Upon meeting countertenor in the NPR lobby, I was immediately tasked with carrying his awesome spangly boots (he brought two pairs) up to our Tiny Desk space. Other arms, including his husband鈥檚, were occupied with clothing and various necessities.
The boots reflect Holiday鈥檚 sparkling personality 鈥� a captivating blend of determination, wit and clear-eyed optimism. These qualities helped propel him into celebrity status, not only in the of NBC鈥檚 The Voice, where he was championed by, but also in opera houses the world over.
While Holiday has made in classical music, he says his goal is to be a bridge between the many genres of music he sings. And in this set he gives us a pretty wide range, including an elegant, Bach-inflected French art song, a regal opera aria by Handel, a moving traditional spiritual and the devastating jazz song 鈥淪trange Fruit,鈥� made famous by . 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a feel good song,鈥� the countertenor warns, adding that it 鈥渞epresents so much in our country鈥檚 history that sometimes we like to skirt.鈥�
The only way to follow a song of such darkness is with one of light and triumph. Holiday dedicates 鈥淟ift Every Voice and Sing鈥� to young, Black voters, saying, 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important that you let your voices be heard, even if you think nobody鈥檚 listening.鈥�
And for fans of fabulous voices, it鈥檚 important that this voice be heard 鈥� the singular, silvery and expressive voice of John Holiday.
SET LIST
- Reynaldo Hahn: 鈥溍� Chloris鈥�
- Traditional (arr. Hall Johnson): 鈥淚鈥檓 Goin鈥� to Tell God All My Troubles鈥�
- George Frideric Handel: 鈥淥mbra mai f霉鈥� (from Xerxes)
- Abel Meeropol: 鈥淪trange Fruit鈥�
- James Johnson/J. Rosamond Johnson: 鈥淟ift Every Voice and Sing鈥�
MUSICIANS
- John Holiday: countertenor, piano
- Jeanne-Minette Cilliers: piano
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Tom Huizenga
- Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Technical Director: Hannah Gluvna
- Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Alant茅 Serene
- Audio Engineers: Andie Huether, Josh Newell
- Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
- Photographer: Alant茅 Serene
- Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Hazel Cills
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and 老夫子传媒: Keith Jenkins
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