What happens when you put four guest soloists in a room together and let other singers ask them questions? No script, no prompts, no holding back. The result is a fascinating and refreshingly honest roundtable conversation featuring soprano Hannah De Priest, countertenor Jay Carter, tenor Dann Coakwell and baritone Elijah Blaisdell. Joined by Bach Talk host Ron Klemm and The Bach Society’s Scott MacDonald, this episode dives into Handel’s Messiah, the art of singing and the deeper layers of life as a performer. Expect enlightening insight, a few surprise revelations and plenty of laughter along the way.
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Ron Klemm (00:00):
This is Bach Talk.
You are hearing two of the fourfine soloists who appeared in
(00:21):
concert with The Bach Societyof Saint Louis in March, 2026.
That's the rarely heard duet for Alto,or in this case, countertenor and
tenor near the end of George FrederickHandel's beloved oratorio, Messiah.
The questions posed in the duetlead directly to a confident
(00:42):
chorus with the answer.
(01:15):
Hello and welcome to Bach Talk.
I'm Ron Klemm.
We often share conversations withsome of the fabulous soloists that
come to St. Louis and inspire uswith their artistry and presence.
Today, we thought we'dtry something different.
We've asked all four of our guestssoloists from a recent concert, soprano
(01:38):
Hannah De Priest, countertenor, JayCarter tenor Dannn Coakwell and baritone
Elijah Blaisdell to sit around a tableat the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel.
We asked members of The Bach Societychorus to submit questions for them.
The result (01:55):
a fascinating round table discussion about Handel's
Messiah, about singing and about life.
Bach Talk's Scott MacDonald joinedme and we found once again that some
of the most talented people in thechoral music business are at the
same time, the most genuine, the mostdelightful folks you'll ever meet.
(02:21):
Sit back, eavesdrop awhile and see if you agree.
We are thrilled on this episode ofBach Talk to have a soloist round
table and I'm going to go around andlet you introduce yourselves, folks.
So let's start on my left with.
Jay Carter (02:39):
Hi, this is Jay Carter, countertenor.
Ron Klemm (02:41):
And you are from where?
Jay Carter (02:43):
I live in Kansas City, but I grew up about a
hundred miles east of St. Louis.
So it's sort of a home game.
Ron Klemm (02:48):
Good.
And then to your left is?
Dann Coakwell (02:51):
My name's Dannn Coakwell.
I'm a tenor and I've been living inupstate New York for, the past eight
years, Ithaca, and, but I'm originallyfrom Central Texas, but I've lived in the,
the northeast for I guess, 16 years total.
So yeah, I definitely feelthe Northeast is my home.
Ron Klemm (03:08):
I don't hear an accent.
Dann Coakwell (03:09):
yeah.
And people tell me I never really had one.
I, my, my parents are from theMidwest, so, I, think I just never
adopted the, the local accent.
Ron Klemm (03:18):
Well, we'll call you brother.
It's okay.
And to your left is our co-producer,and that's Scott MacDonald who
sings baritone with the chorus.
How you doing?
Scott MacDonald (03:27):
I'm good.
I am, I'm often, my, my editingskills are often heard, but my voice
is really heard on this podcast.
Ron Klemm (03:35):
Well, you do a terrific job with, we're extremely grateful.
And to your left is?
Hannah DePriest (03:39):
I'm Hannah De Priest.
I'm a soprano.
I live in Philadelphia, but I am alsolike Jay, a native, a Missourian.
So I grew up in St. Joseph, asmall town north of Kansas City.
Ron Klemm (03:48):
And then finally we have?
Elijah Blaisdell (03:50):
I am Elijah Blaisdell.
I recently moved back to thePacific Northwest, where I grew up.
And
I'm in, I've been in New York andBoston mainly for, oh, I don't
know, almost 15 years before that.
Ron Klemm (04:08):
All four of you are here in St. Louis for this
particular weekend and week.
to sing the solos in Handel'sgreat oratorio Messiah.
But I believe all of you havesung with The Bach Society before.
Maybe you can remembersome of those things.
Let's go around.
Jay, you sung with us a lot.
Jay Carter (04:26):
Yeah, I think the first time I was here was a Matthew Passion,
and it's probably been at least 15years, and I've been thrilled to come
back for a variety of passions, masses.
I realized the other day, this is thefirst time I've ever done anything with
The Bach Society in English, which.
Ron Klemm (04:42):
Oh, right.
Jay Carter (04:42):
Yeah.
Which, which is kind of nice, to,you know, realize, oh, now we're in
that language that I think I speak.
So.
Ron Klemm (04:49):
Yes.
Well, you're doing just fine now.
And you've sung with us Dann
Dann Coakwell (04:53):
Yes, my first time was about three years ago, 2023.
And St. Matthew Passion as well andI was doing the tenor aria for that
so I'm just thrilled to be back.
Ron Klemm (05:03):
Good to have you, Hannah.
I think I remember youin that good old Requiem.
Hannah DePriest (05:08):
Yes, exactly.
Yeah.
That was Eternal Light.
That's, yes.
Yeah.
It's a beautiful piece.
I, I didn't know it, but I wasso happy to, come and sing it,
so I'm, I'm thrilled to be back.
Ron Klemm (05:17):
Oh, we are thrilled to have you, Elijah.
I know you've beensinging some Bach with us.
Elijah Blaisdell (05:21):
Yes.
Yeah.
I also started here on St. MatthewPassion in 2018, I believe.
and then have done St. John and B Minor,as well, including the pandemic recording,
which I think Jay you were on, as well.
Jay Carter (05:35):
Yeah, I do remember that.
That's right.
Yeah.
Elijah Blaisdell (05:37):
And then we got to come and do it for real a few years after that.
Jay Carter (05:39):
Yeah.
I remember it feelingkind of anti-climactic.
I'm like, we recordedthis, I guess we're done.
And I was so glad when we finallygot to actually do the performance.
Ron Klemm (05:47):
Yeah, it was, a tough time, but people like you helped
all of us get through it andwe're extremely grateful for that.
Now here's what's gonna happen.
The Bach Society chorus,members of the chorus.
Have done due diligence and havesubmitted literally dozens of questions
(06:08):
and I asked my friend Jay to go through'em and help me cu them because I
couldn't possibly get to them all.
We'd be here till next Tuesday.
So what we have are, first of all somequestions about Messiah and we talk about
Messiah a lot, but I thought they had someextremely interesting, perspectives on it.
And the first one comes from BassAllen Schwamb, who asks what chorus
(06:32):
or aria of Handel's Messiah is,in your opinion, most underrated?
Jay Carter (06:38):
Well, I've, I've actually got a strong opinion about this and,
it's, there is a, there's a coursethat's frequently cut, that I think The
Bach Society actually has cut as well.
It follows the soprano aria.
How beautiful are the feet of them?
It's called Break Forth Into Joy.
And I think it was something that wasdone in the, in the premier performances
(06:59):
and at some point I think Handel maybesaid, this is unwieldy, let's cut it out
and it's actually a really great, chirpyway to end that beautiful soprano aria.
It always, it always seems to me likethe soprano aria just kind of stops
and withers too quickly and like thereneeds to be something to follow it.
There's that chorus that'sthere that makes that one really
(07:21):
work, but it never gets done.
But if you're gonna pull from theregular movements, the chorus in part
one, and he shall purify, is justabout my favorite thing in the world.
It was the first chorus I ever learnedin Messiah as a, as a young singer.
And I remember trying to learn thosemelismas, you know, it just absolutely
killed me as a, as a high school student.
And when my wife and I got married,it was the one that we found ourselves
(07:43):
washing dishes to, I think moreoften than not, one of our favorites.
purifying the dishes, as it were.
Ron Klemm (07:50):
Yeah, exactly.
Alright.
There's one.
Hannah DePriest (07:54):
I think that for me it's the, final movement and I don't
know if it, it's necessarily underrated.
I just think that it comes aftersuch a long experience in the
concert that you can kind of like.
It can, you can maybe notappreciate how incredible it is
actually, and I just, I love it.
I'm so glad that Dennis is letting ussing, sing along, because honestly,
(08:16):
it would be hard to fight the urge.
Ron Klemm (08:18):
Oh, he, he lets the soloists sing in the Amen.
Hannah DePriest (08:20):
Yes, exactly.
Yeah.
I just think it's such abeautiful, beautiful ending.
The whole sequence of choruses thathappen in, in, in the last pages, so.
Ron Klemm (08:30):
Great.
Dann Coakwell (08:30):
I kinda love the, either walk through the, walking in
darkness aria from the, the bass.
I feel like that oneis kind of underrated.
I, it sometimes has been cut and thingslike that, but I, I just think that
there's, such beauty to that and thenthe sort of that feeling of building
the mystery, that kind of thing.
And then that pays off withtrumpet shazam at the very end.
(08:51):
So as a non-bass myself, I sortof appreciate the bass arias
from that, that perspective.
Yeah.
Elijah Blaisdell (08:57):
Yeah, that's my favorite bass aria as well.
Ron Klemm (08:59):
Yeah, I would.
Elijah Blaisdell (09:00):
No one's letting me sing it this year, but,
well, oh, well maybe next year.
Ron Klemm (09:03):
Well, now wait a minute.
Let's clarify.
Maestro Sparger has decidedto do parts two and three,
and that's in part one, right?
Elijah Blaisdell (09:11):
Right.
Ron Klemm (09:11):
Okay.
Parts two and three fit more towith the season that we're in
right now, or as we're recording.
Well, I know, Jay's answer to this,but Allen Schwamb followed up with the
question about melismas is what's yourfavorite melisma in all of Handel's music?
(09:32):
And we'll take Jay's answer for, purify.
Jay Carter (09:34):
Well, I should probably clarify which entry it is.
It's the alto and he shall purifyentry That happens about two
thirds of the way through the.
