Billie Holiday

On a high note

Full Episode

Billie Holiday

World History Archive/Alamy Stock Photo

An episode about singers, alone and in harmony. The latest installment of This Woman’s Work, a series from Classic Album Sundays and Studio 360 highlighting classic albums by female artists, focuses on “Lady Sings the Blues” by Billie Holiday, whose role as an innovator we are still coming to grasp. Kurt Andersen talks with composer Eric Whitacre about how his virtual choir is changing the game of choral music. And Aimee Mann explains how she wrote “Easy to Die,” about a friend’s overdose, for The Silver Lake Chorus, which commissions indie rock artists to write songs for them.

In This Episode

Eric Whitacre
Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir
Special Coverage
This Woman’s Work: Billie Holiday’s ‘Lady Sings the Blues’
Detail of The Silver Lake Chorus' self-titled debut album.
The Silver Lake Chorus brings harmony to indie rock
Special Coverage