EP302 The Divine Feminine: Soprano Michele Kennedy

In Unison

This week we catch up with Bay Area native, early music scholar, and soprano Michele Kennedy on everything from her early days singing with the San Francisco Girls Chorus to her triumphant return to the Davies Symphony Hall stage as a soloist.

We manage to avoid embarrassing stories from her collegiate a cappella days at Yale (where she sang with Giacomo) but we do manage to veer the conversation into her fascinating performances of composers like Florence Price, and premiers of new string arrangements of Harry T. Burleigh’s spirituals with the Gold Coast Chamber Ensemble.

Episode transcript

Music Excerpts

• “Rejoice, Greatly” from Handel’s Messiah, performed by the Dessoff Choirs under the direction of Malcolm J. Merriweather
• “O virtus sapientiae” by Hildegard of Bingen, performed by the San Francisco Girls Chorus under the direction of Valérie Sainte-Agathe
• “Rejouyssons nous” by Cypriano de Rore, performed by Trio Eos
• “Cor Mio” by Salamone Rossi, performed by Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble
• “Sunset" by Florence Price, pianist Bryan Baker; hosted by San Francisco Choral Society
• “Manhã de Carnaval” by Luiz Bonfá, arr. Debra Nagy, performed by Debra Nagy, oboe; Mélisande Corriveau, viola da gamba; Eric Milnes, harpsichord
• “My Lord, What a Morning” trad., arr H.T. Burleigh; strings arranged by Z. Grafilo, performed by the Gold Coast Chamber Ensemble

Episode references

• Michele Kennedy, Soprano
• Michele Kennedy - YouTube
• Trio Eos
• Lorelei Ensemble
• Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble
• San Francisco Girls Chorus
• San Francisco Choral Society
• Gold Coast Chamber Ensemble
• SF Girls Chorus postcard
• The Spirituals of Harry T. Burleigh

Theme Song: Mr. Puffy by Avi Bortnik, arr. by Paul Kim. Performed by Dynamic