The bass one is all is great.
You know, right outta the gate.
There's something about the altos takingthe ball and running it down the field.
That's just.
You know.
Near and dear to my heart.
Ron Klemm (09:49):
Football analogy.
I love it.
Jay Carter (09:50):
Yeah.
Dann Coakwell (09:51):
I'm, a sucker for, his yoke is easy.
The
[vocalizes] his yoke is easy, I just lovethat, you know, uh, that, the whole line
and the [vocalizes], and it's like kindof a hiccup, but, you know, blinking,
you miss it, but you gotta do it right.
So that one's really fun.
Ron Klemm (10:05):
Right?
Elijah Blaisdell (10:07):
yeah.
I was gonna say my favoritemelisma, I don't know if it
counts, but I always love the.
the people who walk it in darkness.
Ron Klemm (10:14):
Oh, yeah.
Elijah Blaisdell (10:15):
you know, it's a bit more wordy than, some of the other
melismas, but I just love the, thetext painting of it, how it, it wanders
and it's, it's down low and, you know,has this sort of serpentine motion.
so that's, that's reallyone of my favorites.
Ron Klemm (10:29):
Good, good.
tenor, Peter Hensel followed up on,on that whole melisma, and he, he
asked this question, what method ormethods, or practice approach, right,
do you apply in order to acquire easein those fast melismatic passages?
What, what do, what do you do?
(10:51):
How do you prep it?
How, what do you, how do you approach it?
Who's gonna jump inand tell me the secret?
Hannah?
Hannah DePriest (10:57):
I got you.
To me, this is like a mantra thatI think is especially great for
singing, but I think it could applyto anyone in any period of your
life, which is slow to go fast.
And, I think there's one from likeNASCAR or the Army or something that's
a variant of that's like, smooth,slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
(11:21):
I, those approach thatis, I think the key.
You have to start slow, even if itlooks easy on the page, start slow.
And then if it's slow,it's legato AKA smooth.
And then, And that's the kind ofcoloratura that I wanna listen
to is something that's incrediblyconnected and really, really like a
pearl necklace and not disjointed.
(11:43):
So slow to go fast.
And then you really, like, you work yourway up and it, and then it also kind
of builds in a lot of breath supportbecause you're always on the voice
and yeah, that's what I like to do.
The other thing I really like to dois sing the coloratura at different
pitch levels, so that wherever thebreak is, wherever the, wherever it's
(12:07):
falling in, in your range, you can doit in different places in your voice.
And it's a great warmup.
So taking a tricky passage.Okay,can I sing it down a third?
Can I do it down a fifth?
Where is it hitting?
Where are the, you know,where can I smooth it out?
And then it's always easier at the actualpitch level if you've done that enough.
Dann Coakwell (12:27):
I bet those who do Refiner's Fire would, would,
could relate to what she just said.
Yeah.
Jay Carter (12:31):
Yeah.
That, that piece just rakes the altoor the bass over the coals every time.
And you know, that's, that's oneof the ones that was written for
a very particular voice type.
It was written for a castrato namedGuadagni, who is a very particular voice.
And unfortunately the inheritance ofthat piece is that everybody who's not
a castrato has to figure out how to copewith what were very, I'm sure particular
(12:53):
problems, endemic to that voice type.
Those melismas are nightmares.
Ron Klemm (12:58):
Now, which movement is this?
Jay Carter (12:59):
But who may abide the day of his coming in part one.
And so, you know, there'sthe fancy version.
It was written for this, right.
This crazy guy in, in the 1750sand now it's the version that's
in the score that we all do.
You've probably done it as a bass.
Yeah, I've done it as an alto.
There's even a soprano version of itthat came along later on and, it's just,
it's unfriendly, unfriendly all around.
(13:22):
And those melismas, they sitright in the gearshift spot.
Whether you're a mezzo, a contralto,a countertenor, it's, it'll kill you.
Dann Coakwell (13:29):
Speaking of gear shift, I, when we were talking about
the, the coloratura type things.
One thing I learned in high school,and this is many, many years ago now,
but it was the idea of the engine, carengine that won't start in the morning.
That [vocalizes].
That kind of thing.
So, you know, it's, and the otherthing I always like to say too, is.
To, to find your, whereyour natural vibrato lies.
(13:49):
And so if you've got [vocalizes],you feel, you know, if you have
that natural is, to then say, okay,then find that tempo of that vibrato
and put the coloratura in that.
And then you can modify it from there.
But, but you wanna sort of play withwhat your, body wants to do naturally.
along with training everything that Hannahsaid with the When you're with your breath
(14:10):
support and all those kind of things.
Ron Klemm (14:11):
Right, right.
Dann Coakwell (14:12):
So those little fun tidbits.
Ron Klemm (14:14):
Excellent.
How would you, Peter also,followed up with this question.
How would you compare or contrastyour delivery of a solo from Messiah
with that of one from another ofHandel's, oratorios or operas?
One that involves a characterthat is not delivering maybe a
biblical text, but a character role.
(14:36):
How do you, is there a difference?
Do you not, not think about that?
Hannah DePriest (14:39):
I really don't think there is a difference and I, I don't
think there should be a difference.
I think all music is theatrical.
And, no matter what the contextin which it was written, it is
meant to be fully expressed froma really specific point of view.
And one of the beautifulthings about singing Messiah
is, for me, I mean, I don't.
(15:02):
personally feel a lot of religiousconviction in my own life, but I find
it so cathartic and, affirming to likestep into the mindset of someone who
does feel so sure and as a sopranosoloist, that's kind of your role
is to really, be the true believer.
(15:23):
And I find it, it feels goodin me, and then I love playing
that role for the audience too.
Ron Klemm (15:29):
Excellent.
Scott MacDonald (15:31):
I find that fascinating, the idea that as a, particularly as
a soprano, you have that, that role.
Are you saying in contrast to analto or in, in contrast to a mezzo,
you, you have a more of a, youknow, purity to your character?
Hannah DePriest (15:46):
Oh, no, I, I just mean there's something about, I
think I'm thinking specificallyof, I know my redeemer liveth.
Scott MacDonald (15:52):
Oh, sure.
Hannah DePriest (15:53):
That's just a, yeah, just the text of my arias
just happen to be, so that comefrom a place of real assuredness.
Jay Carter (16:01):
I, I think one of Messiah's difficulties is that there is no a
character responsible for deliveringa, a story in the, in that way.
And part of it is the, I don't wannasay the fault of the librettist,
Charles Jennens, who was one of the mostbizarre figures in the 18th century that
you could have ever run across, but.
(16:22):
If you dig in a little bit deeper,you, you realize that Jennens is
somebody who wrote way too manyletters to the editor about particular
religious controversies in his day.
And he was really, he was reallyobsessed with the notion of deism,
in England, which was a real problem.
And he, I have a tendency because ofmy academic background, to think about
Messiah as being a polemic against deism.
(16:44):
And if you get reallyinto the weeds, then.
in a deist world, the divine creatorof the universe will not upset
anything that is in the creation.
That means that the laws of physicsare never gonna be suspended.
Miracles don't happen, blah, blah, blah.
Then I start looking at Jennens' textwhere these action words in the setting
of them by Handel is so picturesque.
(17:04):
And I think if there was a characterin the way, I don't know that
that the activity of that wouldcome away in quite the same way.
And, I, I think in manyways it's a weakness.
And I think in many ways it's, it's alsothe thing that makes it more unique than
the other oratorios is that there is adramatic deficit that has to be brought.
And it means that when you havegood soloists like this group that's
(17:27):
around the table, that we kind of feelempowered to bring something to it.
We don't get to define it though,and I, I think that implication, at
least in the minds of the audience,is probably stronger than definition.
And it means that, you know, we, getto be dramatic in a very different
way, but implication is very, it'sa lot of fun, especially when not
everybody has the same thoughts.
(17:48):
A deism is not keeping me awake atnight as, as, as I lay my head down
to sleep by any stretch of the.
But it draws your eye tothe piece in a certain way.
And each of us is gonna bringsomething to that from our own
background about the piece.
And I think that's, if these were definedcharacters, I don't think it would work.
I mean, you're the angel Gabriel.
Okay, fine.
Gimme my trumpet off I go.
(18:09):
But I think that's, that's oneof the things about the piece
that makes it different thanthe other work warriors for me.
Ron Klemm (18:53):
A short portion of the alto aria “Thou Art Gone Up on High” from
Handel’s oratorio Messiah, countertenorJay Carter, and The Bach Society
Orchestra conducted by Dennis Sparger.
From a concert in March, 2026, we'llhear the artistry of our other guests
a little later, we're just gettingstarted with our singers round table.
(19:18):
More from Scott, MacDonald's and myconversation with them straight ahead.
You are listening to Bach Talk.
It's a singer's, or in thiscase, a soloists round table.
On today's edition of Bach Talk,Scott MacDonald and I are talking
with soloists from The Bach Society'srecent performance of Handel's Messiah.
(19:42):
Soprano Hannah De Priest, counterTenor, Jay Carter Tenor, Dannn
Coakwell, and baritone Elijah Blaisdell.
The questions were submitted bymembers of The Bach Society Chorus.
As we pick up the conversation,Scott asked Dann about something
he noticed about Dann's delivery.
Scott MacDonald (20:02):
Today during the dress rehearsal.
I was very struck, Dann, byhow you approach the, basically
the acting of your role.
Dann Coakwell (20:12):
Oh, thanks.
Scott MacDonald (20:12):
You know, I, I was struck by how even from the moment
that you stand up from your chairand approach the podium, you are
already telegraphing your character,what you're about to be conveying.
In the aria or the recitative thatyou're speaking, or speak-singing.
How much do you, you know, is, thata formal part of your instruction and
(20:37):
education as a singer, or are, are thosekinds of, you know, facial elements,
gestures, the non-singing part of singing.
