Sound Travels
Listen to these stories. They will nourish your awareness, passion, and renew your interest in the power of sound, sound creators and the performing arts.
A World of Percussion with Keith Terry
From starting off in Texas as a young kid whose talents as a drummer were nurtured to later coining the term "body music" to reflect the sounds and actions of the art form that fuses sight, sound and rhythmic claps, slaps, and footwork, Keith Terry is a legend in the...
Vocalist Frequencies with Destani Wolf
Vocalist Destani Wolf, has been heard on over 40 albums. From her current role as a MOTION vocalist who shares the stage weekly with legendary vocalist and sound master, Bobby McFerrin to exploration of sound healing frequencies, she's well traveled in sound. Destani...
The Rise of a Performing Artist with Tachíria Flamenco
Mx. Tachíria CarOlé Acuña Flamenco is the 5th generation flamenco & Spanish dancer in her gitano family legacy and has been named “The top flamenco dancer in America” by So You Think You Can Dance Judges. She’s the artistic director of Tachíria Flamenco’s Danza...
The Bay Area’s Salsa and Latin Music Powerhouse, a Conversation (part 1 & 2) with Edgardo Cambón
Born in 1960 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Edgardo Cambón started his professional career atthe age of nine, singing tangos on public television. He has performed and toured throughout South America, Europe and Africa. Since1986, he's been in high demand in the U.S. as a...
Agile Vocalist Podcast Celebrates 3 Years of California’s Performing Arts Diversity
Contact: Rachel Medanic Email: agilevocalist AT Gmail dot com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oakland, Calif March 25, 2024 — Three years after the onset of Covid-19, there is one silver lining that continues to shine on behalf of California-based sound and performing artists....
The Language That Connects Us with Poet Ali
Poet Ali is a poet, compelling performer, lyricist, performance artist and inspirational speaker. His presentations, talks and performances focus on human connection --how we connect with ourselves and with our environments. As a soulosopher (soul + philosopher) and...
California Sound Artists Celebrated in Three Years of Agile Vocalist
February 2024 marked three years (and three seasons) of Agile Vocalist. Amid all the things that have happened since February 2021 when the podcast launched, it's a lot to be thankful for and leaves much room to celebrate! Clink your goblets of cocktails and mocktails...
Sound Lighthouse: Discovering Carillon with Simone Browne
Simone Browne is Law student at UC Berkeley who fell in love with carillon playing while at the University of Chicago. In this episode, she sheds interesting perspective on this little-known instrument so many of us have heard but haven't realized is actually an...
Singing in Cars: The Appeal of Mobile Karaoke
It’s worth nothing how much of a raging success James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke continues to be. Why is singing in the car so common? Music therapist, Lyndie Walker says cars are a place we can dive into the music we most resonate with and music activates every part of...
Taiko Beat of Collaboration with Janet Koike
Janet 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 which started with success as a textile fashion designer to playing taiko, the Japanese...
The Art of the Sound Bath with Melissa Felsenstein
Could your daily life use a moment of tranquility? Melissa Felsenstein, the founder of Innersounds Meditation, reveals how the sound bath can be your haven. Not only did Melissa use sound healing as a therapeutic technique to conquer her own battles with anxiety and...
Watching Sound: the Sonic Runway Story with Rob Jensen and Warren Trezevant
What 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 converging sound and light that they conceived at Burning Man. Sonic Runway immerses the spectator in...
Sounds of Summer: Liminal Frequencies
July is high summer here in the northern hemisphere. The season marks a threshold to cross over. Time and space to recreate and reflect is essential. The month is our family's annual dive deep into new, creative and sometimes uncertain experiences. We head off to...
Hip Hop for Change with Alphabet Rockers
In 2007, Alphabet Rockers was formed by Tommy Soulati Shepard and Kaitlin McGaw to make music that makes change. Their work uses hip hop to create a more equitable world. In this conversation with Tommy and Kaitlin, we talked about their artistic journeys from...
