Classical Music Podcasts Produced in New Hampshire Reach Audiences Around the World

Marjan Kiepura and Jane Knox-Kiepura

Marjan Kiepura, Pianist

A widely acclaimed podcast series, Marjan’s Musical Soirées is attracting an enthusiastic international audience with its carefully crafted presentations.

LITTLETON, NH, US, March 30, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — A widely acclaimed podcast series, Marjan’s Musical Soirées, has successfully launched from a private home studio in Littleton, New Hampshire, attracting an enthusiastic international audience with its carefully crafted presentations.

The husband-and-wife team of classical pianist Marjan Kiepura and Jane Knox-Kiepura founded Patria Productions in 2000 to promote Marjan’s CD recording of Frederic Chopin’s works with an emphasis on Chopin’s mazurkas. His debut recording, “Images of a Homeland”, received excellent reviews. This was followed by a significant YouTube audience. Now the couple produce a series of podcasts from their home in New Hampshire’s White Mountains region, Marjan’s Musical Soirées.

“The beauty of any podcast is that it can be listened to at any time on your phone, computer or other device,” says Veronica Francis, of Notchnet, Inc. of Littleton, whose company records and distributes the Patria Productions podcasts.

The lively podcasts highlight the life and music of Frederic Chopin (1810 -1849). Separately, there are recordings and historical information about Marjan Kiepura’s famous parents, the Polish tenor Jan Kiepura and Hungarian soprano Marta Eggerth. The charismatic couple were superstars of their day, appearing on stage and screen in numerous operas, operettas and films before fleeing Europe in 1938 as the Nazis rose to power. Emigrating to the United States they were successful in reestablishing themselves for new audiences throughout their long and distinguished careers.

“The podcasts give us a lot of flexibility,” says Knox-Kiepura, who is fluent in several languages and researches all of the information presented in the programs, which she narrates. “As Marjan’s parents sang and made movies in six languages, we try to integrate a multi-lingual approach for our international audience. Marjan’s fluency in German is essential to bridge the pre-war German speaking world of artists and musicians to their adopted countries where many flourished in the arts, including Hollywood.”

“My mother captured so many generations and was always on the cutting edge,” says her son. “She was learning new repertoire till the end of her life. There are so many amazing stories which need to be preserved, such as vocal longevity — the care and tending of a singer’s voice — which allowed my mother to perform until age 100.”

With the rise of the Nazis in the ‘30s followed by World War II, “The film and cultural world was devastated,” says Kiepura. “Luckily, my parents were able to make the transition. They always had a tremendous émigré audience and were then discovered by American audiences.”

During a major exhibit at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, the couple traveled there in May 2022 to present a program on his parents. The exhibit ‘Exil Arte’ honored those artists who were victims or had fled Europe as a result of the rise of Nazism.

The podcasts being produced by the pair are enjoyable for the music alone, but an even more important component is preserving the legacy of Marjan Kiepura’s parents.

“As time passes, memories fade,” says Kiepura. “My parents started on the operatic stage, but both were also movie stars in the ‘30s when the movie industry was still evolving. My parents made the transition from stage to screen. These podcasts have gained a lot of attention and that shows me that people are interested in historic artists. That generation of artists is not forgotten. As with any artistic discipline is it not incumbent for the current generations to see what came before? You see, opera or theater productions may change, but the music does not change. The genius of a Mozart, Verdi, Puccini or Lehar remains.”

Future podcasts are planned that will include other musicians known by Kiepura and his family.

“Marjan’s Musical Soirées are a joy to produce as they connect audiences with outstanding music and the wonderful historical, cultural and artistic aspects that Marjan and Jane share, particularly about the lives and careers of his parents,” says Veronica Francis of Notchnet, Inc. “The podcasts preserve all of this important historical information for future generations to refer to and enjoy.”

To learn more and to subscribe to the podcasts, visit Patria Productions’ website www.patriamusic.com

Marjan Kiepura
Patria Productions
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Chopin Songs with Marta Eggerth, soprano and Marjan Kiepura, pianist. Jane Knox, host