How much of that is simply intuitiveor something you figure out as you go?
Dann Coakwell (20:50):
I think, that's kinda like the, age old argument
of nature versus nurture, right?
You know, and I, I think there's alittle bit, a little bit of both.
'cause I've certainly been fortunate tohave teachers that have fostered the, that
kind of idea of dramatic presentation and,and that you, we hear what we see, you
know, and we, we, that we often sometimeslisten with our eyes, you know, in a
(21:12):
lot of ways that that's something that,that has stuck with me over the years.
But I also, it goes all theway back to my childhood when
I think about literally like.
Freddie Mercury and, you know, Bonoand, and these kind of, these figures
that I idolized when I was a kid.
And I, and what captivated me aboutwhat they brought to the table.
It wasn't just them, it was,it was something otherworldly
(21:33):
that, that I noticed.
And there was a, a larger messagethat often went with that.
So when I became, started going down morethe formal training of, of performance.
I, I thought to myself, well, you know,what's, what is engaging as an audience?
What is it that hits us?
And I, love about, you know, watchingmovies and things like that when we
talk about, you know, being in thescene as, as an audience member, right.
(21:55):
You know, it's like when the thingsthat we love the most, when we watch
an amazing movie is because we feellike we are in that scene with the
characters and with the people.
And we we're empathizing with someonewho's crying, we're empathizing with the
laughter, you know, that kind of thing.
So, so for me, that there'sa little bit of that.
You know, that rock and roll, you know,uh, you know, Mick Jagger or whatever, you
(22:16):
know, there's, there's sort of that plusthe element of, of drama and, connecting
with characters, whether there's acharacter explicitly written or not and
kind of to Hannah's point as well, thatit's like all music is sort of theatrical
there, that, that kind of thing.
So I, I, I always wanna makesure that I never cross the line.
Jokes aside about Mick Jagger andthose kind of things, I never wanna
(22:39):
cross that line and become a showman.
It's never about, about that.
It's, it's more that if I'm in theaudience, what's gonna, what am I
gonna identify with if I'm seeingsomeone and hearing them and if, and
if it's just beautiful music witha blank face, it's nice, you know?
It might be a nice lullaby, that kindof thing, but it's, it, what really
grabs me is when I see and and hearsomething at the same time, and I feel
(23:01):
like I'm there, you know, it kind of.
It makes you kind of gasp.
And so, so that's kind of alittle bit of my motivation there.
And, and also there is drama.
I mean, this is a real dramaticwork, especially in, in, I would
argue especially during the passionsection of, of this, what we're
doing in this particular concert.
You know, this is Handel's version oflike what Bach does with the passions.
(23:22):
And, there's a lot of parallels there.
I, as the tenor feel like I'm, lucky thatI get to put on some of the, the same hats
between the Bach Passions and the, and theHandel's Messiah part two because there's
a, a lot of those moments where, the, thetenor is describing what the people are
doing to Jesus and, and you know, all thethings although you do it with despise it
(23:45):
as well because you're talking about the
Jay Carter (23:46):
Yeah.
The well, and it's one of those things,am I an observer of what's happening?
Dann Coakwell (23:51):
Exactly.
Jay Carter (23:52):
Does gender play a role?
You know, is this, is this.
Some woman off to the side is this Simonof Cyrene, who, who is, who is that role.
And I think that's one of thegreat things, again, is that
the implication can be made.
And people can fill inthe blanks on their own.
One of the things I love about whatyou do is, and this may feel like a
walk in the park for you, is becauseI've watched you do those Bach passions
(24:16):
a number of times beautifully in alanguage that the audience doesn't speak.
Dann Coakwell (24:20):
Mm-hmm.
Jay Carter (24:21):
And you do such a good job of.
Implying meaning and bringing them in.
Dann Coakwell (24:25):
Mm-hmm.
Jay Carter (24:26):
To not English.
Dann Coakwell (24:28):
Right, right.
Jay Carter (24:29):
And maybe now that you're in English, it's, is that easier for you or?
Dann Coakwell (24:34):
Yeah, I would say so.
Jay Carter (24:35):
Yeah.
Dann Coakwell (24:35):
Yeah.
I, I love, the idea that I. No matter,I could be singing gibberish, but if
there's intent behind the, way I'mdelivering it vocally and the way I
visually bring something that someonecan understand, there's actually, in, in
theater, you guys probably all have donethis before, but there's the gibberish
game, you know, where you're, you'regoing around the room and, and you, you
(24:56):
play, you, you're having a conversationwith someone in gibberish, but you're
conveying meaning in other ways.
And it's like the job of everyone else inthe room to interpret what they're doing.
And so that, that kind of thing.
So to, to me, that's what's partof the fun of singing in foreign
languages is like, how do I get thesepeople to really understand what's
going on and to empathize and, andconnect without knowing that language?
So, but when you're in English, it'seven, it's like running with weights, a
(25:20):
weighted vest, and then now you get totake the weighted vest off, you know?
And, now we just get to, to playand have fun and, and you know,
just really connect directly.
Jay Carter (25:29):
Such arresting singing.
Ron Klemm (26:11):
This question comes from Zach Singer, who asks if your interpretation
changes when you're singing with periodinstruments versus modern instruments?
Now you have one instrumentand it's in your body and soul.
But does your interpretation changewhen the orchestral players are doing
(26:33):
something with period instruments?
Hannah DePriest (26:34):
I honestly think I, I don't, I think musicality is
musicality and I think that especiallyas a, you know, young singer who
I, most of my formal training isreally centered on baroque music.
I've been really fortunate to workwith a lot of early music specialists,
but now in my career I'm starting toget hired by more modern orchestras
and really enjoying that as well, andalso getting hired to do things that
(26:58):
are outside of the baroque realm.
And I think that there is some impostersyndrome that I had to sort of talk
myself out of, because at the end
Ron Klemm (27:06):
What do you mean by that?
Hannah DePriest (27:08):
Well, I think, I think, when you do so much of one
thing, and especially when thatthing is baroque music, you can feel
like, oh, is my voice too small?
Is it too this or that?
What I, how can I do rubato?
Like, do I know whatI'm doing with pacini?
What do I do?
And actually, I think thecommon thread is musicality.
(27:31):
And, if you've studied a lot ofBaroque music, then sure, you
know a lot about primary sourcesand maybe, you know, things about
ornamentation that are really helpful.
But more than anything, I thinkit's taught you to be flexible.
It's taught you to understandhow to shape a phrase.
And those things don't just likefall away in different repertoires
or with different orchestras.
(27:53):
And, yeah, I've never felt likemy approach changes dramatically.
Elijah Blaisdell (27:59):
Yeah, I'd agree with that.
I see.
Ron Klemm (28:01):
Elijah?
Elijah Blaisdell (28:01):
I think the, the biggest thing with period instruments
is you just have a bit more space,because, you know, modern instruments
are built for power, you know?
They come to us from thelate romantic period.
Ron Klemm (28:11):
They fill the space.
Yeah.
Elijah Blaisdell (28:12):
Yeah.
whereas, you know, period instruments are.
You know, sort of a, maybe a morenasal sound, more buzzy sound.
They tend to decay a little quicker.
So you can, you sortof, your floor is lower.
You can do a little more delicate stuff.
And that's, you know, not necessarilysomething I premeditate, but something
that's sort of, you know, in the momentyou're like, oh, I can really, like,
I can really come down on this one.
(28:33):
And, so that, that'ssomething I, I really enjoy.
About working with period instruments.
Ron Klemm (28:38):
What about pitch?
If you're singing not in the normal,normal, today's normal standardized
440, pitch in Bach day was lower.
Right?
What does that do for you?
Jay Carter (28:51):
I know for me, it makes some pieces unpleasant to sing.
There are, certain pieces that I,because of the way that my voice works,
I am hyper aware of the change of ahalf step here, and there and it, it
means that a Matthew Passion at highpitch is a very different piece for
me than a Matthew Passion at 415.
(29:13):
That makes a huge difference for me.
In other music Inotice it, especiallyin 17th century music, if the
pitch isn't what it's supposed tobe, Schütz all of a sudden doesn't
feel right if it's not at 465.
Purcell doesn't feel rightunless it's in a certain place.
I mean, it's, and even within all of that,you know, it changes from venue to venue.
So it's, I think that's always a littleadventure every time is like, okay,
(29:35):
we're gonna do this and we're gonna bea creepy low French pitch at 392, what
in the world is that gonna feel like?
And sometimes it's a, it's a heck ofa shock, but, you know, I, think I'm,
I'm odd because my production system isdifferent than the other voices here.
and so I may be, I may be hyper careful.
Ron Klemm (29:55):
Yeah.
Jay Carter (29:55):
About that.
Ron Klemm (29:56):
And if people are wondering what is, what is he talking about?
They need to go back and listen to theepisode with Jay Carter on Bach Talk.
Scott MacDonald (30:03):
Season one.
Ron Klemm (30:04):
Season one.
Yes.
Jay Carter (30:04):
Season one.
Oh gosh.
Ron Klemm (30:05):
Right?
Yeah.
You were one of, youwere one of the first.
You helped me
(31:13):
baptize this whole thing.
Soprano Hannah De Priest with thearia “How Beautiful Are the Feet” from
Handel's Messiah in a recent performancewith The Bach Society of Saint Louis,
Dennis Sparger conducting, earlier inthis portion, we heard the tenor aria
(31:34):
“But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul inHell” featuring tenor Dannn Coakwell.
I hope you're enjoying our roundtable conversation with four
wonderful singers, soloists at TheBach Society's recent performance of
George Frederick Handel's Messiah.
If you are, please let us know.
(31:55):
You can contact us at Bachsociety.org.
Just go to the watch and listen tabat the top and click on Bach Talk.
