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
Caption: Mark O'Connor, Credit: Jim McGuire
Mark O’Connor’s “Americana Symphony” is largely based on the melody from his best known composition, “Appalachia Waltz.” He believes America’s ear...

  • Added: Jun 28, 2010
  • Length: :23
Caption: Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet has an all-Gershwin CD includes the well known Piano Concerto and Rhapsody in Blue. It also contains Gershwin’s “Varia...

  • Added: Jun 28, 2010
  • Length: :26
Caption: Jean-Yves Thibaudet
With all the wonderful music Gershwin wrote in a short period of time, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet wonders why many people still ask if his music i...

  • Added: Jun 28, 2010
  • Length: :19
Caption: Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet has a new recording of the Gershwin Piano Concerto. It features the evocative, but rarely heard orchestration by Ferde...

  • Added: Jun 28, 2010
  • Length: :24
Caption: Jean-Yves Thibaudet
There’s been some discussion lately about the future of the symphony orchestra and classical music in general. Although there are some legitimate ...

  • Added: Jun 28, 2010
  • Length: :21
Caption: Yuja Wang
The title of Yuja Wang’s new recording is “Transformation.” It’s a fitting title – especially for one of the Scarlatti keyboard sonatas, which she...

  • Added: Jun 28, 2010
  • Length: :22
Caption: Mark O'Connor, Credit: Jim McGuire
What makes American music American? Composer and violinist Mark O’Connor tries to tell that story – or history – in his “Appalachia Waltz.” Use th...

  • Added: Jun 28, 2010
  • Length: :33
Caption: Yuja Wang
Two of the works on pianist Yuja Wang’s recent CD are orchestral works, transcribed for piano. For her performance of (La Valse by Ravel) ... (Thr...

  • Added: Jun 28, 2010
  • Length: :24
Caption: Mark O'Connor, Credit: Jim McGuire
Musicians, conductors and orchestras receive both criticism and compliments for their work – it’s all part of the musician’s life. While each is b...

  • Added: Jun 28, 2010
  • Length: :32
Caption: Yuja Wang
The technical and musical challenges for the pianist who plays Brahms are immense, and when it comes to his “Paganini Variations,” pianist Yuja Wan...

  • Added: Jun 28, 2010
  • Length: :24
Caption: Gil Shaham
We know Haydn, the wonderful composer of symphonies and string quartets, but did you know he also wrote some terrific Violin Concertos? Violinist ...

  • Added: Jul 28, 2010
  • Length: :25
Caption: Gil Shaham
Violinist Gil Shaham calls the Octet for Strings by Mendelssohn “a mind blowing achievement.” What makes it so great? He says it’s a case, at lea...

  • Added: Jul 28, 2010
  • Length: :28
Caption: Robert Spano
It’s the same music, but in a different setting and with a very different sound. Samuel Barber arranged his well-known “Adagio for Strings” for ch...

  • Added: Jul 30, 2010
  • Length: :25
Caption: Kim Kashkashian, Credit: courtesy of WGBH
Betty Olivero’s Neharót Neharót was composed in 2006 in response to the pain and suffering of the war in Lebanon. It’s written for solo viola, two...

  • Added: Jul 30, 2010
  • Length: :22
Caption: Robert Spano
American composer John Corigliano essentially got his start with the New York Philharmonic. His father was the orchestra’s first violinist for mor...

  • Added: Jul 30, 2010
  • Length: :29
Caption: Gil Shaham
Sarasate’s Ziguenerweisen – or “Gypsy Airs” – is a work that is often played with an extroverted romantic passion. On his most recent recording of...

  • Added: Jul 30, 2010
  • Length: :24
Caption: Kim Kashkashian, Credit: courtesy of WGBH
How does one make a sound on an instrument? Violist Kim Kashkashian says it actually has little to do with the instrument itself. Ultimately, she...

  • Added: Jul 30, 2010
  • Length: :22
Caption: Robert Spano
Even before the recent economic challenges, there have been ongoing discussions and blogs about the future of the American symphony orchestra. Wha...

  • Added: Jul 30, 2010
  • Length: :23
Caption: Robert Spano
Performances by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra have been called “vivid” and “rhapsodic” by the New York Times, and it’s clear that Atlanta hosts on...

  • Added: Jul 30, 2010
  • Length: :28
Caption: Robert Spano
Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra share a commitment to the creation of new music, and it enjoys a regular presence in the orchestra’...

  • Added: Jul 30, 2010
  • Length: :30