Virtuoso Voices(tm)

Series produced by Listener Directed Productions, Inc.

Series image

Virtuoso Voices is a collection of timely and topical sound bites from classical music's leading performers. Each sound bite (or clip) will bring your listeners an insider's perspective to the classical music they enjoy on your station. Virtuoso Voices offers classical music announcers an additional way to enhance their breaks by using the voice of the artist whose recording they're about to play on their shift.

Virtuoso Voices is an interview clip service for classical music stations, presenting today's most influential classical music performers, conductors and composers talking in 20 to 35 second clips.

These topical and evergreen sound bites will enable announcers to bring an additional insider's perspective to the music they play on their shifts.

For example, an announcer playing Joshua Bell's recent recording of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto could introduce it by using a clip of Mr. Bell talking about how he tries to bring a fresh sound to this very familiar work. After the clip, the announcer returns and segues into playing the recording.

The Virtuoso Voices service provides you a Suggested Host Intro to effectively set up each clip, and includes a brief Outro to help you segue to the music. Your announcers can use this copy verbatim, or as inspiration to write their own version.

Virtuoso Voices clips are versatile. In addition to music intros, you can also use them to enhance forward promotion, create compelling billboards and create content for your website.

Virtuoso Voices provides stations with a new strategy for presenting classical music on the radio by directly involving the performer in the introduction of the music. These topical and evergreen clips enable announcers to bring an additional insider's perspective to the music they introduce and play on their shifts.

Program content is taken from interviews with internationally recognized classical music performers, such as Gil Shaham, Yo-Yo Ma, Marin Alsop, Lorin Maazel, Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn and Michael Tilson Thomas.

As of January 2010, we are offering our Virtuoso Voices Performer Clips to all stations for free. We offer three types of distribution.

-- Downloaded off our ftp site: no charge

-- Downloaded from PRX: (triple PRX points) – requires PRX station membership

-- 10 months a year, receive a CD: $100 flat fee to cover postage and handling for the year.

For more information and to see additional ways to use these clips, please visit our website, www.virtuosovoices.org.

Signing up is easy and free. To receive a short subscription form, please send an email to info (at) listenerdirect.org or call (703) 751-0342.

Virtuoso Voices™ Fundraising Service

Virtuoso Voices(tm) is also Public Radio's primary source for classical music fundraising messages.

Twice a year, we provide your station with three types of fundraising messages, with options enabling you to customize each spot to the specific sound and fundraising terminology of your station. These messages, from performers like Anne-Sophie Mutter, Sarah Chang and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, follow Public Radio's Best Practices for fundraising.

These produced fundraising messages are distributed in February and September in advance of when most stations fundraise, including the nationally coordinated drives. Stations may request custom fundraising scripts read by the performers we interview. We fill these requests whenever possible and in the order in which they are received.

Our Virtuoso Voices fundraising material is offered as a separate subscription, with fees based on market size (as determined by Arbitron) – and cover a portion of the production expenses for Virtuoso Voices.

This service includes a (minimum) of 40 fundraising messages – a combination of Custom Station Spots, Straight Read Spots, Produced Funders and Unhosted Produced Funders

-- $500 for stations with a market ranking of 1 to 50;
-- $325 for stations ranked between 51-150;
-- $150 for stations with an Arbitron market ranking of 151 and above.

Please visit the fundraising page of our website for further examples and further information. www.virtuosovoices.org/fundraising.

VIRTUOSO VOICES

"Classical Music's Virtuosos Want a Word with Your Listeners."

Virtuoso Voices is a trademark of Listener Directed Productions, Inc. Hide full description

Virtuoso Voices is an interview clip service for classical music stations, presenting today's most influential classical music performers, conductors and composers talking in 20 to 35 second clips. These topical and evergreen sound bites will enable announcers to bring an additional insider's perspective to the music they play on their shifts. For example, an announcer playing Joshua Bell's recent recording of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto could introduce it by using a clip of Mr. Bell talking about how he tries to bring a fresh sound to this very familiar work. After the clip, the announcer returns and segues into playing the recording. The Virtuoso Voices service provides you a Suggested Host Intro to effectively set up each clip, and includes a brief Outro to help you segue... Show full description


Additional Files

642 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Piece image
Without question, the beauty and craftsmanship within Brahms "Variations on a Theme by Paganini" are substantial. 2005 Van Cliburn Piano Competiti...

