Best Mark Robison Podcasts (2025)

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Conrad Jason Ducharme 1:08:56

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5d ago1:08:56

1:08:56

In northern Alberta, long roads cut through forest and farmland, connecting small, close-knit communities. It was along these highways in the summer of 2016 that 43-year-old Conrad Jason Ducharme, known to family and friends simply as Jason, was last seen. Jason was believed to be traveling on foot to Dixonville for a tent meeting. He made it there…

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Ep. 132 - Expanding Singers' Tone Color Palette - Francis Cathlina 45:30

6d ago45:30

45:30

“I ask them to sing with maximum efficiency, accessing their singer’s formant, and from there, we’ll ask for specific sounds. Sometimes conductors get stuck asking them to blend, to listen. When we do that, it’s like giving them an 8-pack of Crayola and asking them to color. Instead, we start the rehearsal with a 64-pack and then throughout the reh…

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Blake Nex Part 2: Unraveling the Threads 1:14:15

12d ago1:14:15

1:14:15

Last week, we introduced you to the story of Blake Nex, who vanished from his home in Claremont, California, in March of 1993. At his house in Palmer Canyon, his family found groceries still sitting on the counter, his cats left inside, and no sign of Blake. Weeks later, his truck was discovered parked at Ontario International Airport, which led so…

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Ep. 131 - Building Community Through Music in Worship - Jennaya Robison 48:22

16d ago48:22

48:22

"In my third year of teaching, I started to have vocal problems. I was taking voice lessons. I was singing professionally. It was feeling great. Suddenly my voice was gone, and I couldn't get it back. I took a leave of absence to get some speech language therapy. That's why I'm so passionate about using our voices in the choral ensemble in an effec…

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Blake Nex Part 1: The Spark 59:43

19d ago59:43

59:43

In March of 1993, 37-year-old Blake Nex vanished from his home in Claremont, California. Blake’s family grew concerned when they couldn’t reach him, so a relative went to check his house. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss. There were no signs of a struggle or forced entry, but the scene inside Blake’s home told an even stranger story. Groceries…

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Replay: William Jamison Part 3 - Sliding Down the Back of the Mountain 1:05:55

24d ago1:05:55

1:05:55

This episode originally aired on May 23, 2022. In the last two episodes, we shared Bill Jamison’s story. In Part 1, we walked through the night Bill disappeared and the early investigation into his case. In Part 2, we examined the unusual circumstances at Bill’s job and the people connected to his work who may have had motives to harm him. Today, i…

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Replay: William Jamison Part 2 - The Cost of Doing Business 1:02:30

25d ago1:02:30

1:02:30

This episode originally aired on May 17, 2022. In the early morning hours of March 27, 1981, Bill Jamison vanished after a night out. He had spent time at a bar before stopping for a quick bite at a diner. The waitress remembered nothing unusual. Bill ordered his usual late-night meal, finished eating, and walked out into the cool March night. That…

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Ep. 130 - Expanding the Choral Sound with Contemporary Music - Rob Dietz 57:19

23d ago57:19

57:19

“I love the way that contemporary a cappella engages singers who might not necessarily see themselves as ‘choral singers’ to be able to sing together and maybe discover a love of more traditional choral music. For me, it’s all about engaging more singers. Group singing is such a beautiful community, and I’ve seen the ways it can really change lives…

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Replay: William Jamison Part 1 - The Drive Home 55:05

26d ago55:05

55:05

This episode originally aired on May 16, 2022. On March 26, 1981, 33-year-old William “Bill” Jamison followed his usual routine. He spent the day at Haug Die Casting Company in Kenilworth, New Jersey, where he worked as vice president of production. After work, he grabbed dinner at a restaurant, then stopped at the Chez Lounge inside the Linden Lan…

