An Advent Calendar of Song: introduction

One of the many silver linings of the lockdown has been more time to listen to music. Paradoxically, I've corresponded frequently with a New York friend who used to live two blocks away from me in Brooklyn Heights but whom I almost never saw then, Haas Regen.

We both adore listening to singing; so we came up with the idea of an Advent Calendar of Song: each of us has to send a YouTube recording of a different singer every day between December 1 and 25. The rules are as follows:-

"The material can range from Ethel Merman and the Beatles to Marcella Sembrich and Simon Keenlyside singing Thomas Adès - whatever.

"No singer more than once;
"'Popular' and 'folk' as well as 'classical' are permitted;
"The clips have to be on YouTube. 
"If we want to accompany the clip with an account of why this one matters to us or rather why we think it defines some core principle of great vocalism, then good - but no pressure. December can be busy enough.

"The twenty-five items don’t have to be the very best of each singer, but just reveal one singular aspect of that singer. They don’t have to be our twenty-five all-time favourites; they just have to make twenty-five separate or cumulative points about the qualities we love in great singing.
"We can enter a recording with obvious flaws and/or an ensemble with inferior colleagues if we want, and we may append a note saying 'This is just because I love the soprano so much here', or 'Never mind that he forgets his words or interrupts her, isn’t this otherwise fabulous?'
"And of course we’re allowed to send items that we both know perfectly well."

As I keep re-assembling my list, my mind turns to many other friends with whom I have or haven't been in contact during the year, some of whom introduced me to this singer or that recording or joined me for that performance. Others who are new or old friends just come to mind anyway. So, this December, I share this Advent Calendar of Song: most numbers will last less than five minutes.