Bought by WITF, Northeast Indiana Public Radio, and New England Public Media


  • Added: Oct 02, 2006
  • Length: :25
  • Purchases: 3
Piece image
Gershwin's "An American In Paris" captures both the American spirit and the bustling, jazzy sounds of Paris in the 1920's. Conductor Andrew Litton...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Sep 29, 2006
  • Length: :36
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Actor and Director Charlie Chaplin wrote all the music for his films, and "Modern Times" (1936) contains his most enduring music, specifically the ...

Bought by WITF, New England Public Media, and KISU


  • Added: Sep 28, 2006
  • Length: :27
  • Purchases: 3
Piece image
The ideal job is one that's also your favorite hobby. Conductor Andrew Litton says making music is both his job and his passion - and both come wi...

Bought by WITF, New England Public Media, and WBST


  • Added: Sep 28, 2006
  • Length: :27
  • Purchases: 3
Piece image
If you have any doubts about the quality and integrity of film music, and the music's ability to stand on its own without the picture, composer Wil...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Sep 27, 2006
  • Length: :33
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
What kind of composer was Franz Liszt? He was "lady slayer" composer according to conductor Andrew Litton. In this clip, the conductor talks abou...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Sep 27, 2006
  • Length: :36
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
All her life, Evelyn Glennie dreamed of becoming a solo percussionist, with the ardent support of family and friends. When it came time to make he...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Sep 26, 2006
  • Length: :32
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
While Nicolo Paganini's violin playing brought him enormous prestige and adoration from his many female admirers, he also got around on the guitar....

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Sep 25, 2006
  • Length: :29
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
The teenage violinist Gil Shaham was well on his way to a promising career, when one day he received a surprise opportunity that immediately change...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Sep 25, 2006
  • Length: :31
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
It's one of those tunes you've heard a hundred times but never really caught the name. Guitarist Sharon Isbin introduces Memories of the Alhambra ...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Sep 07, 2006
  • Length: :35
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
At the one year anniversary observance of 911, Guitarist Sharon Isbin was invited to perform at Ground Zero during the reading of the names of the ...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Sep 07, 2006
  • Length: :32
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Have you ever wondered how a performer chooses the music they'll play and record? For Gil Shaham, it's simply a case of love at first hearing. Us...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Sep 02, 2006
  • Length: :18
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
The "Nocturne" in Classical Music refers to music for night time. Pianist Alexander Kobrin says that Chopin's Nocturnes explore and illustrate man...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Sep 02, 2006
  • Length: :21
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Among his many talents, Charlie Chaplin was also a composer. He wrote the sweet and melancholy song, "Smile." Violinist Leila Josefowicz loves th...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Sep 02, 2006
  • Length: :22
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Evelyn Glennie may be one of the only full-time percussion soloists, but she reminds us we all have some kind of drum in our past. Use this 21 sec...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Sep 02, 2006
  • Length: :21
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
What was the secret behind the Leonard Bernstein mystique? Conductor and former Bernstein student, JoAnn Falletta says it was how he inspired her ...

Bought by WITF, New England Public Media, and 90.1 WFYI Public Radio


  • Added: Aug 31, 2006
  • Length: :34
  • Purchases: 3
Piece image
Percussionist Evelyn Glennie plays shoeless, but she says it's not to make a fashion or social statement. Use this 30 second clip to introduce any...

Bought by WITF, WEKU, and New England Public Media


  • Added: Aug 31, 2006
  • Length: :30
  • Purchases: 3
Piece image
Two modern day rebels meet up in this clip that introduces Leila Josefowicz's performance of (either) Adams' Road Movies or his Violin Concerto. Th...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Aug 31, 2006
  • Length: :33
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
2005 Van Ciburn Piano Competition Gold Medalist, Alexander Kobrin describes vocal and linguistic requirements to play Chopin. Use this 16 second c...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Aug 31, 2006
  • Length: :16
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Conductor Andrew Litton gives Dvorak and a highly polished Wind section some time in the spotlight. Use this 27 second clip to introduce Andrew Lit...

Bought by WITF and New England Public Media


  • Added: Aug 31, 2006
  • Length: :28
  • Purchases: 2