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Jami Lucas 1:09:01

1M ago1:09:01

1:09:01

On July 3, 2020, 38-year-old Jami Lucas was riding his motorcycle near Outing, Minnesota. According to official reports, a deputy recognized Jami and knew he didn’t have a valid license, which sparked a pursuit. However, Jami’s family was told something different: that an anonymous call had come in, leading deputies to pursue Jami. Either way, seve…

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Ep. 129 - Making a Difference Through Choral Music - Joy Hirokawa 48:10

1M ago48:10

48:10

“We were all asking ourselves, ‘what can we do to counter this, what’s happening in the world? How can I help my singers understand and navigate what is happening in our country right now?’ I made this huge shift in my thinking about what choral music should be and why we should be doing it. It's not just ‘what are you singing and is it gorgeous?’ …

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Vickie Carriere 1:04:03

1M ago1:04:03

1:04:03

On July 12, 1987, 18-year-old Vickie Carriere was spending time with her boyfriend. Vickie was eight and a half months pregnant and eagerly awaiting the arrival of her baby boy. That day, the couple was at his family’s fishing camp before starting the drive back to Vickie’s home in Waggaman, Louisiana. According to her boyfriend, who was also the b…

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Aaron Cody Fortner 1:14:12

2M ago1:14:12

1:14:12

On February 21, 2022, 25-year-old Aaron Cody Fortner disappeared from Jackson County, North Carolina. At the time, he was staying at a property owned by his grandparents. He made a couple of phone calls to his grandparents in the early morning hours that seemed off, but they weren’t sure what to make of it at the time. When Aaron’s sister, Kourtney…

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Ep. 128 - Building Emotional Intelligence Through Choral Singing - Jeremy Brown 47:33

2M ago47:33

47:33

“My mantra for my teaching is: I want to create good humans while also creating good musicians. I tell every ensemble that on the first day of school. What they care about is 'Does Mr. Brown see me? Does he value me? Does he care for me?' Then they'll start singing. I care more about the human heart than I care about the perfection of the music. Ye…

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Replay: James Lewis Part 2 - The Airport 55:05

2M ago55:05

55:05

This episode originally aired on July 17, 2023. Jim Lewis was a decorated veteran who had recently retired after serving in the United States Army for 25 years. Jim and his wife, Patsy, purchased a home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, which was intended to be their forever home, after having moved around the US and the world for many years. They w…

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Replay: James Lewis Part 1 - The Hero 52:11

2M ago52:11

52:11

This episode originally aired on July 10, 2023. On October 3, 1982, 42-year-old James Lewis left his home in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Jim told his family he planned to drive to Vero Beach, FL, for a job interview. Jim was a decorated veteran who had recently retired from the Army. He was a skilled pilot looking for something to do in the next …

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Eleanore "Ellie" Halverson 43:57

2M ago43:57

43:57

In September 2023, 45-year-old Eleanore "Ellie" Halverson and her mother, Roxanne, drove to a mental health facility in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. She was planning to check in for treatment. Outside the entrance, Ellie said goodbye to her mother and daughter, as neither of them were allowed to accompany her inside. Roxanne expected she would hear fro…

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Episode 1703: Stopping the Space Shuttle Rustlers 23:23

2M ago23:23

23:23

In 2012, following the end of the Space Transportation System program, NASA faced the monumental task of finding permanent homes for the three remaining Space Shuttle Orbiters—so that their incredible stories could be preserved and shared with the public. After a lengthy and sometimes contentious selection process, the three operational orbiters—Di…

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Ep. 127 - Reconsidering Pedagogy to Support Neurodivergent Singers - Peter Allen Haley 43:02

2M ago43:02

43:02

“Start with the way that you structure your rehearsal, your classroom, your feedback. In terms of feedback, we talk about not giving people more than three pieces of information to work on. Working memory is affected by ADHD in particular. ‘Here's what you're doing well, here's what you can improve on, here's how you can improve it.’ That structure…

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Jonathan Hoang Part 2: Reappearance 1:07:40

