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The Music World's Helping Hands
Today, we take a behind-the-scenes look at two unsung heroes of the music world: piano page-turners and opera prompters. Find out why soloists and opera singers would be nowhere without these crucial helping hands. Also: singer-songwriter Vienna Teng plays live in our studio.
It's More than just Turning Pages
Page turners are an indispensable part of a piano recital – the professionals who read the music right along with the soloist, keeping the beat and turning pages several measures before the music on the page runs out. As we hear today, the job is simple but relentless and occasionally accident-prone. Joining us is Joanne Kaufman, who recently wrote about page-turners for the Wall Street Journal; and Michael Brofman, a pianist and page turner at venues including Carnegie Hall, Bargemusic, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"Some Page-Turning Tales" by Joanne Kaufman
Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer on his page-turning experience
Those who Cue the Divas
Prompters are an opera singer’s best friend. We hear about the individuals who sit in a little booth in front of the stage to help singers when they forget a line or note during a performance. Joining us is James Johnson, who is the associate conductor and a prompter at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Vienna Teng
A few years ago, singer-songwriter Vienna Teng exchanged a job as a software engineer in Silicon Valley for a music career. She is now releasing her fourth album and will join us to play some “chamber-folk” live in our studio.
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See Tori Amos Live!
Join us Tuesday, Dec. 9 at The Greene Space
Singer and pianist Tori Amos joins us to talk about reworking and reinventing seasonal carols on her new holiday album. And, she performs for a live audience in The Greene Space! Click the link for ticket info.
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