Young Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, known as 2CELLOS, achieved sensational success by taking the cello to a new level and breaking the boundaries between different genres of music. Their unique cello version of Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal' took the world by storm. Within only a week, this YouTube video became a huge viral sensation leading to a record deal with Sony Masterworks and an invitation to join Elton John on his worldwide tour. 

Since then, the duo has appeared on major TV shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (multiple times), Lopez Tonight, TV Total with Stefan Raab and many others. 2CELLOS recently performed with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and are releasing their second album IN2ITION in January 2013. The album was produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Deep Purple) and features an eclectic group of vocal and instrumental guests including Elton John, Steve Vai, Lang Lang, Naya Rivera and Zucherro. 

This is the podcast for FriendlyAtheist.com

Rhiannon Giddens is a celebrated artist who excavates the past to reveal truths about our present. A MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, Giddens has been Grammy-nominated six times, and won once, for her work with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a group she co-founded. Pitchfork has said of her “few artists are so fearless and so ravenous in their exploration,” and Smithsonian Magazine calls her “an electrifying artist who brings alive the memories of forgotten predecessors, white and black.”

The stories you love, now tuned to your ears.

Welcome to the Signature Series.

The key signatures of music are kind of like the signs of the zodiac.

If you take all the music in a given key, you’ll discover certain characteristics —﻿ characteristics that can define your personality.

Which key are you? http://bit.ly/whichkeyareyou

The Signature Series was originally produced for CBC Radio 2's In Concert by http://www.soundcloud.com/paolopp with Denise Ball.

With a ‘revolutionary voice’ (Il Messagero), ‘an extensive vocal range’ (Le Figaro) ’marked by intelligence and taste’ (New York Times), ‘an interpreters knowledge that amazes’ (Corriere della Sera),  ‘exquisite timbre, polished musicality and sweetness of emission’ (Le Monde de la Musique),  this is a voice, 'superbly produced in every facet' with its sound coming "directly from the heart" (The Australian). Combined with her ‘obvious humanity’ (The Age), Markella Hatziano, 'authoritative of voice and of dramatic presence’ (La Repubblica) is unequivocally a ‘star of dazzlingly bright magnitude’ (Daily Telegraph)

Markella Hatziano made her professional operatic debut at the National Opera of Greece at the age of 23 singing Eboli in Don Carlos. She debuted on the international stage at the Opera Company of Boston singing Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Neris in Medée, Amneris in Aida and Azucena in Il Trovatore.

She achieved international recognition in December of 1993 when she stepped in at the last minute to sing the gargantuan role of Didon in Les Troyens in concert performances with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Colin Davis. “On this evening a star was surely born” Opera Magazine.

She has been singing her core dramatic mezzo repertoire of Dalila, Amneris, Eboli, Azucena, Didon, Marguerite, Charlotte, Santuzza and Judith with opera houses including the Liceu in Barcelona, Teatro Real in Madrid, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Covent Garden, Teatro alla Scala, Salzburg Festival, San Francisco Opera, Baltimore Opera, Opera Company of Boston, Bayerische Staatsoper, Trieste, Deutsche Staatsoper, New Israeli Opera, Teatro Sao Carlos in Lisbon, Norwegian Opera, the Festival de Radio France in Montpelier and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

With her core concert repertoire of Verdi, Chausson, Ravel, Berlioz, Beethoven and Mahler, she is appearing with virtually every major symphony orchestra, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra of Wales, Mozarteum Salzburg Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, and Oslo Philharmonic.

Markella Hatziano’s discography includes the Verdi Requiem with the London Symphony Orchestra: Gramophone Magazine “The best of the quartet is undoubtedly Hatziano who, in her first major recording, fulfills all the hopes one has for her, singing with firm tone, warm, well-schooled style, no mannerisms – her ‘Liber Scriptus’ cannot be faulted”.

Her recording of the Macbeth of Ernst Bloch with the Orchestre de Montpelier was awarded the Grand Prix de l’Académia Charles Cros.

She collaborates with great conductors including, Zubin Mehta, Mariss Jansons, Bernard Haitink, Christoph von Dóhnanyi, Seiji Ozawa, Kent Nagano, Sir Colin Davis, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Claudio Scimone, Jacques Delacote, Michel Gielen, Michel Plasson, Andrew Davis, and Semyon Bychkov.