Taking Cello to New Vibrations with Cellista
Cellista was trained as a classical cellist but detached herself from that label while in graduate school at San Francisco State. There, she was inspired to collaborate with other art forms such as movement and visual artists. While studying musicology she found...
Grace Note: An Arts Podcast Enters Season Three
Many of us believe in deity. I believe the omnipresence of music and sound gives us all a means to connect with a similar kind of thing: a force, or forces, greater than ourselves. It's because of my listeners, guests and supporters that I'm excited to be heading...
From the Mississippi Delta to the Board of the Grammy Awards with Chelle Jacques
As we get ready for the 2023 Grammy awards, this episode dives into Michelle Jacques' story of working with the organization behind the Grammys, The Recording Academy, San Francisco/Colorado chapter and its work helping performing artists. As Vice President of the...
Animal Sounds: Frida and Metamorphosis
An endangered species of parrot--right in San Francisco?! I 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...
From California to Tiny Desk Entry with Folk Musician, Moira Smiley
Moira Smiley's mystical, soulful music will tug at your heartstrings. Her roots as a folk musician with training in classical music (her first instrument was the piano) have been broadened by her world travels and she is as much a composer and an arranger as she is a...
Reimagining Opera with Burning Man Vocalist, Diva Marisa
Diva Marisa is in search of opportunities to offer audiences music in context. As a conservatory-trained opera singer and community member of Death Guild Thunderdome (performances happen at Burning Man), she talks about Burning Man's impact on experiential art...
How the Arts Help Us Navigate the Now
Agile Vocalist is a podcast featuring sound creator stories that will inspire you to look to the arts to navigate today’s challenges. In light of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on women’s rights to an abortion and freedom of prayer and expression, you likely feel strong emotions. These artists stories will inspire with questions to ask to get through these challenging times.
The Touch of Music with Dr. Pianist, Makiko Hirata
Using the arts to heal and unite us, as well as catalyze action around climate change, Dr. Makiko Hirata is on a mission as Dr. Pianist! Listen to her incredible artist story.
Music for Refugees with Betsy Blakeslee
Betsy Blakeslee has been working with refugees for over 20 years. She’s been witness to the power of music and sound’s power to transform and shift people who have gone through trauma. This episode dives into the brain science behind that and the shifts in people’s lives she’s witnessed.
Season 1 Epilogue: Showers, Cars & the Future of the Arts
Cars, showers and the future of the arts. First year podcast anniversary themes for the Agile Vocalist, along with other anniversary activities are out and ready for you to come be edutained.
Agile Vocalist’s First Year in Your Ears
Agile Vocalist’s highlights on one year in existence including more than 1600 listens across podcast and YouTube platforms. This labor of love and tribute to the arts is growing!
Masters of Engagement: Justin James on the Art of Being a DJ
The craft of being a DJ means understanding what motivates people to loosen up, have a good time and bathe in music. Justin James shares some of the secrets as well as demonstrates his techniques in this episode.
Support Agile Vocalist Artists on Giving Tuesday 2021
Focus your giving on the arts for Giving Tuesday in 2021. This is a list of the organizations that support the guest artists of Agile Vocalist, the podcast about sound and the arts.
England’s Angel for Gospel Music with Opal Louis Nations
Opal Louis Nations is a British singer, author, illustrator and passionate fan of American gospel music. In this podcast he shares decades of wisdom promoting and supporting gospel music (soul). Listen for the history of the African American experience you may not know.
Music: An Accompaniment to Life, Culture, Work & Feelings with Vidya Srinivasan
Vidya Srinivasan shares her life growing up in India and learning Carnatic music – as well as how to perform it from a very early age. At a career crossroads in graduate school she chose science over the arts for reasons you might not expect.
An Indian Classical Voice for Modern Times with Vidya Srinivasan
Vidya Srinivasan learned a love of music and performing so well at an early age that she had equal interests in pursuing music vs. technology once it came time to choose a career. Her journey as a female Indian classical music singer, always narrated by music, as she left India to study the sciences and live in the U.S. is an inspiring story about the power of music as a tool to process life and transitions.
