John Holiday: Tiny Desk Concert

Tom Huizenga | October 15, 2024
Upon meeting countertenor John Holiday in the NPR lobby, I was immediately tasked with carrying his awesome spangly boots (he brought two pairs) up to our Tiny Desk space. Other arms, including his husband’s, were occupied with clothing and various necessities.

The boots reflect Holiday’s sparkling personality — a captivating blend of determination, wit and clear-eyed optimism. These qualities helped propel him into celebrity status, not only in the final rounds of NBC’s The Voice, where he was championed by John Legend, but also in opera houses the world over.

While Holiday has made a name for himself in classical music, he says his goal is to be a bridge between the many genres of music he sings. And in this set he gives us a pretty wide range, including an elegant, Bach-inflected French art song, a regal opera aria by Handel, a moving traditional spiritual and the devastating jazz song “Strange Fruit,” made famous by Billie Holiday. “It’s not a feel good song,” the countertenor warns, adding that it “represents so much in our country’s history that sometimes we like to skirt.”

The only way to follow a song of such darkness is with one of light and triumph. Holiday dedicates “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to young, Black voters, saying, “It’s really important that you let your voices be heard, even if you think nobody’s listening.”

And for fans of fabulous voices, it’s important that this voice be heard — the singular, silvery and expressive voice of John Holiday.

SET LIST
Reynaldo Hahn: “À Chloris”
Traditional (arr. Hall Johnson): “I’m Goin’ to Tell God All My Troubles”
George Frideric Handel: “Ombra mai fù” (from Xerxes)
Abel Meeropol: “Strange Fruit”
James Johnson/J. Rosamond Johnson: “Lift Every Voice and Sing”

MUSICIANS
John Holiday: countertenor, piano
Jeanne-Minette Cilliers: piano

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Tom Huizenga
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Hannah Gluvna
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Alanté Serene
Audio Engineers: Andie Huether, Josh Newell
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Alanté Serene
Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Hazel Cills
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

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