"The most beautiful aria of the evening came from Markella Hatziano, singing Neris's 'Ah, nos peines seront communes.' The purity of her voice, profound grief, and introspective thought it communicated were most affecting" Christian Science Monitor
 
“The evening’s finest singing came from the the Dalila of Markella Hatziano...Hatziano created a long, elegant line with a velvety tone...she unveiled an instrument of considerable size - one that reached big climaxes without a hint of strain, that was filled with feeling and that was compellingly seductive.” Baltimore Sun
 
“ a bright-colored but substantial mezzo of attractive quality, the registers well blended...singing with seduces Samson (and us!) with sunny charm, good command of legato and ready use of caressing mezza voce of a sort nowadays seldom heard in this, or any other ‘international’ house. A real treat!” Opera
 
“Markella Hatziano, a statuesque Dido, was magnificent, with a voice of sumptuous richness and steely strength, focused extremely accurately...She looked like the Queen of Carthage as Jacques Louis David might have painted her.” The Independent
 
“ In lustrous, forwardly emitted, amply voiced, beautiful tones and with a powerful feeling for phrases and words, she sang with grandeur in the civic scenes, with delicacy in the love scenes, finally with noble anger, passion, and despair.” The Observer
 
“Markella Hatziano combined openhearted expression with a startlingly radiant voice.” Montreal Gazette
 
“...This voice is superbly produced in every facet and its sound comes directly from the heart...She caresses her music with such warmth that even though the language might be foreign to the audience, the meaning comes through loud and clear...Through 13 splendid songs by Franz Liszt, she overcame the composer’s penchant for keyboard dominace - a showman-like performance by Steven Larson - to deliver a beautifully rounded collection, highlighting in works such as Der du von dem Himmel bist, the gypsy rhythms of Die drei Zigeuner, and a powerful conclusion in Die Macht der Musik... Her carefully measured mezzo easily filled the concert hall, even when the intimacy of her performance demanded a mezza vode, while her grandest moments on high were never out of focus or character.” The Australian
 
“Deep and dignified of voice, she makes a Dalila who is regally self-composed, confident of getting Samson’s locks wound round her little finger... the sound is grand, unhurried, rich in color...” Financial Times
 
“Markella Hatziano is a formidable Dalila, her lustrous mezzo meshing vengeance and desire with a firm line of gleaming tone. Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix had an irresistible sumptuous appeal. She acts with a smouldering economy.” The Stage
 
“The best of the quartet is undoubtedly Hatziano who, in her first major recording, fulfills all the hopes one has for her, singing with firm tone, warm well-schooled style, no mannerisms - her “Liber scriptus” cannot be faulted.” Gramophone
 
“...she cultivated long, languid phrases that were marked by intelligence and taste.” New York Times
 
“...splendid singing, a gleam hidden within the velvet... Her innate musicianship loomed over anyone the Met has offered in years.” Boston Phoenix
 
“Amneris was sung flawlessly by the alluring Markella Hatziano...not enough can be said about Hatziano;s performance, voluptuous voice, movements, acting” Boston South Look
 
“Among the soloists, Markella Hatziano stands out for her rich, refulgent singing.” The Daily Telegraph
 
“Authoritative of voice and of dramatic presence”  La Repubblica
 
“Grand interpreter, Markella Hatziano, her realizations perfection, also with the gestures, realized wholly the vision of the figuration of Wilson.” La Repubblica
 
“Markella Hatziano brought tears to everyone’s eyes.” Evening Standard
 
“The Greek soprano Markella Hatziano as Dido had a heartfelt and truly imperious eloquence.” The Times
 
“...we gasped at the gleaming voice of Markella Hatziano.” The Times
 
“The storming ovation which overwhelmed her at the end left no doubt that this audience was acclaiming a star of dazzlingly bright magnitude. As imperiou and benevolent queen, infatuated lover and tragic heroine, she encompassed every aspect of the role with singing that was thrilling, moving and profoundly musical.” The Sunday Telegraph
 
“Hatziano’s glorious line and flowing projection contrasted still concentration and admirable dynamic control with demanding extremes of vocal resources.” The Herald Sun
 
“It will be some time before I forget Hatziano’s subtle and affectingly gentle singing in music that needs an artist with her exemplary tact, insight and obvious humanity to bring out its innate beauty.” The Age 
 
“Pure beauty when she really sings...the high notes came forth round and brilliant, free of too much pressure on the voice...Applause started timidly then turned into a storm.” O Globo (Rio de Janeiro)
 
“No one has heard a voice of such richness, fullness and beauty of timbre in this role in at least 30 years...the qualities of voice and spirit no one can learn the Creator has lavished on her in abundant plenty.” Boston Globe
 
“The opera belonged to the Judith of the young Greek mezzo Markella Hatziano who brought meaning to every word and caught the restlessness of the character’s searching for her husband’s past. Her tone is lustrous and even throughout its range; she phrases musically.” The Times
 