2M ago1:07:40

1:07:40

Last week, you learned about Jonathan Hoang, his quiet and structured life, and how he disappeared from his family’s home in Arlington, Washington, at the end of March 2025. On the evening of March 30, Jonathan asked to sleep in the downstairs guest bedroom because the sound of the treadmill was bothering him. In hindsight, a few details from that …

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Ep. 126 - Balancing the Needs of Our Singers and Our Institutions - Kristina Ploeger-Hekmatpanah 47:29

2M ago47:29

47:29

“We’re often put in positions that make us uncomfortable with the inner struggle of how to keep our job and have our program recognized enough to get support versus how to carry out our true mission with students. If I’m trying to continue to fall in love with the choral art, I think the way to do that is looking for literature that will balance th…

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Jonathan Hoang Part 1: When the Pattern Broke 1:00:40

2M ago1:00:40

1:00:40

Twenty-one-year-old Jonathan Hoang disappeared from his home in Arlington, Washington, sometime between the evening of Sunday, March 30, and the early morning hours of Monday, March 31, 2025. On the night of March 30, Jonathan asked his father if he could sleep in the downstairs guest room, saying the sound of the treadmill was bothering him. A sho…

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Season 5 Wrap-Up 15:56

2M ago15:56

15:56

Thank you for listening to our show this season!! Here are the favorite choral pieces from our guests in the fifth season: Christmas Oratorio, Johann Sebastian Bach Mass in B Minor, Johann Sebastian Bach (x2) Trois Chansons Bretonnes, Henk Badings The Sweetheart of the Sun, Eric William Barnum Ein Deutsches Requiem, Johannes Brahms The Music Makers…

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Ep. 125 - Inspiring Choral Skills Through International Competition - Mark Anthony Carpio 51:14

3M ago51:14

51:14

“More competitions are being organized, and it has become a way for these conductors and choirs to work on their skills. By joining these competitions, the rate of their progress accelerated. People join choirs for different reasons. For most of us, we started only because we loved singing, because we found a place where we can share our voice with…

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Replay: Case Continued - Ruth Egnoski - Open Secrets 1:04:59

3M ago1:04:59

1:04:59

Ruth Egnoski’s story was difficult to piece together. Between fragmented newspaper archives and fading memories, there were gaps we feared might never be filled. We couldn’t even determine what year Ruth had disappeared. We had submitted records requests to the Delavan Police Department, but at the time we produced the episode, we had received no r…

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Replay: Ruth Egnoski 59:23

3M ago59:23

59:23

Sometime between the summer of 1964 and 1966, a young woman named Ruth Egnoski vanished from Delavan, Wisconsin. The exact year is unclear, but she would have been between 18 and 20 years old at the time. Her family says they reported her missing to local police, but no search was ever conducted. A private investigator later claimed Ruth had boarde…

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Episode 1702: OSIRIS-APEX and the 2026 NASA Budget: A Discussion with Dr. Dani DellaGiustina 54:39

3M ago54:39

54:39

The OSIRIS-APEX mission, an extension of the wildly successful OSIRIS-REx mission, is set to rendezvous with Asteroid 99942 Apophis in April 2029. This mission takes full advantage of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which still has plenty of fuel and is totally healthy after delivering samples from Asteroid Bennu to Earth on 24 September, 2023. OSIRIS-A…

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Ep. 124 - Exploring the Fusion of Choral and Commercial Music - MaryAnne Muglia 46:43

3M ago46:43

46:43

“We had 10 sopranos, 4 altos, 2 tenors, and 1 bass, and they were all volunteers. We were spending hours trying to learn this music that we didn’t have the numbers for, so I ended up writing almost 100 church arrangements, and I made the voice leading very stepwise. Being that close to the music made me a better writer because I’m not just writing …

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David Shier Part 3: Hollow Answers 1:05:21

3M ago1:05:21

1:05:21

Over the past two weeks, you’ve heard the story of David Shier, who vanished from Trinidad, Colorado, in February 2022, and the exhaustive search that followed. Despite the urgency, no clues surfaced. Dave's family was forced to reexamine every detail, lead, and possibility. On the morning of Dave's disappearance, he asked his wife to drive him to …

