John Holiday (countertenor), Kevin Miller (piano)
Johnson, Hall: I'm Gonter Tell God All O' My Troubles
Simon, Carlos: Vocalise I
Morrison, T: Strings in the Earth and Air
Morrison, T: O Cool Is The Valley Now
Morrison, T: Lightly Come or Lightly Go
Morrison, T: Now, O Now, in this Brown Land
Morrison, T: I Hear an Army Charging Upon the Land
Simon, Carlos: Vocalise II
Morris, R: Humoresque
Morris, R: Gospel Blues
Morris, R: Juba: Ev'rytime I Feel the Spirit
Howard, B: Fly Me to the Moon (Arr. J. Holiday)
Gershwin: Porgy and Bess: "Summertime" (Arr. J. Holiday)
Simon, Carlos: Vocalise III
Meeropol: Strange Fruit (Arr. J. Holiday)
Adams, H L: Prayer
Adams, H L: The Heart of a Woman
Adams, H L: Night Song
Adams, H L: Sence You Went Away
Newton / Holiday: Over My Head and Amazing Grace (Arr. J. Holiday)
Praised as one of the finest and most compelling countertenors of his generation, John Holiday delivers a striking and deeply moving debut album for Pentatone. Over My Head is a thoughtfully curated, genre-blurring recital that fuses traditional spirituals, mid-century African-American art song, contemporary classical pieces, and jazz standards into a singular narrative of resilience, faith, and love.
Accompanied by pianist Kevin Miller—alongside moments where Holiday sits at the piano himself—the album showcases a remarkably versatile vocal instrument. The program bridges historical styles by weaving together the lyrical soundscapes of H. Leslie Adams, Robert L. Morris, and Hall Johnson with world-premiere recordings of works by Carlos Simon (Vocalises I–III) and Theo Morrison. Holiday also introduces his own highly individual arrangements of iconic 20th-century secular standards, including a haunting reading of Abel Meeropol’s Strange Fruit and a soulful, climactic mashup of Over My Head and Amazing Grace.
