to those who are still here, those who...
2021-03-1306 min
Agile VocalistWomen Who Created the Blues with Pamela Rose (part 1 of a 2-part episode)Send us a textSan Francisco jazz and blues vocalist, Pamela Rose has thrilled local and international audiences for decades with her swinging, soulful style. Rose has performed at clubs and jazz and blues festivals throughout the United States, Germany, and Denmark. She has six recordings to her name. In recent years, Rose has toured nationally with her critically acclaimed show Wild Women of Song: Great Gal Composers of the Jazz Era and her more recent Blues is a Woman, a collaborative show among five exceptional blues musicians that tells the remarkable story of women and the b...
2021-03-0919 min
Agile VocalistBeatboxing a Path to the Sound Arts with Joshua SilversteinSend us a textJoshua is an award-winning actor, comic, writer, beatboxer, and educator whose path into the arts was punctuated by overcoming a speech impediment. The episode also includes his live improv soundscape performance as a meditation for 2021. Joshua’s various performances have received admiration from Norman Lear to Prince. He has collaborated with artists such as Slash (Guns and Roses), poet Ursula Rucker, and Wayne Brady. Joshua has dropped beats for Drop the Mic, a segment of The Late, Late Show with James Corden. This episode was originally released in February 2021. M...
2021-02-1241 min