Just ahead, more questions for ourguests from members of The Bach Society
Chorus, you are listening to Bach Talk.
(32:18):
I want to move away from some of thesemore specific things and get into some of
the more lighter questions that are wereasked, but interesting, for you as people.
Bob Miller asked this question, Bob'sone of our fine tenors, and he asks,
what person or experiences inspiredyou to pursue a career as a musician?
Dann Coakwell (32:40):
I have
Ron Klemm (32:41):
as a soloist.
Dann Coakwell (32:41):
Yeah, I have a story about this because I,
Ron Klemm (32:43):
Oh, Dann, pardon me while I lean back and listen.
Dann Coakwell (32:46):
Well, one of my favorite humans to ever lived was
my high school choir director.
And, and
I, I was always.
The weird kid who was, before high school,you know, was young, as young as I can
remember, I, it was always whistlingand, and harmonizing with things I
would hear and all these kind of things.
So, you know, I didn't know, I was justsort of oblivious to what I was doing.
(33:08):
I just thought it was fun, youknow, I was playing with, with, you
know, music and things like that.
And, and then when I was in highschool, I, I didn't even join choir
'cause I was a visual arts guy.
I was more into drawing andall those kind of things.
Ron Klemm (33:20):
Really?
Dann Coakwell (33:21):
I always thought I was gonna go into graphic
design and things like that.
And then, my after my freshman year ofhigh school, when I was, going into, at
the end that, that year, my high schoolchoir director who was in a wheelchair,
he, he had polio when he was a child.
And, so he was bound to awheelchair all of his life.
And, he's just the mostpassionate kind of human, just
(33:43):
the way he, he's very magnetic.
But I remember, he, he knew my sister, whowas older than me, she was in choir and
things like that, and he, one day he justsaw me in the hallway and he like, kind
of grabbed me by the arm and he was like.
You're gonna audition forchoir for next year, right?
And I was like, uh, uh, uh, yeah.
Okay.
Sure Mr. Finney.
And, and so I gott know it.
I was like, okay.
So I auditioned and stuff and thenI never knew anything about how to
(34:06):
read music, anything like that, butit was just like a light bulb just
went on and I was singing with him.
He was so passionate.
He was one of these guys who just,made you love everything about
what you did when it came to music.
And, so I found out quickly that Ihad a knack for this kind of thing.
And, and, by the time I was graduating,I, you know, I'd done Allstate
choir and like these kind of things.
(34:27):
solo ensemble, you know, these, thesekind of things that, it, felt like,
oh, this is like, this is wonderful.
This is, this is where I belong, you know?
And, and of course the culture, you know,and, the, the choir nerds as we were, you
know, in, in high school, that kind ofthing.That also the community in that.
So by the time I went to college, itwas one of those things that it was
(34:47):
kind of the obvious choice for me.
And, and I was just like, well, Imight as well just give this a shot
and like worst case scenario, I'llgo back and do one of those other
passions I have, you know, for, things.
But, you know, you might aswell be young to, to try music.
It's, it's a lot easier to, tostart when you're young and change
to something else later than tohave, have done something else.
And then always looked back andthought, what if I had done music?
(35:09):
And so, and he passed awaysuddenly in 2009 from a
complication with a surgery he had.
So he was, he was kind of rippedfrom us too soon, several years
after I'd graduated high school.
But, and, and he was just belovedby everybody in Texas and,
and in the music world there.
So, so I, I just, I think about himevery time I perform that, that he's,
(35:31):
the reason why I do what I do and Isort of, sort of give glory to him in
a way in every, every moment I have.
But yeah.
Ron Klemm (35:40):
Thank you, Dann.
That's great.
What inspired you, Hannah,to become a soloist?
Hannah DePriest (35:46):
Honestly, the thing that I really, really remember
was I, I think I was probably likesix or seven, and my parents took
us all to hear Connie Dover sing.
Jay Carter (35:58):
Oh my gosh.
Hannah DePriest (35:58):
And this is a woman from Kansas.
Jay Carter (36:01):
She, she lives in Weston, Missouri part of the year too.
Hannah DePriest (36:04):
Yeah.
Okay.
So she
Jay Carter (36:07):
Folk singer?
Hannah DePriest (36:07):
Yeah, she's a folk singer.
She did this concert at a local venuein St. Joseph, Missouri, and it was
just her in a spotlight with her guitarand it was my, it must have been my
first time hearing something like that.
And it, like totally.
(36:27):
I became obsessed with Connie Dover,and I didn't have any perspective
on who she was or celebrity.
So in my head, Connie Dover was like,everyone knew who Connie Dover was
and at the concert she was selling allher CDs, so I made my mom buy all of them.
And for the next like four years,I learned her entire discography
(36:49):
and I would sing it by myselfin our living room all the time.
And for me, even from a young kid,it was like the ideas of being in the
spotlight, telling stories and singing.
Those three things were kind of like.
The, that's all what made me wannado it, being the center of attention,
(37:11):
to be totally brutally honest.
Dann Coakwell (37:12):
There's a soprano joke in there somewhere.
Hannah DePriest (37:15):
No, but I think especially as a little girl and even
now as a woman, there is something thatstill feels kind of just,transgressive
and special about being a woman andeveryone in the room has to listen
to me do whatever I'm about to do.
I really do,
Ron Klemm (37:33):
It's the very definition of a diva, isn't it?
Hannah DePriest (37:34):
I, I relish it.
I really relish it.
So being the center of attention,storytelling, which has always been
a big thing in my family and justhow I was raised, you know, the
idea of being able to hold people'sattention and then the singing, which
is just, has always felt good to me.
But yeah, you know, I've never metConnie Dover to like, tell her that.
(37:54):
And I feel like
Ron Klemm (37:56):
You'll have to go over to Jay's place, he'll, he'll take care of you.
Jay Carter (37:58):
I, I, the only reason why I, I'm just kind of gobsmacked by it,
because she was somebody that whenI was, had just graduated from my
undergraduate work, she was doing a lotof work in Kansas City, as a folk singer.
She did a concert with the Kansas CityChamber Orchestra that I remember going
to when I was, you know a kid and itwas kind of a, a wonderful experience.
Just beautiful singing.
Hannah DePriest (38:18):
She has a beautiful voice.
Yeah.
I mean, honestly, go listento one of her albums.
They still slap.
Yeah.
And, she, yeah, she heldeverybody's attention.
I mean, she had me in the palmof her hand, obviously she still
does in this weird cosmic way.
But yeah, I would say her.
And then, you know, Liza Minnelliand, yeah, a lot of the divas from
all the different backgrounds.
Ron Klemm (38:39):
We, we all know Jay's story, Elijah, so you're on.
Elijah Blaisdell (38:42):
Okay.
I have, similarly to, to Dann,I sort of had a similar start.
I was just really always singing and,and whistling and humming to myself,
from a very young age, much to the.
the annoyance of my classmates.
I remember.
Hannah DePriest (38:57):
Did you guys just have undiagnosed ADHD?
Dann Coakwell (39:00):
Oh, I'm sure.
I'm sure, yeah.
Elijah Blaisdell (39:03):
Could be.
Hannah DePriest (39:03):
You can cut that, but I just.
It's really specific.
Dann Coakwell (39:06):
Oh, we come by it, honestly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Elijah Blaisdell (39:08):
So that was always a big, a big part, of it for me.
And then sort of didn't reallytake, take it too seriously until I
was, headed off to college, but atthat point had decided that I was
going to, major in music education.
which for me, I, I later realized was wasreally a safe choice and that I, I sort
(39:31):
of wanted to do music, but I'd heard that,you know, a musician's life is is pretty
hard and you're have, long hours, weirdhours, lots of travel, which is very true.
As we all have learned.
And so it was sort of, youknow, well, maybe I can have
sort of have it both ways.
And then I remember, you know, aftera few years of being in college and
(39:52):
just sitting at this one concert itactually, it was actually, I don't know
if anyone, from this audience will know,but there's this ama amazing, wonderful
jazz group called Groove for Thought.
They do a lot of stuff acapella.
It's a group of music educators primarily,that are just like, just incredible jazz
(40:14):
musicians and I actually became goodfriends with one of the members, 'cause
she was in school at the time, with me.
And I was just sitting at thisconcert and I was like, I mean, yeah.
Like that, this is what I wanna be doing.
And like.
I'll probably fall on my faceand completely fail at this.
But like, I have to try.
(40:35):
And then like, whatever happens afterthat, like I'll just, I'll figure it out.
But I can't like not do this.
I have to, see like, you know,what kind of music I can make.
What amazing collaborators I canfind out there to do music with
'cause that's always been a really,really big thing for me is I love
(40:56):
making music with other people.
I actually get much more joy fromsort of like the ensemble moments
that we get than, the solo stuff.
The solo stuff can be thrilling, butyou know, it's really, the magic is in
when you are singing with other peopleand, and really truly collaborating.
And I've been blessed to beable to do a lot of that in
(41:17):
the years since that decision.
Ron Klemm (41:39):
Baritone Elijah Blaisdell collaborating with Trumpeter David
Sanderson, and The Bach SocietyOrchestra, conducted by music
director A. Dennis Sparger, astirring bass aria from the Bach.
Society's most recent performanceof Handel's oratorio Messiah.
(42:08):
I hope you've enjoyed our timetoday with Elijah Blaisdell and
his soloist colleagues, sopranoHannah de Priest, countertenor, Jay
Carter, and tenor Dannn Coakwell.
If you did, you're in luck becausewe have another half hour or so
of this round table discussionthat you have yet to hear.
We plan on sharing it with younext time here on Bach Talk.
(42:41):
Guests of The Bach Society stay atthe Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel.
Featuring Old World Charm at theintersection of comfort and convenience.
I'm Ron Klemm.
Today's episode was edited by Ian Gilbert.
The Bach Society's recordingengineer is Paul Henrik.