“The title roles were most engagingly sung..The Greek mezzo’s healthy, firm, youthful tone is exciting in itself...two absolutely spiffing B flats...ideally even in spread...Her stage manner is also healthy...singing so assured and smooth...her forthcoming Amnerises are awaited with impatience.” The Times
 
“She has a formidable chest register and is not afraid to exploit it to the full, arms akimbo like an energetic copper on point-duty. It recalls the extrovert singing of Cossotto and Gorr; nothing wrong with that...an Eboli from Hatziano in Don Carlos could be exciting.” The Times
 
“purity of line and flawless technique” La Provincia
 
“Markella Hatziano shines above the rest - the ‘Lux Aeterna’ is the high point in this whole recording” Hi-Fi News
 
“magnificent and generous voice whose timbre is robust, but whose texture is velvety” Ambito Financiero
 
Markella Hatziano, a voice that unites in the richness of her registers and her exquisite timbre a maturity and an interpreters knowledge that amazed us.” Corriere della Sera
 
“...Markella Hatziano sang breathtakingly” Rheinische Post
 
“exquisite timbre, polished musicality and sweetness of emission” Le Monde de la Musique
 
“the velvety and revolutionary voice of the great Greek mezzo Markella Hatziano” Messaggero del Lunedi
 
“of the highest class, the Marguerite of Markella Hatziano, who fascinated us with the roundness of emission, the apparent ease of domination over the texture, and most of all with the truth of song that seems to flow incessantly, without pause, and like magic” “...Markella Hatziano sang breathtakingly” Il Piccolo
 
“an artist of undeniable notoriety” La Nacion
 
“Markella Hatziano commanded respect for her vocal color, her extension of register, and suppleness in her dynamic shades” Corriere Della Serra
 
“Markella Hatziano is a magnificent mezzo, with an extensive vocal range, that displays a beautiful homogeneity throughout the tessitura with the low sonorities and the piercing trebles. Moreover, her phrasing is impeccable.” Le Figaro
 
“The Greek mezzo-soprano Markella Hatziano accomplished a remarkable task in her performances, convincing as much for her vocal gifts as for her precise interpretative work. An artist of undeniable notoriety. She obtained a resonant success with La Mort de Cleopatre which offered her an opportunity to display her great vocal abilities and her astounding temperament.” La Nacion
 
“Markella Hatziano realized her part irreproachably with an immaculate luxuriant voice.” Kleine Zeitung
 
“Markella Hatziano sant the Judith with considerable power of voice.” Süddeutsche Zeitung
 
“... outstanding performance” Wiener Zeitung
 
“fiery temperament” Los Angeles Times
 
“...there was fine singing from the Greek Amneris Markella Hatziano, whose rich, resonant voice did much to fill out her generous performance: certainly, a singer to watch.” Opera Now
 
“Markella Hatziano sings Lady Macbeth with rich mezzo tone and an understatement which is chilling." Classics Today
 
“Markella Hatziano and Rene Pape, the evening's mezzo-soprano and bass, were strong presences." New York Times
 
“Markella Hatziano was again a dream of a Suzuki." Boston Globe
 
"From Greece, a new Callas?" London Daily Mail
“on this evening a star was surely born.” ~Opera Magazine

Nathan Felix (born 1981) is a Brooklyn based, Mexican-American, music composer known for his immersive and audience interactive operas.  His music has been premiered in Bulgaria, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Mongolia and the United States and his music has been featured on the BBC, MTV, NPR & PBS.

Felix just completed two commissions for immersive opera.  Alien Wanderers : Alien World : Alien Home featured soloist Katrina Saporsantos and addressed discrimination and issues surrounding the United States’ southern border, marginalized groups and reappropriation of borders, premiered at Blanton Museum on Nov 21 2019.  A Dream is a Dream is a Dream is a Dream… a ‘silent’ headphone opera about fictional conversations between artist heavyweights from the Surrealist movement and Pop Art movement  premiered at McNay Museum on Nov 7 2019.

In 2016, Felix was featured on PBS and nominated for a Lonestar Emmy for work on his 6-Piano project in which he restored six pianos for a concert featuring two new pieces. After the concert, Felix donated the pianos to schools in lower income neighborhoods in Austin.  The 6 Piano Project has since been commissioned in San Antonio (2016), Barcelona (2017), Melbourne (2017) and Houston (2019).

In 2018, Felix won awards for his “Opera on a Bus” and the “2018 Tobin Prize for Artistic Excellence” for which he premiered is “Headphone Opera” titled, THE WAR BRIDE at Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival. Then in 2019, Felix further expended on a series of ‘silent’ headphone operas in Orlando for Fringe Festival (Best Composer), Austin, San Antonio and College Station.

Rick O&#x27;Keefe is following

Rick O'Keefe is following