This is Song Cycle, where we gab with cool people who bring their innovative ideas and projects to life to contribute to a more vibrant society through song. Join the conversation!
This is So Lit Song Lit, where we reimagine the repertoire by introducing less familiar songs through sound clips and lively discussion! Together we’ll be exploring songs by composers that you may or may not have heard of already, showing how they compare to standard works, and giving you a taste of what they sound like. Join us down the rabbit hole as we expand the song canon!
Pianist and wacky song enthusiast Mandee Madrid-Sikich talks all things Lieder related (and not related!). Composers, poets, cultural contexts, piano settings, German romanticism - if it has to do with song, you better believe it's included in this podcast! Each episode covers a different song and is complete with special guest appearances and performances of the chosen songs.
You can find Mandee on Instagram @liedernerd and on You Tube as Mandee Madrid-Sikich.
Laura and Sam have a moment for Brussels sprouts, the key ingredient in a perfect old fashioned, and debriefing on the 2026 Fellowship of the Song festival before welcoming fellow art song organization founder Michael Brofman. Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Art Song Society, Mike has been a trailblazer in curating and producing concerts to bring audiences together and experiencing the best song performers in the country, par excellence. Hear about the upcoming final concert in BASS's 2026 New Voices Festival, their inaugural young artist program, and more about BASS's history.***Have a question you want answered by Laura and Sam on a future episode? Share your thoughts with a voice memo or written note through our new #TeamArtSong Mailbag!Nominate a phenomenal artist in your local community for a shoutout in our Songsters in Your Neighborhood segment!***Song Cycle is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.
Elinor Remick Warren (1900-1991) was already commissioned by G. Schirmer to compose art songs before she graduated high school. She was also a concert pianist and collaborative pianist who played for such singers as Lawrence Tibbett, and Kirsten Flagstad performed her songs. Her musical language is very accessible, with hints of French expanded harmonies and some very fun Straussian piano moments!Musical clips performed by Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, and Ellen Rissinger, piano:All of these songs can be found in Centennial Album: 16 Songs (high voice) (low voice)PianoMelody out of my heartLove’s RiddleMy parting giftRecorded at Morningstar Studios in Norristown, PA.As Season 4 ends, so does the So Lit Song Lit podcast. With some new gigs for both of us this summer, there just isn't enough time for us to continue. We hope you have all enjoyed the past 4 seasons as much as we enjoyed putting them together, and hope that we have inspired you to go digging for more repertoire!***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
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969) was a Polish composer of Lithuanian heritage. Her father taught all of his children to play violin and piano, as well as a little music theory, and she went on to become the concertmaster of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. After a serious car accident, she could no longer perform and then concentrated on composing. Another Nadia Boulanger student, her musical language is unique, very modern with a great deal of dissonance that comes out sounding incredibly beautiful!Musical clips performed by Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, and Ellen Rissinger, piano:1st Groteski (from 3 Grosteski)In her Collected SongsRóże (Rose)Nad wodą wielką i czystąBoli mnie głowaWe also mentioned the resource Singing in Polish. And don't forget to check out our previous episodes on Szymanowski and Wertheim for more Polish repertoire! 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
Margarete Schweikert (1887-1957) was the daughter of amateur musicians who went on to become a music critic, pianist, and violinist in her own right, as well as a composer. Her music is all collected at the Badische Landesbibliothek in Karlsruhe, Germany, including 160 Lieder! We also mentioned the composer Clemens von und zu Franckenstein--he has some incredibly beautiful Lieder, but since he was composing around the time of Strauss, his name has been mostly lost. His opera Li Tai Pe was recently performed in Germany, and Eastman Library has collected some of his Lieder.Musical clips performed by Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, Troy Cook, baritone, and Ellen Rissinger, piano:Op 3RosenElfenliedchenOp 5Seliger Eingang (in Book 2)Op 11-Vier Gedichte von GoetheEs war einmal ein KönigRecorded 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 @ToniMariePalmertreeYou can find out more about Troy Cook on his website, https://www.troycookbaritone.com/
Journey with Schubert and Mayrhofer to the gloomy shore of Hades and meditate on the simple things that make our pale blue dot such a beautiful place to call home. Special thanks to bass Daniel Noyola for his gorgeous live performance of Fahrt zum Hades with pianist Martin Dubé. Find out more about Daniel hereFollow Daniel on Instagram Sing Fahrt zum Hades with meDrawing of MayrhoferFollow the Lieder is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about their network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.