WATCH: CCM alum John Holiday gives Tiny Desk Concert

Countertenor and CCM alumnus John Holiday (MM Voice, '12) was the featured act on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert on October 16. Read more and watch the performance via NPR.

Holiday's performance features Reynaldo Hahn's À Chloris, I’m Goin’ to Tell God All My Troubles (traditional; arr. Hall Johnson), George Frideric Handel's “Ombra mai fù” from Xerxes, Abel Meeropol's Strange Fruit (famously performed by Billie Holiday), and James Johnson's and J. Rosamond Johnson's Lift Every Voice and Sing.

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

Holiday has established himself as “one of the finest countertenors of his generation” (Los Angeles Times). His voice has been praised as “a thing of astonishing beauty” (New Yorker), “arrestingly powerful, secure and dramatically high” (Wall Street Journal), and “timeless” (Washington Post). Holiday’s unique voice and powerful story have been the subject of profiles in The New Yorker, CNN’s Great Big Story, Los Angeles Times and more. 

In 2020, CCM followed Holiday's time competing in season 19 of "The Voice," where he was coached by John Legend. Holiday advanced to the top five contestants in the competition. During the season finale, Holiday and Legend shared a moving performance of Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water.

Read more about Holiday on his professional website.