Kile Smith's spellbinding jazz-inspired cycle, In this blue room, was commissioned and premiered by Lyric Fest in 2015. Based on poems written in response to artist Laura Madeleine's Batik paintings, the premiere featured Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-soprano, Daniel Teadt, baritone, and pianist Laura Ward.
For more information, visit https://lyricfest.org/commissions/in-this-blue-room/.
1 Feb 2025
Episode 10: COTTON, Damien Geter
Lyric Fest’s COTTON is a spellbinding multimedia song-cycle by Damien Geter based on the extraordinary cotton photography of John Dowell. The song cycle features commissioned poems by Nikki Giovanni, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Lauren K. Alleyne, Glenis Redmond, Trapeta Mayson, Afaa Michael Weaver, Alora Young, and Charlotte Blake Alston.
For more information, visit lyricfest.org.
18 Dec 2024
Episode 9: Any of Those Decembers, Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg & Jeanne Minahan
Songstruck host explores Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg's extraordinary new song cycle, Any of Those Decembers, co-created with Philadelphia poet Jeanne Minahan.
21 Nov 2024
Songstruck: Episode 8, Dear Future Roommate, Lori Laitman
Celebrated composer Lori Laitman sets Mike Gioia's college admissions essay to music in the hilarious song, Dear Future Roommate, revealing the creative process behind turning everyday life into art.
Composer Jasmine Barnes and curator and soprano Karen Slack revisit the powerful song, Taking Names, written as a reflection on the murder of Breonna Taylor, as well as the plague of violent deaths of many Black women.
29 Sept 2024
Songstruck: Episode 6, The Art of Song, Daron Hagen
Internationally renowned composer discusses his epic meditation on the life cycle of a song writer, The Art of Song.
www.lyricfest.org
29 Aug 2024
Songstruck: Episode 5, What a Way to Go, Karl Hinze
The gifted composer Karl Hinze talks about writing comedy into art song, along with the intersection of music for the stage versus the concert hall.
www.lyricfest.org
https://www.youtube.com/@lyric_fest
11 Jul 2024
Songstruck: Episode 4, Come, my tan-faced children, Melissa Dunphy
Composer, activist, and amateur archaeologist Melissa Dunphy delves into the multiple faces of Walt Whitman in her stirring song, Come, my tan-faced children.
Commissioned by Lyric Fest in 2019, the featured performance of the premiere includes mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis, Laura Ward, piano, Min-Young Kim, violin, and Tim Ressler, double bass.
www.lyricfest.org
//www.youtube.com/@lyric_fest
14 Jun 2024
Songstruck: Little River Songs, Jennifer Higdon
World-renowned composer Jennifer Higdon shares stories of growing up in the Smoky Mountains and dives into the folksong inspiration behind Little River Songs.
www.lyricfest.org (http://www.lyricfest.org)
https://www.youtube.com/@lyric_fest (https://www.youtube.com/@lyric_fest)
10 May 2024
Songstruck, Episode 2, Lenoriana
Songstruck, a Lyric Fest (https://www.lyricfest.org) podcast exploring the creation, interpretation, and music behind the expanding American classical song canon.
Episode 2: Lenoriana
Join composer Benjamin C.S. Boyle and Lyric Fest Artistic co-Director Laura Ward for a fascinating conversation about the origins of Lenoriana, which sets the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.
1 Apr 2024
Songstruck: Episode 1, Deadmall Ballads
Songstruck, a Lyric Fest (https://www.lyricfest.org) podcast exploring the creation, interpretation, and music behind the expanding American classical song canon.
Episode 1: Deadmall Ballads
Explore the hilarious and poignant Deadmall Ballads with composer Peter Hilliard, librettist Matt Boresi, and soprano Jennifer Aylmer.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
25,270
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 23 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
4
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
32
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