Agile Vocalist

Send 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 links to videos of Keith doing his body music can be found at: https://agilevocalist.com/2024/11/05/a-world-of-percussion-with-keith-terry/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.

Send 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 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.

Send 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 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.

Send 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 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.

Send 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 unique vision of his music to the U.S. and we talk about his artistic process and current musical endeavors in part 2 of the conversation. Watch for that continuing part 2 of this episode in May. 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.

Send 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 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 Subscribe to Agile Vocalist on YouTube Support Agile Vocalist, a privately funded labor of love dedicated to the arts! Leave a tip here.

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!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.

Send us a textThe 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.

Send 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 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.

Send 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 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.

Send 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. 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.

Send 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 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.

Send 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 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.

Send 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 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.

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 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.

Send 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 educator who has touched the lives of thousands via San Francisco Symphony’s Adventures in Music, Oakland School for the Arts, and more.Liner notes for this episode can be found 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.

Send 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 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.

Send 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 folds in the rich wisdom of her past. Pictures, liner notes, and an episode transcript can be found at:  https://agilevocalist.comMore 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.

Send 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 to the Playa, the circus, to corporate events, to the trapeze,  to her front porch, and more. Marisa Winter BioDiva Marisa is a maverick singer and performer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a  conservatory-trained opera singer, Marisa has sung with the San Francisco Opera, the Oakland East Bay Symphony, Chris Brubeck, and multiple times in recital with Frederica von Stade. Marisa also sings opera on the trapeze in various settings, including the Thunderdome at Burning Man. Her signature aria is Diva Dance from the movie The Fifth Element.Pictures, liner notes, and an episode transcript can be found for this (and every!) episode on Agile Vocalist. Go to the episode page. 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.

Send 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.Bio:Dr. Hirata collaborates with neuroscientists to quantify the benefit of music and promote the power of music as an overlooked social resource through speaking engagements, workshops and writing. Her doctorate is a DMA, Doctorate of Musical Arts from Rice University. In addition to her concerts, she collaborates with neuroscientists to quantify the benefit of music and promote the power of music as an overlooked social resource through speaking engagements, workshops and writing. More visual information, liner notes, and an episode transcript can be found for this (and every!) episode on Agile Vocalist.com 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.