Agile Vocalist Has Gone…Podcast
Agile Vocalist can now be listened to as a podcast. Hear your favorite, or soon to be favorite, sound creator and artist stories in JUST your ears. No visuals necessary…unless you want them!
Announcing the Agile Vocalist Fall Season
Sound artists that create for dance floors, refugee camps, on trapeze, on stage at tech conferences, and in clubs in the early ’60s is where these Fall 2021 Agile Vocalist episodes will take us! Come listen to the stories of Vidya Srinivasan, Betsy Blakeslee, Justin James, Opal Louis Nations and Diva Marisa’s, plus other sound and creativity stories.
The Power of Singing and the Gospel with Mary Ford
Mary Ford found music when her life nearly ended. In this interview, she talks about the power of singing on the body and how she is a midwife for her own vocal gifts when performing. As an accomplished gospel and a capella singer for over 30 years, Mary’s wisdom is a singer and psychologist’s view into the power of sound.
Mother’s Day Memories, in Vinyl
A playlist honoring my Mom and a story about what it was like to own vinyl records back when I was a young child.
Making Music Together via the Internet with Brian Walker
How do you make music together in a global pandemic? JackTrip technology has existed for nearly 20 years and has finally found its time, thanks to the global pandemic, for musicians, singers and anyone collaborating together to rehearse and perform via the internet.
Virtual Music for People Who Are Dying with Jennifer Hollis
How music thanatology can be effective both at the beside of dying patients as well as in person. Harp lady Jennifer Hollis shares her wisdom and and insights on the labor of saying goodbye to loved ones and the deep work escalating mortality from Covid has put the world through in the past year.
An Art to Comfort the Dying with Jennifer Hollis
Music thanatology is a little known field where harp and vocal music are played at the bedside of dying patients. In this interview with harp lady, Jennifer Hollis she shares highlights of her career as a music thanatologist and insights about the power of music on our bodies.
How the Blues Liberated Women with Pamela Rose
How women, especially black women brought us the blues. Part 2 of my conversation with vocalist Pamela’s Rose whose life work is dedicated to recognizing women in music.
The Screaming Fields
After a year living with the Coronavirus, do you still need to scream? A lot of people do. We’re not over this yet! Let’s talk about your need to scream and where you go to do it to process stress and frustration. Screaming gets a bad rap for being a negative thing. This voicecast may cause you to think differently about it.
Women Who Created the Blues with Pamela Rose
Jazz and blues vocalist, Pamela Rose shares how she has championed women composers and performers throughout her long and varied career in jazz and blues, including her touring shows: Wild Women of Song and Blues is a Woman.
From Song Exploder to Cookie Exploder
Sound lovers who enjoy Song Exploder, a series about music by Hrishikesh Hirway will also enjoy his graphic novel, Cookie Exploder about his work in sound, along with his relationship with his father.
Beatboxing a Path to the Sound Arts with Joshua Silverstein
Award-winning actor, comic, writer, beatboxer, and educator, Joshua Silverstein shares his sound artist story with Agile Vocalist. Joshua used beatboxing as a way to stage on stage at a young age, eventually using it to conquer a speech impediment and help him become an inspiring artist and educator for others.
The Psychology of Covers
Our obsession with cover songs has roots in our young adult years. If the tune is familiar, you’ll likely realize that even in an elevator you lean in when you hear a familiar song (even done badly). Learn why you can’t help but listen.
Weaponizing Sound
What sounds narrated your child or young adulthood? For me, taking back space for myself came when I learned how to zaghareet (use sound to fight back against an embarrasing father).
Introducing ~ ~ ~ Agile Vocalist
Agile Vocalist is an exploration of sound and sound artists like you’ve never heard, or read before. Born from an idea in the shower, this blog turned podcast will inspire, educate, and entertain you as we dive into the lives and work of anyone who works in sound.
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