(43:04):
Special thanks to Scott MacDonaldfor his on-site assistance.
Additional assistance provided asalways by Carissa Marciniak and
Adie Murphy of Right Relations.
(43:53):
Bach Talk is a registered trademarkof The Bach Society of Saint Louis.
This is Bach Talk.
You are hearing two of the fourfine soloists who appeared in
(00:21):
concert with The Bach Societyof Saint Louis in March, 2026.
That's the rarely heard duet for Alto,or in this case, countertenor and
tenor near the end of George FrederickHandel's beloved oratorio, Messiah.
The questions posed in the duetlead directly to a confident
(00:42):
chorus with the answer.
(01:15):
Hello and welcome to Bach Talk.
I'm Ron Klemm.
We often share conversations withsome of the fabulous soloists that
come to St. Louis and inspire uswith their artistry and presence.
Today, we thought we'dtry something different.
We've asked all four of our guestssoloists from a recent concert, soprano
(01:38):
Hannah De Priest, countertenor, JayCarter tenor Dannn Coakwell and baritone
Elijah Blaisdell to sit around a tableat the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel.
We asked members of The Bach Societychorus to submit questions for them.
The result (01:55):
a fascinating round table discussion about Handel's
Messiah, about singing and about life.
Bach Talk's Scott MacDonald joinedme and we found once again that some
of the most talented people in thechoral music business are at the
same time, the most genuine, the mostdelightful folks you'll ever meet.
(02:21):
Sit back, eavesdrop awhile and see if you agree.
We are thrilled on this episode ofBach Talk to have a soloist round
table and I'm going to go around andlet you introduce yourselves, folks.
So let's start on my left with.
Jay Carter (02:39):
Hi, this is Jay Carter, countertenor.
Ron Klemm (02:41):
And you are from where?
Jay Carter (02:43):
I live in Kansas City, but I grew up about a
hundred miles east of St. Louis.
So it's sort of a home game.
Ron Klemm (02:48):
Good.
And then to your left is?
Dann Coakwell (02:51):
My name's Dannn Coakwell.
I'm a tenor and I've been living inupstate New York for, the past eight
years, Ithaca, and, but I'm originallyfrom Central Texas, but I've lived in the,
the northeast for I guess, 16 years total.
So yeah, I definitely feelthe Northeast is my home.
Ron Klemm (03:08):
I don't hear an accent.
Dann Coakwell (03:09):
yeah.
And people tell me I never really had one.
I, my, my parents are from theMidwest, so, I, think I just never
adopted the, the local accent.
Ron Klemm (03:18):
Well, we'll call you brother.
It's okay.
And to your left is our co-producer,and that's Scott MacDonald who
sings baritone with the chorus.
How you doing?
Scott MacDonald (03:27):
I'm good.
I am, I'm often, my, my editingskills are often heard, but my voice
is really heard on this podcast.
Ron Klemm (03:35):
Well, you do a terrific job with, we're extremely grateful.
And to your left is?
Hannah DePriest (03:39):
I'm Hannah De Priest.
I'm a soprano.
I live in Philadelphia, but I am alsolike Jay, a native, a Missourian.
So I grew up in St. Joseph, asmall town north of Kansas City.
Ron Klemm (03:48):
And then finally we have?
Elijah Blaisdell (03:50):
I am Elijah Blaisdell.
I recently moved back to thePacific Northwest, where I grew up.
And
I'm in, I've been in New York andBoston mainly for, oh, I don't
know, almost 15 years before that.
Ron Klemm (04:08):
All four of you are here in St. Louis for this
particular weekend and week.
to sing the solos in Handel'sgreat oratorio Messiah.
But I believe all of you havesung with The Bach Society before.
Maybe you can remembersome of those things.
Let's go around.
Jay, you sung with us a lot.
Jay Carter (04:26):
Yeah, I think the first time I was here was a Matthew Passion,
and it's probably been at least 15years, and I've been thrilled to come
back for a variety of passions, masses.
I realized the other day, this is thefirst time I've ever done anything with
The Bach Society in English, which.
Ron Klemm (04:42):
Oh, right.
Jay Carter (04:42):
Yeah.
Which, which is kind of nice, to,you know, realize, oh, now we're in
that language that I think I speak.
So.
Ron Klemm (04:49):
Yes.
Well, you're doing just fine now.
And you've sung with us Dann
Dann Coakwell (04:53):
Yes, my first time was about three years ago, 2023.
And St. Matthew Passion as well andI was doing the tenor aria for that
so I'm just thrilled to be back.
Ron Klemm (05:03):
Good to have you, Hannah.
I think I remember youin that good old Requiem.
Hannah DePriest (05:08):
Yes, exactly.
Yeah.
That was Eternal Light.
That's, yes.
Yeah.
It's a beautiful piece.
I, I didn't know it, but I wasso happy to, come and sing it,
so I'm, I'm thrilled to be back.
Ron Klemm (05:17):
Oh, we are thrilled to have you, Elijah.
I know you've beensinging some Bach with us.
Elijah Blaisdell (05:21):
Yes.
Yeah.
I also started here on St. MatthewPassion in 2018, I believe.
and then have done St. John and B Minor,as well, including the pandemic recording,
which I think Jay you were on, as well.
Jay Carter (05:35):
Yeah, I do remember that.
That's right.
Yeah.
Elijah Blaisdell (05:37):
And then we got to come and do it for real a few years after that.
Jay Carter (05:39):
Yeah.
I remember it feelingkind of anti-climactic.
I'm like, we recordedthis, I guess we're done.
And I was so glad when we finallygot to actually do the performance.
Ron Klemm (05:47):
Yeah, it was, a tough time, but people like you helped
all of us get through it andwe're extremely grateful for that.
Now here's what's gonna happen.
The Bach Society chorus,members of the chorus.
Have done due diligence and havesubmitted literally dozens of questions
(06:08):
and I asked my friend Jay to go through'em and help me cu them because I
couldn't possibly get to them all.
We'd be here till next Tuesday.
So what we have are, first of all somequestions about Messiah and we talk about
Messiah a lot, but I thought they had someextremely interesting, perspectives on it.
And the first one comes from BassAllen Schwamb, who asks what chorus
(06:32):
or aria of Handel's Messiah is,in your opinion, most underrated?
Jay Carter (06:38):
Well, I've, I've actually got a strong opinion about this and,
it's, there is a, there's a coursethat's frequently cut, that I think The
Bach Society actually has cut as well.
It follows the soprano aria.
How beautiful are the feet of them?
It's called Break Forth Into Joy.
And I think it was something that wasdone in the, in the premier performances
(06:59):
and at some point I think Handel maybesaid, this is unwieldy, let's cut it out
and it's actually a really great, chirpyway to end that beautiful soprano aria.
It always, it always seems to me likethe soprano aria just kind of stops
and withers too quickly and like thereneeds to be something to follow it.
There's that chorus that'sthere that makes that one really
(07:21):
work, but it never gets done.
But if you're gonna pull from theregular movements, the chorus in part
one, and he shall purify, is justabout my favorite thing in the world.
It was the first chorus I ever learnedin Messiah as a, as a young singer.
And I remember trying to learn thosemelismas, you know, it just absolutely
killed me as a, as a high school student.
And when my wife and I got married,it was the one that we found ourselves
(07:43):
washing dishes to, I think moreoften than not, one of our favorites.
purifying the dishes, as it were.
Ron Klemm (07:50):
Yeah, exactly.
Alright.
There's one.
Hannah DePriest (07:54):
I think that for me it's the, final movement and I don't
know if it, it's necessarily underrated.
I just think that it comes aftersuch a long experience in the
concert that you can kind of like.
It can, you can maybe notappreciate how incredible it is
actually, and I just, I love it.
I'm so glad that Dennis is letting ussing, sing along, because honestly,
(08:16):
it would be hard to fight the urge.
Ron Klemm (08:18):
Oh, he, he lets the soloists sing in the Amen.
Hannah DePriest (08:20):
Yes, exactly.
Yeah.
I just think it's such abeautiful, beautiful ending.
The whole sequence of choruses thathappen in, in, in the last pages, so.
Ron Klemm (08:30):
Great.
Dann Coakwell (08:30):
I kinda love the, either walk through the, walking in
darkness aria from the, the bass.
I feel like that oneis kind of underrated.
I, it sometimes has been cut and thingslike that, but I, I just think that
there's, such beauty to that and thenthe sort of that feeling of building
the mystery, that kind of thing.
And then that pays off withtrumpet shazam at the very end.
(08:51):
So as a non-bass myself, I sortof appreciate the bass arias
from that, that perspective.
Yeah.
Elijah Blaisdell (08:57):
Yeah, that's my favorite bass aria as well.
Ron Klemm (08:59):
Yeah, I would.
Elijah Blaisdell (09:00):
No one's letting me sing it this year, but,
well, oh, well maybe next year.
Ron Klemm (09:03):
Well, now wait a minute.
Let's clarify.
Maestro Sparger has decidedto do parts two and three,
and that's in part one, right?
Elijah Blaisdell (09:11):
Right.
Ron Klemm (09:11):
Okay.
Parts two and three fit more towith the season that we're in
right now, or as we're recording.
Well, I know, Jay's answer to this,but Allen Schwamb followed up with the
question about melismas is what's yourfavorite melisma in all of Handel's music?
(09:32):
And we'll take Jay's answer for, purify.
Jay Carter (09:34):
Well, I should probably clarify which entry it is.
It's the alto and he shall purifyentry That happens about two
thirds of the way through the.
The bass one is all is great.
You know, right outta the gate.
There's something about the altos takingthe ball and running it down the field.
That's just.
You know.
Near and dear to my heart.
Ron Klemm (09:49):
Football analogy.
I love it.
Jay Carter (09:50):
Yeah.
