John Holiday
Countertenor John Holiday Releases Debut Album “Over My Head” on Pentatone
A striking and deeply personal debut uniting spirituals, contemporary works, and art song, including world premiere recordings by Theo Morrison and Carlos Simon. Out now on our partner label Pentatone.
On Friday, July 17, 2026, PENTATONE releases Over My Head, the stunning debut album from acclaimed countertenor John Holiday. A striking and deeply personal statement of artistic identity, the album brings together spirituals, contemporary works, and art song in a program shaped by faith, love, and expressive individuality.
Joined by pianist and close collaborator Kevin Miller, Holiday traverses a rich and stirring musical landscape, featuring works by Hall Johnson, Robert L. Morris, and H. Leslie Adams, alongside world premiere recordings by Theo Morrison and Carlos Simon, as well as arrangements by Holiday himself.
Rooted in what Holiday calls “Love in the Key of Resilience,” Over My Head is both an album long in the making and a presentation of his most authentic self. The repertoire was chosen for its powerful messages of hope and resilience, and for its ability to reach listeners with openness, intimacy, and conviction.
The title reflects the album’s emotional center—evoking both surrender and transcendence—and finds its fullest expression in the closing arrangement of the spirituals Over My Head and Amazing Grace.
Holiday writes in the album booklet:
“If you are in search of love, beauty, peace, or comfort in the midst of heartache, my sincerest hope is that this album serves as a beacon of light, guiding you toward those experiences. I find my truest happiness on stage, pouring my heart out to my audience, and with Over My Head, I aimed to recreate that connection.”
Heard as a whole, the program unfolds as a personal journey through devotion, longing, memory, grief, and consolation, culminating in a final gesture of grace.
The album opens with Hall Johnson’s I’m Gonter Tell God All O’ My Troubles and continues through a wide-ranging program including Theo Morrison’s James Joyce settings; three world premieres by Carlos Simon in a freeform “vocalise” style; Robert L. Morris’s Lyric Suite; Holiday’s own arrangements of Fly Me to the Moon, Summertime, Strange Fruit, and Over My Head / Amazing Grace; and four songs by H. Leslie Adams: Prayer, The Heart of a Woman, Night Song, and Sence You Went Away. Together, these works honor a rich musical lineage while illuminating Holiday’s singular voice as both interpreter and curator. Reflecting the breadth of an artist equally at home in opera, recital, American song, and contemporary repertoire, Over My Head offers both a deeply personal statement and a distinctive contribution to the recorded vocal canon.
The album was recorded November 20–23, 2024, at WGBH Studios in Boston, Massachusetts.
Watch John Holiday perform Over My Head / Amazing Grace – Live at WGBH
Watch John Holiday perform Strange Fruit
Read John Holiday’s November 2025 feature in The New York Times
“Arrestingly powerful, secure and dramatically high” – The Wall Street Journal
“One of the finest countertenors of his generation” – Los Angeles Times
“A thing of astonishing beauty” – The New Yorker