Upon meeting countertenor John Holiday in the NPR lobby, I was immediately tasked with carrying his awesome spangly boots (he brought two pairs) up to our Tiny Desk space. Other arms, including his husband’s, were occupied with clothing and various necessities.
The boots reflect Holiday’s sparkling personality — a captivating blend of determination, wit and clear-eyed optimism. These qualities helped propel him into celebrity status, not only in the final rounds of NBC’s The Voice, where he was championed by John Legend, but also in opera houses the world over.
While Holiday has made a name for himself in classical music, he says his goal is to be a bridge between the many genres of music he sings. And in this set he gives us a pretty wide range, including an elegant, Bach-inflected French art song, a regal opera aria by Handel, a moving traditional spiritual and the devastating jazz song “Strange Fruit,” made famous by Billie Holiday. “It’s not a feel good song,” the countertenor warns, adding that it “represents so much in our country’s history that sometimes we like to skirt.”
The only way to follow a song of such darkness is with one of light and triumph. Holiday dedicates “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to young, Black voters, saying, “It’s really important that you let your voices be heard, even if you think nobody’s listening.”
And for fans of fabulous voices, it’s important that this voice be heard — the singular, silvery and expressive voice of John Holiday.
SET LIST
- Reynaldo Hahn: “À Chloris”
- Traditional (arr. Hall Johnson): “I’m Goin’ to Tell God All My Troubles”
- George Frideric Handel: “Ombra mai fù” (from Xerxes)
- Abel Meeropol: “Strange Fruit”
- James Johnson/J. Rosamond Johnson: “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
MUSICIANS
- John Holiday: countertenor, piano
- Jeanne-Minette Cilliers: piano
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Tom Huizenga
- Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Technical Director: Hannah Gluvna
- Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Alanté Serene
- Audio Engineers: Andie Huether, Josh Newell
- Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
- Photographer: Alanté Serene
- Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Hazel Cills
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
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