Dann Coakwell (09:51):
I'm, a sucker for, his yoke is easy.
The
[vocalizes] his yoke is easy, I just lovethat, you know, uh, that, the whole line
and the [vocalizes], and it's like kindof a hiccup, but, you know, blinking,
you miss it, but you gotta do it right.
So that one's really fun.
Ron Klemm (10:05):
Right?
Elijah Blaisdell (10:07):
yeah.
I was gonna say my favoritemelisma, I don't know if it
counts, but I always love the.
the people who walk it in darkness.
Ron Klemm (10:14):
Oh, yeah.
Elijah Blaisdell (10:15):
you know, it's a bit more wordy than, some of the other
melismas, but I just love the, thetext painting of it, how it, it wanders
and it's, it's down low and, you know,has this sort of serpentine motion.
so that's, that's reallyone of my favorites.
Ron Klemm (10:29):
Good, good.
tenor, Peter Hensel followed up on,on that whole melisma, and he, he
asked this question, what method ormethods, or practice approach, right,
do you apply in order to acquire easein those fast melismatic passages?
What, what do, what do you do?
(10:51):
How do you prep it?
How, what do you, how do you approach it?
Who's gonna jump inand tell me the secret?
Hannah?
Hannah DePriest (10:57):
I got you.
To me, this is like a mantra thatI think is especially great for
singing, but I think it could applyto anyone in any period of your
life, which is slow to go fast.
And, I think there's one from likeNASCAR or the Army or something that's
a variant of that's like, smooth,slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
(11:21):
I, those approach thatis, I think the key.
You have to start slow, even if itlooks easy on the page, start slow.
And then if it's slow,it's legato AKA smooth.
And then, And that's the kind ofcoloratura that I wanna listen
to is something that's incrediblyconnected and really, really like a
pearl necklace and not disjointed.
(11:43):
So slow to go fast.
And then you really, like, you work yourway up and it, and then it also kind
of builds in a lot of breath supportbecause you're always on the voice
and yeah, that's what I like to do.
The other thing I really like to dois sing the coloratura at different
pitch levels, so that wherever thebreak is, wherever the, wherever it's
(12:07):
falling in, in your range, you can doit in different places in your voice.
And it's a great warmup.
So taking a tricky passage.Okay,can I sing it down a third?
Can I do it down a fifth?
Where is it hitting?
Where are the, you know,where can I smooth it out?
And then it's always easier at the actualpitch level if you've done that enough.
Dann Coakwell (12:27):
I bet those who do Refiner's Fire would, would,
could relate to what she just said.
Yeah.
Jay Carter (12:31):
Yeah.
That, that piece just rakes the altoor the bass over the coals every time.
And you know, that's, that's oneof the ones that was written for
a very particular voice type.
It was written for a castrato namedGuadagni, who is a very particular voice.
And unfortunately the inheritance ofthat piece is that everybody who's not
a castrato has to figure out how to copewith what were very, I'm sure particular
(12:53):
problems, endemic to that voice type.
Those melismas are nightmares.
Ron Klemm (12:58):
Now, which movement is this?
Jay Carter (12:59):
But who may abide the day of his coming in part one.
And so, you know, there'sthe fancy version.
It was written for this, right.
This crazy guy in, in the 1750sand now it's the version that's
in the score that we all do.
You've probably done it as a bass.
Yeah, I've done it as an alto.
There's even a soprano version of itthat came along later on and, it's just,
it's unfriendly, unfriendly all around.
(13:22):
And those melismas, they sitright in the gearshift spot.
Whether you're a mezzo, a contralto,a countertenor, it's, it'll kill you.
Dann Coakwell (13:29):
Speaking of gear shift, I, when we were talking about
the, the coloratura type things.
One thing I learned in high school,and this is many, many years ago now,
but it was the idea of the engine, carengine that won't start in the morning.
That [vocalizes].
That kind of thing.
So, you know, it's, and the otherthing I always like to say too, is.
To, to find your, whereyour natural vibrato lies.
(13:49):
And so if you've got [vocalizes],you feel, you know, if you have
that natural is, to then say, okay,then find that tempo of that vibrato
and put the coloratura in that.
And then you can modify it from there.
But, but you wanna sort of play withwhat your, body wants to do naturally.
along with training everything that Hannahsaid with the When you're with your breath
(14:10):
support and all those kind of things.
Ron Klemm (14:11):
Right, right.
Dann Coakwell (14:12):
So those little fun tidbits.
Ron Klemm (14:14):
Excellent.
How would you, Peter also,followed up with this question.
How would you compare or contrastyour delivery of a solo from Messiah
with that of one from another ofHandel's, oratorios or operas?
One that involves a characterthat is not delivering maybe a
biblical text, but a character role.
(14:36):
How do you, is there a difference?
Do you not, not think about that?
Hannah DePriest (14:39):
I really don't think there is a difference and I, I don't
think there should be a difference.
I think all music is theatrical.
And, no matter what the contextin which it was written, it is
meant to be fully expressed froma really specific point of view.
And one of the beautifulthings about singing Messiah
is, for me, I mean, I don't.
(15:02):
personally feel a lot of religiousconviction in my own life, but I find
it so cathartic and, affirming to likestep into the mindset of someone who
does feel so sure and as a sopranosoloist, that's kind of your role
is to really, be the true believer.
(15:23):
And I find it, it feels goodin me, and then I love playing
that role for the audience too.
Ron Klemm (15:29):
Excellent.
Scott MacDonald (15:31):
I find that fascinating, the idea that as a, particularly as
a soprano, you have that, that role.
Are you saying in contrast to analto or in, in contrast to a mezzo,
you, you have a more of a, youknow, purity to your character?
Hannah DePriest (15:46):
Oh, no, I, I just mean there's something about, I
think I'm thinking specificallyof, I know my redeemer liveth.
Scott MacDonald (15:52):
Oh, sure.
Hannah DePriest (15:53):
That's just a, yeah, just the text of my arias
just happen to be, so that comefrom a place of real assuredness.
Jay Carter (16:01):
I, I think one of Messiah's difficulties is that there is no a
character responsible for deliveringa, a story in the, in that way.
And part of it is the, I don't wannasay the fault of the librettist,
Charles Jennens, who was one of the mostbizarre figures in the 18th century that
you could have ever run across, but.
(16:22):
If you dig in a little bit deeper,you, you realize that Jennens is
somebody who wrote way too manyletters to the editor about particular
religious controversies in his day.
And he was really, he was reallyobsessed with the notion of deism,
in England, which was a real problem.
And he, I have a tendency because ofmy academic background, to think about
Messiah as being a polemic against deism.
(16:44):
And if you get reallyinto the weeds, then.
in a deist world, the divine creatorof the universe will not upset
anything that is in the creation.
That means that the laws of physicsare never gonna be suspended.
Miracles don't happen, blah, blah, blah.
Then I start looking at Jennens' textwhere these action words in the setting
of them by Handel is so picturesque.
(17:04):
And I think if there was a characterin the way, I don't know that
that the activity of that wouldcome away in quite the same way.
And, I, I think in manyways it's a weakness.
And I think in many ways it's, it's alsothe thing that makes it more unique than
the other oratorios is that there is adramatic deficit that has to be brought.
And it means that when you havegood soloists like this group that's
(17:27):
around the table, that we kind of feelempowered to bring something to it.
We don't get to define it though,and I, I think that implication, at
least in the minds of the audience,is probably stronger than definition.
And it means that, you know, we, getto be dramatic in a very different
way, but implication is very, it'sa lot of fun, especially when not
everybody has the same thoughts.
(17:48):
A deism is not keeping me awake atnight as, as, as I lay my head down
to sleep by any stretch of the.
But it draws your eye tothe piece in a certain way.
And each of us is gonna bringsomething to that from our own
background about the piece.
And I think that's, if these were definedcharacters, I don't think it would work.
I mean, you're the angel Gabriel.
Okay, fine.
Gimme my trumpet off I go.
(18:09):
But I think that's, that's oneof the things about the piece
that makes it different thanthe other work warriors for me.
Ron Klemm (18:53):
A short portion of the alto aria “Thou Art Gone Up on High” from
Handel’s oratorio Messiah, countertenorJay Carter, and The Bach Society
Orchestra conducted by Dennis Sparger.
From a concert in March, 2026, we'llhear the artistry of our other guests
a little later, we're just gettingstarted with our singers round table.
(19:18):
More from Scott, MacDonald's and myconversation with them straight ahead.
You are listening to Bach Talk.
It's a singer's, or in thiscase, a soloists round table.
On today's edition of Bach Talk,Scott MacDonald and I are talking
with soloists from The Bach Society'srecent performance of Handel's Messiah.
(19:42):
Soprano Hannah De Priest, counterTenor, Jay Carter Tenor, Dannn
Coakwell, and baritone Elijah Blaisdell.
The questions were submitted bymembers of The Bach Society Chorus.
As we pick up the conversation,Scott asked Dann about something
he noticed about Dann's delivery.
Scott MacDonald (20:02):
Today during the dress rehearsal.
I was very struck, Dann, byhow you approach the, basically
the acting of your role.
Dann Coakwell (20:12):
Oh, thanks.
Scott MacDonald (20:12):
You know, I, I was struck by how even from the moment
that you stand up from your chairand approach the podium, you are
already telegraphing your character,what you're about to be conveying.
In the aria or the recitative thatyou're speaking, or speak-singing.
How much do you, you know, is, thata formal part of your instruction and
(20:37):
education as a singer, or are, are thosekinds of, you know, facial elements,
gestures, the non-singing part of singing.
How much of that is simply intuitiveor something you figure out as you go?
Dann Coakwell (20:50):
I think, that's kinda like the, age old argument
of nature versus nurture, right?
You know, and I, I think there's alittle bit, a little bit of both.