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David Shier Part 2: Graveyard of Secrets 1:03:44

3M ago1:03:44

1:03:44

Last week, in Part 1 of David Shier’s story, you heard about his sudden and unexplained disappearance from Trinidad, Colorado, on February 11, 2022. Dave’s wife recalled that he asked her to drive him somewhere because a person had called about a property. She didn’t know more than that, but Dave was frustrated with her because she already had plan…

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Ep. 123 - Improving Ensemble Intonation and Listening Skills - Albert Pinsonneault 50:22

3M ago50:22

50:22

“We ended up forming a new string orchestra at the high school, and I led every rehearsal and conducted every concert. I remember the very first day. I looked at my teacher and said, ‘how do you start them? Do I breathe?’ I tried something, and it didn’t work. Then I did the sniff, and everyone came in. Now I teach conducting, and what I want to gi…

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David Shier Part 1: A Walk into the Unknown 1:16:42

3M ago1:16:42

1:16:42

On February 11, 2022, David Shier disappeared from his home in Trinidad, Colorado. That morning, his wife, Rosemarie, saw him around 11 a.m. before she left home to run some errands. When she returned later that day, David was gone. She tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. She also reached out to friends and family, but no one had seen or heard…

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Replay: Ian Eckles Part 3 - The Broken Window 1:04:58

4M ago1:04:58

1:04:58

This episode originally aired July 5, 2021. This episode originally aired July 5, 2021. Ian Eckles was last seen on May 16, 2020, as he left his home for a hunting trip in the mountains of Washington. He never met up with his friend as planned, and after days of no contact, a massive search began. The effort intensified when Ian’s vehicle was spott…

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Ep. 122 - Music and Mission in LGBTQ+ and Senescent Choruses - Tim Seelig 55:11

4M ago55:11

55:11

“Everything changed for the gay choral movement because they had twins: music and mission. They weren’t just there for the music, and they weren’t just there for the mission. I’ve been feeding my twins every day, and I feed them equally. Audiences that are interested in just music for music making are dying out. There are a lot more reasons to get …

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Replay: Ian Eckles Part 2 - The Manhunt 1:02:19

4M ago1:02:19

1:02:19

This episode originally aired on June 29, 2021. By May 23, 2020, 41-year-old Ian Eckles had been missing for a week. He had made plans to go hunting with a friend, but never showed up at their meeting spot. When he failed to report to work the next day, concern quickly turned into alarm. Ian’s family and friends launched a desperate search across t…

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Replay: Ian Eckles Part 1 - The Hunting Trip 52:54

4M ago52:54

52:54

This episode originally aired on June 28, 2021. 41-year-old Ian Eckles was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and spending time in the wilderness. So when he planned a weekend hunting trip near Liberty, Washington, with a friend, it seemed like nothing out of the ordinary. But when his friend arrived at their meeting spot deep in the national …

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Ep. 121 - Choral Collaboration with the Choir Guys: Daniel Gutierrez and Blake Richter 50:36

4M ago50:36

50:36

"I start every morning at the junior high, and we co-teach together. It's great for alignment in the program, for familiarity with the students and getting to know them and hopefully continuing in choir. Our students see that we collaborate. I like that they can see that because it shows them how to go about relationships. People need be modeled ho…

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John "Brent" McGhee 1:13:12

4M ago1:13:12

1:13:12

On July 11, 2024, 42-year-old John Brent McGhee disappeared from Leachville, Arkansas. Brent was last seen by his mother when she dropped him off at his cousin’s house. A short time later, he left on foot, reportedly to look for his wife. According to eyewitness accounts, Brent made it to the home of his wife’s best friend, but he was not allowed i…

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Replay: Jimmy Don Robinson 1:19:37