'cause I've certainly been fortunate tohave teachers that have fostered the, that
kind of idea of dramatic presentation and,and that you, we hear what we see, you
know, and we, we, that we often sometimeslisten with our eyes, you know, in a
(21:12):
lot of ways that that's something that,that has stuck with me over the years.
But I also, it goes all theway back to my childhood when
I think about literally like.
Freddie Mercury and, you know, Bonoand, and these kind of, these figures
that I idolized when I was a kid.
And I, and what captivated me aboutwhat they brought to the table.
It wasn't just them, it was,it was something otherworldly
(21:33):
that, that I noticed.
And there was a, a larger messagethat often went with that.
So when I became, started going down morethe formal training of, of performance.
I, I thought to myself, well, you know,what's, what is engaging as an audience?
What is it that hits us?
And I, love about, you know, watchingmovies and things like that when we
talk about, you know, being in thescene as, as an audience member, right.
(21:55):
You know, it's like when the thingsthat we love the most, when we watch
an amazing movie is because we feellike we are in that scene with the
characters and with the people.
And we we're empathizing with someonewho's crying, we're empathizing with the
laughter, you know, that kind of thing.
So, so for me, that there'sa little bit of that.
You know, that rock and roll, you know,uh, you know, Mick Jagger or whatever, you
(22:16):
know, there's, there's sort of that plusthe element of, of drama and, connecting
with characters, whether there's acharacter explicitly written or not and
kind of to Hannah's point as well, thatit's like all music is sort of theatrical
there, that, that kind of thing.
So I, I, I always wanna makesure that I never cross the line.
Jokes aside about Mick Jagger andthose kind of things, I never wanna
(22:39):
cross that line and become a showman.
It's never about, about that.
It's, it's more that if I'm in theaudience, what's gonna, what am I
gonna identify with if I'm seeingsomeone and hearing them and if, and
if it's just beautiful music witha blank face, it's nice, you know?
It might be a nice lullaby, that kindof thing, but it's, it, what really
grabs me is when I see and and hearsomething at the same time, and I feel
(23:01):
like I'm there, you know, it kind of.
It makes you kind of gasp.
And so, so that's kind of alittle bit of my motivation there.
And, and also there is drama.
I mean, this is a real dramaticwork, especially in, in, I would
argue especially during the passionsection of, of this, what we're
doing in this particular concert.
You know, this is Handel's version oflike what Bach does with the passions.
(23:22):
And, there's a lot of parallels there.
I, as the tenor feel like I'm, lucky thatI get to put on some of the, the same hats
between the Bach Passions and the, and theHandel's Messiah part two because there's
a, a lot of those moments where, the, thetenor is describing what the people are
doing to Jesus and, and you know, all thethings although you do it with despise it
(23:45):
as well because you're talking about the
Jay Carter (23:46):
Yeah.
The well, and it's one of those things,am I an observer of what's happening?
Dann Coakwell (23:51):
Exactly.
Jay Carter (23:52):
Does gender play a role?
You know, is this, is this.
Some woman off to the side is this Simonof Cyrene, who, who is, who is that role.
And I think that's one of thegreat things, again, is that
the implication can be made.
And people can fill inthe blanks on their own.
One of the things I love about whatyou do is, and this may feel like a
walk in the park for you, is becauseI've watched you do those Bach passions
(24:16):
a number of times beautifully in alanguage that the audience doesn't speak.
Dann Coakwell (24:20):
Mm-hmm.
Jay Carter (24:21):
And you do such a good job of.
Implying meaning and bringing them in.
Dann Coakwell (24:25):
Mm-hmm.
Jay Carter (24:26):
To not English.
Dann Coakwell (24:28):
Right, right.
Jay Carter (24:29):
And maybe now that you're in English, it's, is that easier for you or?
Dann Coakwell (24:34):
Yeah, I would say so.
Jay Carter (24:35):
Yeah.
Dann Coakwell (24:35):
Yeah.
I, I love, the idea that I. No matter,I could be singing gibberish, but if
there's intent behind the, way I'mdelivering it vocally and the way I
visually bring something that someonecan understand, there's actually, in, in
theater, you guys probably all have donethis before, but there's the gibberish
game, you know, where you're, you'regoing around the room and, and you, you
(24:56):
play, you, you're having a conversationwith someone in gibberish, but you're
conveying meaning in other ways.
And it's like the job of everyone else inthe room to interpret what they're doing.
And so that, that kind of thing.
So to, to me, that's what's partof the fun of singing in foreign
languages is like, how do I get thesepeople to really understand what's
going on and to empathize and, andconnect without knowing that language?
So, but when you're in English, it'seven, it's like running with weights, a
(25:20):
weighted vest, and then now you get totake the weighted vest off, you know?
And, now we just get to, to playand have fun and, and you know,
just really connect directly.
Jay Carter (25:29):
Such arresting singing.
Ron Klemm (26:11):
This question comes from Zach Singer, who asks if your interpretation
changes when you're singing with periodinstruments versus modern instruments?
Now you have one instrumentand it's in your body and soul.
But does your interpretation changewhen the orchestral players are doing
(26:33):
something with period instruments?
Hannah DePriest (26:34):
I honestly think I, I don't, I think musicality is
musicality and I think that especiallyas a, you know, young singer who
I, most of my formal training isreally centered on baroque music.
I've been really fortunate to workwith a lot of early music specialists,
but now in my career I'm starting toget hired by more modern orchestras
and really enjoying that as well, andalso getting hired to do things that
(26:58):
are outside of the baroque realm.
And I think that there is some impostersyndrome that I had to sort of talk
myself out of, because at the end
Ron Klemm (27:06):
What do you mean by that?
Hannah DePriest (27:08):
Well, I think, I think, when you do so much of one
thing, and especially when thatthing is baroque music, you can feel
like, oh, is my voice too small?
Is it too this or that?
What I, how can I do rubato?
Like, do I know whatI'm doing with pacini?
What do I do?
And actually, I think thecommon thread is musicality.
(27:31):
And, if you've studied a lot ofBaroque music, then sure, you
know a lot about primary sourcesand maybe, you know, things about
ornamentation that are really helpful.
But more than anything, I thinkit's taught you to be flexible.
It's taught you to understandhow to shape a phrase.
And those things don't just likefall away in different repertoires
or with different orchestras.
(27:53):
And, yeah, I've never felt likemy approach changes dramatically.
Elijah Blaisdell (27:59):
Yeah, I'd agree with that.
I see.
Ron Klemm (28:01):
Elijah?
Elijah Blaisdell (28:01):
I think the, the biggest thing with period instruments
is you just have a bit more space,because, you know, modern instruments
are built for power, you know?
They come to us from thelate romantic period.
Ron Klemm (28:11):
They fill the space.
Yeah.
Elijah Blaisdell (28:12):
Yeah.
whereas, you know, period instruments are.
You know, sort of a, maybe a morenasal sound, more buzzy sound.
They tend to decay a little quicker.
So you can, you sortof, your floor is lower.
You can do a little more delicate stuff.
And that's, you know, not necessarilysomething I premeditate, but something
that's sort of, you know, in the momentyou're like, oh, I can really, like,
I can really come down on this one.
(28:33):
And, so that, that'ssomething I, I really enjoy.
About working with period instruments.
Ron Klemm (28:38):
What about pitch?
If you're singing not in the normal,normal, today's normal standardized
440, pitch in Bach day was lower.
Right?
What does that do for you?
Jay Carter (28:51):
I know for me, it makes some pieces unpleasant to sing.
There are, certain pieces that I,because of the way that my voice works,
I am hyper aware of the change of ahalf step here, and there and it, it
means that a Matthew Passion at highpitch is a very different piece for
me than a Matthew Passion at 415.
(29:13):
That makes a huge difference for me.
In other music Inotice it, especiallyin 17th century music, if the
pitch isn't what it's supposed tobe, Schütz all of a sudden doesn't
feel right if it's not at 465.
Purcell doesn't feel rightunless it's in a certain place.
I mean, it's, and even within all of that,you know, it changes from venue to venue.
So it's, I think that's always a littleadventure every time is like, okay,
(29:35):
we're gonna do this and we're gonna bea creepy low French pitch at 392, what
in the world is that gonna feel like?
And sometimes it's a, it's a heck ofa shock, but, you know, I, think I'm,
I'm odd because my production system isdifferent than the other voices here.
and so I may be, I may be hyper careful.
Ron Klemm (29:55):
Yeah.
Jay Carter (29:55):
About that.
Ron Klemm (29:56):
And if people are wondering what is, what is he talking about?
They need to go back and listen to theepisode with Jay Carter on Bach Talk.
Scott MacDonald (30:03):
Season one.
Ron Klemm (30:04):
Season one.
Yes.
Jay Carter (30:04):
Season one.
Oh gosh.
Ron Klemm (30:05):
Right?
Yeah.
You were one of, youwere one of the first.
You helped me
(31:13):
baptize this whole thing.
Soprano Hannah De Priest with thearia “How Beautiful Are the Feet” from
Handel's Messiah in a recent performancewith The Bach Society of Saint Louis,
Dennis Sparger conducting, earlier inthis portion, we heard the tenor aria
(31:34):
“But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul inHell” featuring tenor Dannn Coakwell.
I hope you're enjoying our roundtable conversation with four
wonderful singers, soloists at TheBach Society's recent performance of
George Frederick Handel's Messiah.
If you are, please let us know.
(31:55):
You can contact us at Bachsociety.org.
Just go to the watch and listen tabat the top and click on Bach Talk.
Just ahead, more questions for ourguests from members of The Bach Society
Chorus, you are listening to Bach Talk.
(32:18):
I want to move away from some of thesemore specific things and get into some of
the more lighter questions that are wereasked, but interesting, for you as people.
Bob Miller asked this question, Bob'sone of our fine tenors, and he asks,
what person or experiences inspiredyou to pursue a career as a musician?
Dann Coakwell (32:40):
I have
Ron Klemm (32:41):
as a soloist.
Dann Coakwell (32:41):
Yeah, I have a story about this because I,
Ron Klemm (32:43):
Oh, Dann, pardon me while I lean back and listen.
Dann Coakwell (32:46):
Well, one of my favorite humans to ever lived was
my high school choir director.
And, and
I, I was always.
The weird kid who was, before high school,you know, was young, as young as I can
remember, I, it was always whistlingand, and harmonizing with things I
would hear and all these kind of things.
So, you know, I didn't know, I was justsort of oblivious to what I was doing.
(33:08):
I just thought it was fun, youknow, I was playing with, with, you
know, music and things like that.
And, and then when I was in highschool, I, I didn't even join choir
'cause I was a visual arts guy.
I was more into drawing andall those kind of things.
Ron Klemm (33:20):
Really?
Dann Coakwell (33:21):
I always thought I was gonna go into graphic
design and things like that.
And then, my after my freshman year ofhigh school, when I was, going into, at
the end that, that year, my high schoolchoir director who was in a wheelchair,
he, he had polio when he was a child.
And, so he was bound to awheelchair all of his life.
And, he's just the mostpassionate kind of human, just
(33:43):
the way he, he's very magnetic.
But I remember, he, he knew my sister, whowas older than me, she was in choir and
things like that, and he, one day he justsaw me in the hallway and he like, kind
of grabbed me by the arm and he was like.
You're gonna audition forchoir for next year, right?
And I was like, uh, uh, uh, yeah.
Okay.
Sure Mr. Finney.
And, and so I gott know it.
I was like, okay.
So I auditioned and stuff and thenI never knew anything about how to
(34:06):
read music, anything like that, butit was just like a light bulb just
went on and I was singing with him.
He was so passionate.
He was one of these guys who just,made you love everything about
what you did when it came to music.
And, so I found out quickly that Ihad a knack for this kind of thing.
And, and, by the time I was graduating,I, you know, I'd done Allstate
choir and like these kind of things.
(34:27):
solo ensemble, you know, these, thesekind of things that, it, felt like,
oh, this is like, this is wonderful.
This is, this is where I belong, you know?
And, and of course the culture, you know,and, the, the choir nerds as we were, you
know, in, in high school, that kind ofthing.That also the community in that.
So by the time I went to college, itwas one of those things that it was
(34:47):
kind of the obvious choice for me.
And, and I was just like, well, Imight as well just give this a shot
and like worst case scenario, I'llgo back and do one of those other
passions I have, you know, for, things.
But, you know, you might aswell be young to, to try music.
It's, it's a lot easier to, tostart when you're young and change
to something else later than tohave, have done something else.
And then always looked back andthought, what if I had done music?
(35:09):
And so, and he passed awaysuddenly in 2009 from a
complication with a surgery he had.
So he was, he was kind of rippedfrom us too soon, several years
after I'd graduated high school.
But, and, and he was just belovedby everybody in Texas and,
and in the music world there.
So, so I, I just, I think about himevery time I perform that, that he's,
(35:31):
the reason why I do what I do and Isort of, sort of give glory to him in
a way in every, every moment I have.
But yeah.
Ron Klemm (35:40):
Thank you, Dann.
That's great.
What inspired you, Hannah,to become a soloist?
Hannah DePriest (35:46):
Honestly, the thing that I really, really remember
was I, I think I was probably likesix or seven, and my parents took
us all to hear Connie Dover sing.
Jay Carter (35:58):
Oh my gosh.
Hannah DePriest (35:58):
And this is a woman from Kansas.
Jay Carter (36:01):
She, she lives in Weston, Missouri part of the year too.
Hannah DePriest (36:04):
Yeah.
Okay.
So she
Jay Carter (36:07):
Folk singer?
Hannah DePriest (36:07):
Yeah, she's a folk singer.
She did this concert at a local venuein St. Joseph, Missouri, and it was
just her in a spotlight with her guitarand it was my, it must have been my
first time hearing something like that.
And it, like totally.
(36:27):
I became obsessed with Connie Dover,and I didn't have any perspective
on who she was or celebrity.
So in my head, Connie Dover was like,everyone knew who Connie Dover was
and at the concert she was selling allher CDs, so I made my mom buy all of them.
And for the next like four years,I learned her entire discography
(36:49):
and I would sing it by myselfin our living room all the time.
And for me, even from a young kid,it was like the ideas of being in the
spotlight, telling stories and singing.
Those three things were kind of like.
The, that's all what made me wannado it, being the center of attention,
(37:11):
to be totally brutally honest.
Dann Coakwell (37:12):
There's a soprano joke in there somewhere.
Hannah DePriest (37:15):
No, but I think especially as a little girl and even
now as a woman, there is something thatstill feels kind of just,transgressive
and special about being a woman andeveryone in the room has to listen
to me do whatever I'm about to do.
I really do,
Ron Klemm (37:33):
It's the very definition of a diva, isn't it?
Hannah DePriest (37:34):
I, I relish it.
I really relish it.
So being the center of attention,storytelling, which has always been
a big thing in my family and justhow I was raised, you know, the
idea of being able to hold people'sattention and then the singing, which
is just, has always felt good to me.
But yeah, you know, I've never metConnie Dover to like, tell her that.
(37:54):
And I feel like
Ron Klemm (37:56):
You'll have to go over to Jay's place, he'll, he'll take care of you.
Jay Carter (37:58):
I, I, the only reason why I, I'm just kind of gobsmacked by it,
because she was somebody that whenI was, had just graduated from my
undergraduate work, she was doing a lotof work in Kansas City, as a folk singer.
She did a concert with the Kansas CityChamber Orchestra that I remember going
to when I was, you know a kid and itwas kind of a, a wonderful experience.
Just beautiful singing.
Hannah DePriest (38:18):
She has a beautiful voice.
Yeah.
I mean, honestly, go listento one of her albums.
They still slap.
Yeah.
And, she, yeah, she heldeverybody's attention.
I mean, she had me in the palmof her hand, obviously she still
does in this weird cosmic way.
But yeah, I would say her.
And then, you know, Liza Minnelliand, yeah, a lot of the divas from
all the different backgrounds.
Ron Klemm (38:39):
We, we all know Jay's story, Elijah, so you're on.
Elijah Blaisdell (38:42):
Okay.
I have, similarly to, to Dann,I sort of had a similar start.
I was just really always singing and,and whistling and humming to myself,
from a very young age, much to the.
the annoyance of my classmates.
I remember.
Hannah DePriest (38:57):
Did you guys just have undiagnosed ADHD?
Dann Coakwell (39:00):
Oh, I'm sure.
I'm sure, yeah.
Elijah Blaisdell (39:03):
Could be.
Hannah DePriest (39:03):
You can cut that, but I just.
It's really specific.
Dann Coakwell (39:06):
Oh, we come by it, honestly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Elijah Blaisdell (39:08):
So that was always a big, a big part, of it for me.
And then sort of didn't reallytake, take it too seriously until I
was, headed off to college, but atthat point had decided that I was
going to, major in music education.
which for me, I, I later realized was wasreally a safe choice and that I, I sort
(39:31):
of wanted to do music, but I'd heard that,you know, a musician's life is is pretty
hard and you're have, long hours, weirdhours, lots of travel, which is very true.
As we all have learned.
And so it was sort of, youknow, well, maybe I can have
sort of have it both ways.
And then I remember, you know, aftera few years of being in college and
(39:52):
just sitting at this one concert itactually, it was actually, I don't know
if anyone, from this audience will know,but there's this ama amazing, wonderful
jazz group called Groove for Thought.
They do a lot of stuff acapella.
It's a group of music educators primarily,that are just like, just incredible jazz
(40:14):
musicians and I actually became goodfriends with one of the members, 'cause
she was in school at the time, with me.
And I was just sitting at thisconcert and I was like, I mean, yeah.
Like that, this is what I wanna be doing.
And like.
I'll probably fall on my faceand completely fail at this.
But like, I have to try.
(40:35):
And then like, whatever happens afterthat, like I'll just, I'll figure it out.
But I can't like not do this.
I have to, see like, you know,what kind of music I can make.
What amazing collaborators I canfind out there to do music with
'cause that's always been a really,really big thing for me is I love
(40:56):
making music with other people.
I actually get much more joy fromsort of like the ensemble moments
that we get than, the solo stuff.
The solo stuff can be thrilling, butyou know, it's really, the magic is in
when you are singing with other peopleand, and really truly collaborating.
And I've been blessed to beable to do a lot of that in
(41:17):
the years since that decision.
Ron Klemm (41:39):
Baritone Elijah Blaisdell collaborating with Trumpeter David
Sanderson, and The Bach SocietyOrchestra, conducted by music
director A. Dennis Sparger, astirring bass aria from the Bach.
Society's most recent performanceof Handel's oratorio Messiah.
(42:08):
I hope you've enjoyed our timetoday with Elijah Blaisdell and
his soloist colleagues, sopranoHannah de Priest, countertenor, Jay
Carter, and tenor Dannn Coakwell.
If you did, you're in luck becausewe have another half hour or so
of this round table discussionthat you have yet to hear.
We plan on sharing it with younext time here on Bach Talk.
(42:41):
Guests of The Bach Society stay atthe Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel.
Featuring Old World Charm at theintersection of comfort and convenience.
I'm Ron Klemm.
Today's episode was edited by Ian Gilbert.
The Bach Society's recordingengineer is Paul Henrik.
(43:04):
Special thanks to Scott MacDonaldfor his on-site assistance.
Additional assistance provided asalways by Carissa Marciniak and
Adie Murphy of Right Relations.
(43:53):
Bach Talk is a registered trademarkof The Bach Society of Saint Louis.
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