4M ago1:19:37

1:19:37

On the night of October 1, 1976, just one week after celebrating his 21st birthday, Jimmy Don Robinson vanished from Elmore City, Oklahoma. Though he no longer lived at the family home, Jimmy stopped by around midnight. His mother had just returned from a late shift and was preparing dinner. Jimmy chatted briefly with his family, and during that ti…

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Larry Riegel Part 2: Dusting off the Case 59:23

4M ago59:23

59:23

Last week, we brought you Part 1 of Larry Riegel’s story. You learned about Larry’s life, career, and sudden disappearance from Yakima, Washington, around Christmas in 2009. On Christmas morning, Larry spoke with his mother, and around 4 PM that afternoon, he had a conversation with his son, Brian. But when Brian called back later that evening, Lar…

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Ep. 120 - Unlocking Humanity and Vulnerability Through Choral Singing - Chris Maunu 51:07

4M ago51:07

51:07

“I think during my formative years, shying away from my true self – my authentic self – that's definitely shaped how I approach being in front of choirs, using choir as a platform to really encourage kids to be themselves. I think there's a vulnerability to singing where it really is an avenue to accessing the truest parts of ourselves, and so that…

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Larry Riegel Part 1: Shifting Narratives 1:10:04

5M ago1:10:04

1:10:04

It was Christmas 2009 when 57-year-old Lawrence Riegel vanished from Yakima, Washington. Larry had plans to visit his family the day after Christmas, but he never showed up, which was completely out of character for Larry. He was known for always arriving with his famous peach pie in hand. At the time, Larry was living with his girlfriend, Ladena, …

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Ep. 119 - Mentoring the Next Generation of Choral Educators - Jennifer Sengin 48:36

5M ago48:36

48:36

“You never know what anybody's potential is. I think about that now as a teacher, that we are expecting 17-, 18-year-olds to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It’s so early in your life to make those decisions, and so much can change during those really formative years. I want to help them to be the best version of themselves i…

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Nicholas Downey 1:02:12

5M ago1:02:12

1:02:12

In late February 2023, 37-year-old Nicholas Downey rented a car in Florida to visit his wife in Mississippi. While he made it there safely, the visit was brief, as Nick needed to return to Florida and drop off the rental car. During his drive home, he spoke to his wife one last time. After that call, he vanished without a trace. Nick's disappearanc…

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Replay: Sandy Rea 1:05:05

5M ago1:05:05

1:05:05

This episode originally aired on April 6, 2020. On the night of September 19, 1984, 17-year-old Sandy Rea was last seen at the Windsor Bowling Alley in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Her cousin, who was working there at the time, had a brief conversation with her. Sandy then made a phone call, though it’s still unclear who she contacted. Sandy mentioned to her…

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Ep. 118 - Preserving the Art of Community Music Making - Michael Murphy 49:59

5M ago49:59

49:59

“Sometimes my students ask me if I worry about the future of choral music with advanced technology, AI, but I really am not concerned at all. The way that I see it, the act of making music with each other, the need to connect with each other – I don't see that going away anytime soon. To connect through honest, authentic communication that is not a…

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Joseph "Joe Lupo" Rulli Part 2: Escape or Execution? 1:04:37

5M ago1:04:37

1:04:37

Last week, we shared Part 1 of Joseph “Joe Lupo” Rulli’s story. You learned about his rise in the boxing world at a young age, his battle with Polio that tragically ended his career too soon, and Joe’s eventual rise within the mafia. For a while, things were looking good for Joe, but by April of 1971, a mafia turf war was raging. Several of Joe’s a…

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Ep. 117 - Tips for Writing Accessible and Eloquent Choral Music - Dan Forrest 49:32

5M ago49:32

49:32

“I think the hardest thing in the world is to write easy music that still is eloquent. A piece relies on strength of idea and not strength of technique or difficulty. That underlying idea is so rich with potential and can be developed in so many beautiful ways within a 3-minute work or a 70-minute work. The pieces I'm the most proud of are the piec…